When someone mentions actors usually the first thing that comes to our mind is the glamour we see on the red carpet and the luxurious lifestyle. It seems so effortlessly perfect and we often find ourselves fantasizing about this career. Who wouldn’t want to attend the Oscars dressed like a daydream and drinking champagne with Brad Pitt? But what we often don’t think about is the sacrifices the actors make for some roles. Some roles require a complete dedication to the character, which in several cases means dramatic body transformations. Keep reading to see some of the most unbelievable and dramatic transformations!
Robert De Niro
It wouldn’t be right to start this list without mentioning first this true Hollywood legend. The "Taxi Driver" might be his biggest movie success but his biggest movie sacrifice was surely made in Martin Scorsese’s "Raging Bull". For most of the movie, De Niro’s character required a boxer’s physique but for the final shots of the movie, he was supposed to play an aged and overweight version of his character.
What De Niro did there shows why his Hollywood status is well deserved. He underwent a 60-pound weight gain which was at the time the most an actor has made for a role.
Zac Efron
Even though he was pretty athletic before, for his role in "Baywatch" Zac Efron had to get ripped! During six months before filming the movie, Zac had to follow a very strict diet and an intense workout schedule. Zac said his trainer Patrick Murphy “pushed him to his "functional" limits with a very multifaceted style: strength, explosiveness, fast-paced, calculated, diverse and gut-wrenching workouts”. And it would go for about 1,000 repetitions.
Seems easy, doesn’t it? You just have to work out almost every day for a few hours, completely cut out carbs and sugars, and listen to everything your trainer says.
Matthew McConaughey
While some actors have a hard time reaching their target weight for the given role, Matthew McConaughey claims his transformation into a 47 pounds heavier gold prospector Kenny Wells was quite fun. He got to enjoy cheeseburgers, his favorite food, almost every day, he avoided even the simplest activities like climbing the stairs, and on top of that, he tried a whole bunch of new fast-food restaurants during the period.
As if that wasn’t good enough, he also became “Captain Fun" in his home. What kid doesn’t love pizza night - every night? It seems like a win-win situation for Matthew.
50 Cent
To say that 50 Cent went through a dramatic transformation for his role in "All Things Fall Apart" would be an understatement. He went from his regular 214 lbs to just about 160 lbs in a very short period so he could play a football player diagnosed with cancer. During this time he followed a very strict liquid diet and would spend up to three hours on the treadmill every day.
In addition to losing his muscle mass, he also removed his arm tattoos to cut down the time he would have to spend covering them with makeup. Talk about a commitment to the role!
Edward Norton
If you want to play a convincing raging Neo-Nazi skinhead, you can’t be looking like a typical romantic comedy nice guy, right? That’s why for his role in "American History X" Edward Norton had to completely toughen up his physical appearance which required a lot of muscle. He gained a lot of credit in Hollywood when he managed to turn his guy next door looks into straight-out-of-prison white supremacist character.
This called for a lot of work, a high protein diet, and a lot of low repetitions, combined with heavyweight exercise, which finally resulted in 30 lbs of new muscles.
Tom Hanks
This transformation was so epic that a diet was named after it! The Castaway diet consisting of fish, vegetables, crab, carbohydrates only from fruits, coconut milk, and water was used for the first time when Tom Hanks had to prepare for his Chuck Nolan role. To prepare for the middle-aged man look in the first part of the movie, Hanks gained 50 pounds and then the production shut down for a year.
During that time Hanks followed a strict diet to achieve a real “left on the deserted island” look. This was a true challenge for both the body and the mind.
Chris Hemsworth
When someone mentions Chris Hemsworth the first thing that comes to our mind is probably the lean, muscular Marvel character. It’s hard to imagine the God of Thunder as a weak, malnourished sailor lost at sea. That’s why during the whole time of the filming of the movie "In the Heart Of The Sea" Hemsworth as well as the rest of the cast had to consume just 500 calories a day!
The actor claims they felt like supermodels, weighing themselves every day and comparing their weight loss. At one point all they could talk about was their new appearance and how hungry they all were.
J. K. Simmons
To get bulked up for his Commissioner Gordon role in "Justice League", Simmons used the help of an ex-Marine, Aaron Williamson, a name well-known in Hollywood bodybuilding circles. Even though he hesitated a bit at first, after the end of shooting Simmons was determined to keep up the newly adapted healthy lifestyle and maintain what his trainer called “best shape he had ever been in”, as well as the healthiest.
