Learn about the manipulative schemes these celebs were subjected to
For his film, 'The Midnight Sky,' George Clooney shed nearly 28 lbs (13 kg) to play the role of an astronomer who survives an apocalyptic event, The Mirror reports. Despite his incredible dedication, losing the weight so fast meant he compromised his health, and four days before he was due on set, he was rushed to the hospital with stomach pains eventually diagnosed as pancreatitis. He was forced to spend weeks recovering, "But it certainly helped with the character," he said.
For the role of a police officer in '21 Jump Street' (2012), the actor had to lose 14 kilos, according to an article by the NY Daily News.
Sources: (Daily Mail, Exercise Reports, Female First, CNN, BBC, Hollywood Life, Business Insider, Daily Mail, Men's Fitness, The Hollywood Reporter, The Telegraph, Men's Health, E News, Popsugar, FoodsForBetterHealth, Daily Star, Shape, NY Daily News)
Joaquin Phoenix is one of those actors who isn't afraid to push himself to extremes to give the best possible performance. He looked gaunt and terrifying when he took on the role of Joker, completely changing his gait and the way he carried himself. Not to mention the fact that the lost 52 pounds (24 kg) to achieve the director's ideal image of the character. Phoenix has since gone in the other direction for his latest movie, 'Disappointment Blvd.' He was spotted on set looking like a completely different person. He has gained quite a bit of weight and is rocking grey hair. When he became extremely thin for 'Joker' (2019), Phoenix shared that he enjoyed the physical aspect but said that the weight loss had a severe impact on his mental health.
Mark Wahlberg really committed himself to his role as Father Stuart Long, the real-life boxer-turned-priest for his 2022 film 'Father Stu.' He told ET he had to put on about 30 lbs (13.6 kg) in six weeks for the role, and detailed the stomach-turning lengths he went to do it. "I started with 7,000 calories for the first two weeks and then 11,000 calories for the final four weeks,” Wahlberg said. “None of it was fun, except for the first meal was amazing, because I hadn’t eaten anything up until that point. But after that, when you’re already full and you have to eat again, and at my age it’s just not a healthy thing to do, to try to put on that kind of weight in that amount of time.” The 50-year-old tried to do it the healthiest way, which involved maintaining a workout schedule but also drinking olive oil by the glass. "The first two weeks were high proteins. The second two weeks were a lot of carbs. The last two weeks starches, and then sodium, just to kind of get as bloated as possible. So not a lot of fun," he shared.
Hanks lost approximately 23 kilos when he acted in 'Cast Away' (2000), according to The Telegraph.
'Stranger Things' star David Harbour's weight loss was as dramatic as his character's storyline in season four. The actor revealed that he shed a whopping 80 lbs (36 kg) for the role, and that he's never doing it again! He told GQ that he began intermittent fasting and pilates to lose the weight over eight months. Harbour's attitude toward such dramatic transformations is that they're unnecessary and that special effects technology can do the work. When it comes to method acting, which often goes hand in hand with major physical changes, it all sounds like "nonsense" to Harbour. "Not only is that stuff silly, it's dangerous, and it actually doesn't produce good work."
Brendan Fraser went to concerning lengths for his memorable lead role in the box-office smash hit 'George of the Jungle' (1997), and it took a toll not only on his body but also on his mind. The actor opened up about his experience getting shredded for the Disney comedy during Variety's 'Actors on Actors' series with former 'Airheads' (1994) co-star Adam Sandler. "I was waxed. Starved of carbohydrates," Fraser said. "I would drive home after work and stop to get something to eat. I needed some cash one day, and I went to the ATM, and I couldn't remember my PIN number because my brain was misfiring. Banging on the thing. I didn't eat that night." In the film, Fraser plays a Tarzan-like comedic character who is removed from his jungle home and introduced to modern society, yet for much of the movie, Fraser wears nothing but a small loin cloth. "The wardrobe was there was no wardrobe," Fraser joked.
The actress reportedly lost nine kilos for her starring role in 'Black Swan' (2010), according to E News.
In 2022, Austin Butler starred in the dizzying Baz Luhrmann biopic, 'Elvis.' The young actor played Elvis from his teen years until the time of his death at the premature age of 42. By that time, the superstar was in poor health and had gained weight, meaning Butler would need to do the same for the later stages of the movie. Butler is tall and lean so it wasn't easy, but he heard about a method used by Ryan Gosling that he decided to try out. The Gosling reportedly microwaved Häagen-Dazs ice cream so that he could drink it to sink as many calories as possible as quickly as possible. "So I started doing that," Butler told Variety." I would go get two dozen doughnuts and eat them all. I really started to pack on some pounds. It’s fun for a week, and then you feel awful about yourself."
Cillian Murphy's 'Oppenheimer' co-stars have spoken up about his immense dedication to his role, with Robert Downey Jr. stating plainly, "I have never witnessed a greater sacrifice by a lead actor in my career." Beyond taking on such a massive, humbling, demanding role and learning "30,000 words of Dutch" on his days off while his co-stars enjoyed a three-day weekend, he was also sacrificing himself physically to the role. Emily Blunt, who plays his onscreen wife Kitty Oppenheimer, told Extra, "He had such a monumental undertaking. And he could only eat, like, an almond every day. He was so emaciated.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Murphy explained why it was important for him to lose the weight. “I love acting with my body, and Oppenheimer had a very distinct physicality and silhouette, which I wanted to get right," he said. "I had to lose quite a bit of weight, and we worked with the costume and tailoring; he was very slim, almost emaciated, existed on martinis and cigarettes. He had these really bright eyes and I wanted to give him this wide-eyed look, so we worked on his silhouette and expressions a lot before starting." Murphy didn't disclose how much weight he lost because he didn't want it to grab attention, but he did address his diet in an interview with IndieWire and said, “I don’t advise it.”
Used to play the slightly overweight Andy in the series 'Parks and Recreation,' Pratt followed an intense diet and training routine to get this body for 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (2014). According to Men's Fitness he lost about 27 kilos in six months.
Famous for his role as Thor, the actor had to lose roughly 14 kilos when he played James Hunt, a British racing driver, in 'Rush' (2013), according to Hollywood Life.
Shape reported that for 'Body of Lies' (2008) the actor had to put on 29 kilos.
To get some movie parts, not only do you need to have talent and the ability to get into character, but you've also got to have a will strong enough to completely immerse yourself in your role—even if that means making impressive physical changes.
Check out the gallery to see which stars had to undergo drastic changes for movie roles.
Actors who totally transformed their bodies for a movie
See which stars had to undergo drastic changes for movie roles
CELEBRITY Cinema
To get some movie parts, not only do you need to have talent and the ability to get into character, but you've also got to have a will strong enough to completely immerse yourself in your role—even if that means making impressive physical changes.
Check out the gallery to see which stars had to undergo drastic changes for movie roles.