The most dramatic actor transformations for a role

Robert Downey Jr. is starring in a drama series called 'The Sympathizer' based on the Pullitzer Prize winning book of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen. He shaved his head for the role, and is totally unrecognizable. The series tells the story of a man born to a French father and Vietnamese mother who works as a communist spy during the Vietnam war.

1 / 37 Fotos

Emma Thompson -

Emma Thompson absolutely disappears into her role as the tyrannical headmistress Miss Trunchbull in the 2022 movie 'Matilda the Musical,' but it took quite some work. At the New York premiere of the Netflix film, Thompson revealed that she spent around three and a half hours per day with the makeup and wardrobe departments to get the facial prosthetics and body padding right. "‘Cruella’ was a long time, actually, but this was the longest,” Thompson told Variety. “There’s an actual body suit, which is to give her the heft and the muscle. And then a massive weighty underwear and pretend chest and all of that. It was a lot to walk around in.” Alisha Weir, the 13-year-old actress in the film's titular role, even admitted she was scared when she saw Thompson in costume.

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Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan -

Photos of Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan on set of the upcoming Netflix film 'Maestro' show the actors looking positively unrecognizable in their respective roles of composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. Cooper, who is also directing the film, specifically looks shockingly different as the Broadway composer with his striking grey hair. The film will will show Bernstein through different stages of his life, so Cooper will likely look a bit younger in other scenes, but from what we can see now, the hair and makeup is sure to be impressive.

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Colin Farrell -

Colin Farrell is the iconic villain in the movie, 'The Batman' opposite Robert Pattinson. He plays the Penguin, a character previously portrayed by Danny DeVito. Farrell made an appearance on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' to discuss the movie and she was completely blown away when she saw a photo of the 45-year-old actor in full costume. "Wait, WHAT?" she exclaimed, "I didn't see that picture, oh my god. I just heard that you were Penguin. What the hell?" She also congratulated the makeup artist on their incredible work, declaring, "That person deserves to win awards."

Clarkson's not wrong! Farrell is truly unrecognizable with full facial prosthetics, slicked-back hair with a receding hairline, and a body that's more or less shaped like a large penguin. He revealed that the full transformation took four hours at the start, but the team eventually managed to bring that down to two...

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Jessica Chastain -

Jessica Chastain took on the role of the famous televangelist Tammy Faye in the biopic, 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye.' Faye was famous for the incredibly heavy makeup she wore at all times. Chastain, who rarely wears heavy makeup and takes good care of her skin, says thinks she has done permanent damage to her face with this role: "It's heavy. And when you're wearing it all day every day - the weight of it on your body, it stretches your skin out." Chastain also expressed how difficult it was to act with so much makeup on her face, as it completely changed her ability to make facial expressions!

5 / 37 Fotos

Johnny Depp -

The star was made into a truly sinister villain for his role as Gellert Grindelwald in 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' in 2018.

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Johnny Depp - In 'Edward Scissorhands' (1990), Depp experienced one of his first cinematic transformations when he played the strange young man raised by an inventor.

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Johnny Depp - In 'Black Mass' (2015), the actor was an Irish mobster, who makes a deal with the police to take out a common enemy: the Italian mafia.

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Johnny Depp - The actor also underwent physical transformations for the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series, 'Alice in Wonderland' (2010), 'Dark Shadows' (2012), and 'The Lone Ranger' (2013).

9 / 37 Fotos

Rebecca Romijn -

The first Mystique in 'X-Men' underwent an extreme transformation to play the mutant.

10 / 37 Fotos

Rebecca Romijn - The ex-model played Mystique in three movies: 'X-Men' (2000), 'X2' (2003), and 'X-Men: The Last Stand' (2006).

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Oscar Isaac - The actor was unrecognizable in 'X-Men: Apocalypse' (2016). The supervillain, Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur), looked positively monstrous.