It began as a job, but his private life was positively influenced by this transformation. So to become the best version of yourself you just have to become a Hollywood star!
Demi Moore
This beautiful actress showed us what she is capable of in the movie "G.I. Jane" while portraying the first female Navy SEAL. Believe it or not, to get into her role she did the real Navy SEAL training, in addition to cardio, strength, and martial arts training. Her day would usually begin with a 4 AM Central Park run surrounded by her security team. After that, she would run straight to the set.
To completely fit into the character, Demi also shaved her head, as if underwater running, one-arm pushups, and mud sit-ups were not enough. And of course, the diet was crazy!
Charlize Theron
Much like the previous example, Charlize Theron’s remarkable looks have always been put in front of her great acting. For her role as a real-life serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, Charlize gained around 30 lbs and proved that even "without" her beautiful looks she can make an amazing performance. She completely changed her lifestyle, her diet regime included mostly donuts and potato chips plus avoiding every form of harder physical activity.
The point of her massive transformation was not just to look heavier, but to completely let herself go to portray the physical and mental state of a completely distraught woman.
Jared Leto
Unlike some actors who might be proud of their grand transformations, Jared Leto claims that gaining 67 pounds for his role as John Lennon's assassin, Mark David Chapman, was not his smartest move. His health was seriously endangered to the point that he couldn’t even walk to the set. Leto says that he wasn’t specifically asked to gain that much weight, but he felt that it’s a crucial part of the character.
He later advised his friends and other actors against this kind of method of acting, claiming that the weight can go away after but it’s truly not worth risking your health.
Tom Hardy
For his role as a British criminal Charles Bronson Tom Hardy had to gain a lot of weight with a kind of naturally strong but not lean physique. His trainers set him up to gain 7 lbs a week but it was not an easy task. The prisoner who inspired the movie was not happy with how Hardy looked and thought he could not do a good job playing him.
Towards the end of the movie, Hardy claims he had bulked his upper body to the point that his legs looked like those of a stork. You shouldn’t skip your leg days, Tom!
Jared Leto In Dallas Buyers Club
After his huge weight gain in “Chapter 27”, Jared Leto went in the opposite direction to play a transsexual with AIDS in the movie “Dallas Buyers Club”. When asked how he did it, he answered that he simply stopped eating. He said it was very hard, he lost count after losing the first 40 pounds. At the time the production of the movie started he weighed as little as 112 pounds.
One thing's for sure - Jared Leto is firmly dedicated to the characters he plays and he truly deserved the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor which he took for this movie.
Natalie Portman
The impressive transformation Natalie Portman went through for her "Black Swan" role was so intense that at some moments she thought she was going to die! To portray a strongly driven, perfectionist ballerina Natalie followed a strict diet consisting of carrots and almonds while spending eight hours a day rehearsing. The preparation for the movie left her fully emotionally and physically drained, she was completely taken down by the role.
Her hard work and dedication to the character paid off eventually, as she won the Academy Award for Best Leading Actress. Sometimes you just need to break a rib to succeed.
Matthew McConaughey In Dallas Buyers Club
Just like Jared Leto in the same movie, Matthew McConaughey underwent a dramatic body transformation to become an AIDS patient in the movie "Dallas Buyers Club". His transformation is one of the main reasons the movie gained so much credit and attention. “I met with a nutritionist. I gave myself four months to lose the weight. I had my programmed meals, lost 3.5lb a week - like clockwork” he claimed.
He also said that even though he was weak physically, he gained a lot of mental energy from talking to real-life AIDS patients which kept him going through the role.
Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill’s weight problem is something that followed him during his whole career. He was mostly branded as a funny fat guy and he was not happy with the title. When he wanted to finally change his image he asked his friend and "21 Jump Street" co-star Channing Tatum for advice on weight loss. With the help of this famously good-looking actor, he managed to achieve a much slimmer figure.
After gaining 40 lbs for his hit movie "War Dogs" he wanted to get back into shape and now it seems like he finally got there. It’s good to be friends with Magic Mike.
Jake Gyllenhaal
To transform himself into a middleweight boxer for the movie "Southpaw" Jake Gyllenhaal sacrificed so much that he even ended his relationship with Alyssa Miller. He spent up to 6 hours in the gym every day for 6 months! The movie director claimed that they turned him into a beast. Jake says that the amount of effort he put into the process is not something is eager to do again.
