Some actors’ commitment to their roles goes beyond mere acting and sometimes transforms their bodies in unusual and extreme ways. From drastic weight gain to shocking weight loss, these actors have featured amazing body transformations in their performances. Here are some incredible celebrity transformations that show just how dedicated actors can be to their cause.
To identify actors who have significantly altered their bodies, we took a look at several online sources, including IMDb, for instances where actors have lost or gained significant amounts of weight/muscle for the particular role they were interpreting. This photo gallery contains images of each actor’s extreme body transformation as the character appeared in each role in the film.
Since then, actors and actresses have pushed the limits to the point of insanity to transform their physical appearance for film roles. Many of the actors who play MCU heroes have had to work hard to transform their bodies into these iconic characters. Here is a list of actors from Hollywood and other film industries around the world who have undergone extreme bodily transformations for their roles. Few actors are as famous for their on-screen portrayals as Christian Bale.
He starred in a number of films that required him to lose or gain significant weight, but his most notable transformation came in the underrated thriller The Machinist. Some actors have made careers out of dramatic physical transformations, especially Christian Bale. Christian Bale plummeted to 121lb for his role in The Machinist.
Whether obtained by natural methods (weight loss, weight gain) and/or enhanced by makeup and prosthetics, actor transformations have shocked television and moviegoers for as long as the means have existed.
Over the course of his four-year career, Christian Bale has turned the body he built for his film character into a work of art. They changed every aspect of themselves for the role. Mila Kunis lost 20 pounds after playing a dancer in Oscar-winning ‘Black Swan’.
When it comes to the actors’ incredible physical transformations, it’s hard not to think of Robert De Niros’ iconic performance in Raging Bull. Other times it’s about turning an actor into a compelling action hero. People usually think of intense dramas or big action movies when they talk about these drastic body transformations, but Renee Zellweger has shown that this kind of commitment can be effective for romantic comedies too.
While the transition from child actor to adult star is a frightening transformation in itself, given Hollywood’s track record, LaBeouf’s biggest physical change came on the set of David Ayers’ World War II tank film Fury. While most actors prefer to play the role of a boxer, Robert De Niro preferred accuracy over physical flattery when portraying real-life boxer Jake LaMotta. Bale famously bolstered his serious acting ability by shedding a claimed 63 pounds to play an insomniac who lost a frightening amount of weight.
But transforming her look isn’t always easy, and Bale talked about how it’s taken a toll on her body. Transformations concern not only weight but also the use of prostheses and partly makeup.