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Oscar Isaac - The 39-year-old movie star has taken over Hollywood, best-known for the movies, 'Inside Llewyn Davis' (2013), 'Ex Machina' (2015), and 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' (2017).

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Zoë Saldaña - The actress is yet another chameleon. In 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' she played Gamora.

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Zoë Saldaña - She also starred in 'Avatar' (2009), as a native humanoid on the planet Pandora. She was Princess Neytiri.

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Zoë Saldaña - The star also played characters without needing to undergo extreme physical transformations in the 'Star Trek' series, 'Colombiana' (2011), and 'The Words' (2012).

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Sofia Boutella -

In 'The Mummy' (2017), she played Princess Ahmanet/The Mummy, who kills her entire family and is entombed in the desert. She comes back to life as a terrifying monster.

17 / 37 Fotos

Sofia Boutella -

The actress played Jaylah, an alien survivor of an attack by Krall, in 'Star Trek Beyond' (2016).

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Sofia Boutella - The Algerian actress went au naturel in 'Atomic Blonde' (2017) and 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' (2015).

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Hugh Grant -

In 'Cloud Atlas' (2012), the actor played six different roles, including the Kona Chief.

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Hugh Grant - He earned a lot of attention and recognition for his roles in 'Cloud Atlas.'

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Helena Bonham Carter - One of her most notable roles was as the Red Queen in 'Alice in Wonderland' (2010) and 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' (2016).

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Helena Bonham Carter -

The actress played a witch in 'Big Fish' (2003).

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Helena Bonham Carter - Known for her darker roles, she surprised viewers when she played the sweet and plump Fairy Godmother in 'Cinderella' (2015).

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Jared Leto -

The actor was the joker(right) in 'Su-cide Squad' (2016). The movie won an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

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Jared Leto - The actor-singer is known for his versatatility. His transformation and performance as a trans woman living with AIDS in 'Dallas Buyers Club' (2013) won him an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

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Elizabeth Debicki - The actress was Ayesha in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' (2017).

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Elizabeth Debicki - She was previously in 'The Great Gatsby' (2013) and 'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets' (2017).

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Michael Rooke - The actor played Yondu Udonta in 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'

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Michael Rooke - His character looked quite different from his everyday appearance!

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Doug Jones -

In 'Pan's Labyrinth' (2006), which won an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, the actor played The Faun/The Pale Man.

31 / 37 Fotos

Doug Jones - The actor is known for his science-fiction, fantasy, and horror roles, and is used to going through heavy makeovers to play the parts.

32 / 37 Fotos

Charlize Theron - In 'Monster' (2003), the actress gained weight, wore dentures, and hid her eyebrows under heavy makeup to play a serial killer.

33 / 37 Fotos

Charlize Theron - The actress is used to taking on alternative appearances in the movies she stars in. In 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015), she shaved her head.

34 / 37 Fotos

Michael Keaton -

In 'Beetlejuice' (1988), he played the protagonist, Beetlejuice, a 'bio-exorcist' hired to help scare away spirits haunting a house. The movie won an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

35 / 37 Fotos

Michael Keaton -

The actor has also been in 'Birdman' (2015), 'Spotlight' (2015), and 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' (2017).

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Robert Downey Jr. -

NL Beeld/Getty Images

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Emma Thompson -

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Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan -

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Colin Farrell -

NL Beeld/Getty Images

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Jessica Chastain -

Getty Images/NL Beeld

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Johnny Depp -

The star was made into a truly sinister villain for his role as Gellert Grindelwald in 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' in 2018.

NL Beeld

6 / 37 Fotos

Johnny Depp - In 'Edward Scissorhands' (1990), Depp experienced one of his first cinematic transformations when he played the strange young man raised by an inventor.

7 / 37 Fotos

Johnny Depp - In 'Black Mass' (2015), the actor was an Irish mobster, who makes a deal with the police to take out a common enemy: the Italian mafia.