Jake is known for his commitment to his roles, like in "Nightcrawler" where he lost a remarkable 30 lbs. It deserves a lot of respect, but is it worth losing a girl?
Chris Pratt
Did you know that Andy Dwyer from "Parks and Recreation and Peter Quill from "Guardians of Galaxy" are the same person? It seems almost impossible. When he got the part in this Marvel movie he weighed almost 300 pounds! His job was not easy at all, he had to lose weight and get bulked. He claims it was “Three or four hours a day of just consistent, ass-kicking hard work”.
His trainer gave him a daily 4000 calories intake plan combined with a lot of water. For Chris, this was the worst part because he spent his days peeing constantly.
Christian Bale
Now, this is a true one! To play a machinist with chronic insomnia in the Movie "The Machinist" Christian Bale went down to unbelievable 110 lbs! Bale had to become extremely skinny to fit into the role of a man battling sleep deprivation and consequently with weight loss. Bale fully committed to this, he ate nothing but tuna cans and apples combined with water and black coffee to speed up the metabolism.
This rigorous diet provided only about 260 calories a day. Also, Bale put himself through extreme training to achieve the goal. Even though it’s impressive, this is one of the riskiest transformations in Hollywood.
Chris Hemsworth In Thor
When the first thing that appears next to your name in Google searches is the word workout, you know that you did a good job. When you google "Chris Hemsworth Workout" you can see the impressive results this hunk of an actor managed to make for his Marvel movie. Even though a lot of people accused him of taking steroids, Chris says it’s all hard work, red meat, heavyweights, and some protein powder.
His Navy SEAL trainer came with the old school approach - a lot of attention to the arms and shoulders which is why the God of Thunder is sleeveless... All the time.
Renee Zellweger
In some cases, transformations take the life out of the actors, but not in Renee’s case. For her part in Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason she put on 30 lbs. Actress says she enjoyed the process whilst eating everything she wishes, but the part after the movie when she wanted to lose all that was not as much fun. She went up from size 4 to size 14 in just a few months.
With the busy shooting schedule, it was often a challenge not to lose the new weight, which is why they always kept some snacks around. Makes coming to work so much easier.
Jake Gyllenhaal In Nightcrawler
We’ve already seen that Jake is very determined when it comes to his roles. He takes the method acting technique to a whole new level. While shooting the movie "Nightcrawler" he completely isolated himself from his friend to avoid eating. He ran 15 miles every day from his house to the set, but he couldn’t notice his body transformation until the very end of production when he saw the final scenes.
“The running thing, you’re pretty hungry because you’re not eating a lot of food” claimed Jake who felt very lonely during the whole production period. His meals were kale salad and - chewing gum.
Emile Hirsch
Emile Hirsch went through two stages of weight loss for his role in the movie Into the Wild. Given that he was playing a man lost in the Alaskan Wilderness who died of starvation he had to gradually lose weight. From his original 156 lbs, he first cut down to 130 lbs and then to just about 115 pounds for the Alaskan part. This was not an easy task to do.
He says the worst part was not being able to eat candy, his sugar cravings were higher than ever before. He would turn down a steak just to eat a chocolate bar.
Ben Kingsley
This is another example of the actor who became the character he is playing. To become the famous pacifist Ben Kingsley adopted a vegetarian diet, lost 20 pounds while at it, started to study yoga and meditation. But that’s not everything! He also shaved his head and learned to spin cotton thread on a wooden wheel, which Gandhi himself did when talking. The actor completely got himself into Gandhi’s way of life.
He once explained that during the preparation “if he and his craft are totally bonded and fully exploited, something else in him is awakened and begins to inform his work”.
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe didn’t consider himself a method actor so to play an Israeli adventurer lost in Amazona he did not want to follow the real diet Yossi Ghinsberg had. In this unbelievable story, he had to find a way to survive with what he found in the nests and the fruit he managed to pick. Due to the lack of food, infection, and disease, he lost 35 pounds in the jungle.
Instead of committing to that for two months, Radcliffe chooses an unsafe and unhealthy way in which he eats nothing but chicken breast and a protein bar in two weeks.
Anne Hathaway
Anne’s transformation for "Les Miserables" was surrounded by a lot of rumors about her rigorous diet. It was claimed that she was taking only about 500 calories a day! Even though she was maintaining a pretty challenging diet, it was more than 500 calories a day. She managed to lose 10 pounds before the movie started and another 15 during the movie. For a woman who is already tiny, it’s a lot!
And not only did she lose a lot of weight, but she also cut her long beautiful hair. She claims that at times she had a complete break from reality.
Christian Bale In American Hustle
Christian Bale is not a stranger to extreme body oscillations as we can see. In the movie "American Hustle" he put on 42 lbs to play a New York con man Irving Rosenfeld. His transformation was so convincing that whilst meeting with the rest of the cast Robert de Niro asked who that was and could not believe it was Bale. Especially after the way he looked in "The Machinist".
But that’s not the end of his movie sacrifice! He also shaved a part of his head and gave his character a slouched posture witch affected his real-life height afterward.
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds is one of those actors whose on-screen transformation influenced positively their off-screen life. Before the movie "Blade: Trinity" Reynolds was leading a pretty casual lifestyle with no regard for what he’s eating or drinking. But after he spent 3 months doing workouts almost every day, and a carefully planned diet, he changed his everyday habits. When you get 25 pounds of muscle you simply don’t want to go back.
On top of his physique improving, he also became a big hit in Hollywood and got offered some pretty significant roles. And let’s not forget his popularity with the female audience.
Michael Fassbender
For the movie "Hunger" in which he played the prisoner who led the second Provisional Irish Republican Army hunger strike in 1981, Michael Fassbender came down to a fragile 127 pounds. He said that this prison movie was a kind of psychological prison for him since he maintained a strict 900 calorie diet. The diet alone is rough but when you combine it with a series of cardio exercises it becomes a real nightmare.
It’s a real challenge, but if you want to convincingly portray a man on a 66-day hunger strike - SPOILER ALERT- that eventually kills him, you can’t be eating McDonald’s every day!
Vincent D’Onofrio
Full body transformation D’onofrio had for his movie "Full Metal Jacket" influenced his personal life but not in a positive way. He got to see how it feels to be judged by your appearance. When this good-looking actor said yes to playing a much bigger, bald, mentally unstable Marine recruit he had to put on nearly 70 pounds. The weight gain drastically changed his body, but his mind was influenced even more.
“It makes you realize all those typical things about beauty being deeper than what you would think,” said the actor referring to the mental state which letting yourself go puts you in.
Will Smith
Even though the critics were not into the idea that Will Smith is playing a much larger boxing legend, Muhamed Ali, his portrayal left everyone speechless. His trainer even claimed that if he had him at 20 years old he could have made a true champion. Not only did he learn to look and act like a fighter, he learned to think like one, eat like one and sleep like one.
The best proof of his commitment to the role is the fact that he could bench press 175 pounds before the movie and a remarkable 365 pounds after the movie started.
Matt Damon
For the movie "Courage under Fire" in which Matt Damon played an army medic, he had to lose 60 pounds. He claims that even though he had to run 13 miles a day, it was not the worst part. The diet was. He ate nothing but chicken breast. “I just made it up and did what I thought I had to do. I just made it up and that was incredibly challenging" he said.
This kind of extreme body transformation might not be the most glamorous but it’s for sure not easy! It’s the challenges like this that differentiate a good actor from a great one.
Hillary Swank
When you have to turn from a classic thin good-looking woman into a boxer with lifelong sports experience, and you have 90 days to reach the target look, you know you are going to work extra hard. To achieve that kind of physique she had two and a half hours of boxing training plus two hours at the gym a day. Six days a week. For 90 straight days before the filming.
But that might not be the hardest part. She had to intake 210 grams of protein a day which might seem easy but could you imagine 8 to 12 eggs in a meal?
Taylor Lautner
Team Edward or Team Jacob? If we are talking about body transformations for the "Twilight" movie then it’s for sure Team Jacob! As his character matured into a powerful werewolf between the two movies, so did his body. He managed to put on 30 pounds of pure muscle in one year and afterward stayed dedicated to his new look. It determined his later career and made him a big fan base.
This might not be the most challenging Hollywood transformation, but it sure did seem like he just turned from a skinny and shy teenager into a fully grown man overnight.
Colin Farell
Colin Farell gained 40 pounds for his role in the movie "The Lobster" but he made it seem like the easiest job in the world. He says that he simply ate bigger portions. He gave up portion control and ate as much as possible. Unlike some celebrities who took their weight gain very personally, he just did it as a part of the job and the same way he lost it.
Some actors take this change easier than others, accepting it as a part of the job they have chosen and not letting it influence the off-screen sphere of their life.