8 / 37 Fotos

Johnny Depp - The actor also underwent physical transformations for the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series, 'Alice in Wonderland' (2010), 'Dark Shadows' (2012), and 'The Lone Ranger' (2013).

9 / 37 Fotos

Rebecca Romijn -

The first Mystique in 'X-Men' underwent an extreme transformation to play the mutant.

NL Beeld

10 / 37 Fotos

Rebecca Romijn - The ex-model played Mystique in three movies: 'X-Men' (2000), 'X2' (2003), and 'X-Men: The Last Stand' (2006).

11 / 37 Fotos

Oscar Isaac - The actor was unrecognizable in 'X-Men: Apocalypse' (2016). The supervillain, Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur), looked positively monstrous.

12 / 37 Fotos

Oscar Isaac - The 39-year-old movie star has taken over Hollywood, best-known for the movies, 'Inside Llewyn Davis' (2013), 'Ex Machina' (2015), and 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' (2017).

13 / 37 Fotos

Zoë Saldaña - The actress is yet another chameleon. In 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' she played Gamora.

14 / 37 Fotos

Zoë Saldaña - She also starred in 'Avatar' (2009), as a native humanoid on the planet Pandora. She was Princess Neytiri.

15 / 37 Fotos

Zoë Saldaña - The star also played characters without needing to undergo extreme physical transformations in the 'Star Trek' series, 'Colombiana' (2011), and 'The Words' (2012).

16 / 37 Fotos

Sofia Boutella -

In 'The Mummy' (2017), she played Princess Ahmanet/The Mummy, who kills her entire family and is entombed in the desert. She comes back to life as a terrifying monster.

NL Beeld

17 / 37 Fotos

Sofia Boutella -

The actress played Jaylah, an alien survivor of an attack by Krall, in 'Star Trek Beyond' (2016).

NL Beeld

18 / 37 Fotos

Sofia Boutella - The Algerian actress went au naturel in 'Atomic Blonde' (2017) and 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' (2015).

19 / 37 Fotos

Hugh Grant -

In 'Cloud Atlas' (2012), the actor played six different roles, including the Kona Chief.

NL Beeld

20 / 37 Fotos

Hugh Grant - He earned a lot of attention and recognition for his roles in 'Cloud Atlas.'

21 / 37 Fotos

Helena Bonham Carter - One of her most notable roles was as the Red Queen in 'Alice in Wonderland' (2010) and 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' (2016).

22 / 37 Fotos

Helena Bonham Carter -

The actress played a witch in 'Big Fish' (2003).

NL Beeld

23 / 37 Fotos

Helena Bonham Carter - Known for her darker roles, she surprised viewers when she played the sweet and plump Fairy Godmother in 'Cinderella' (2015).

24 / 37 Fotos

Jared Leto -

The actor was the joker(right) in 'Su-cide Squad' (2016). The movie won an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

NL Beeld

25 / 37 Fotos

26 / 37 Fotos

Elizabeth Debicki - The actress was Ayesha in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' (2017).

27 / 37 Fotos

Elizabeth Debicki - She was previously in 'The Great Gatsby' (2013) and 'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets' (2017).

28 / 37 Fotos

Michael Rooke - The actor played Yondu Udonta in 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'

29 / 37 Fotos

Michael Rooke - His character looked quite different from his everyday appearance!

30 / 37 Fotos

Doug Jones -

In 'Pan's Labyrinth' (2006), which won an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, the actor played The Faun/The Pale Man.

NL Beeld

31 / 37 Fotos

Doug Jones - The actor is known for his science-fiction, fantasy, and horror roles, and is used to going through heavy makeovers to play the parts.

32 / 37 Fotos

Charlize Theron - In 'Monster' (2003), the actress gained weight, wore dentures, and hid her eyebrows under heavy makeup to play a serial killer.

33 / 37 Fotos

Charlize Theron - The actress is used to taking on alternative appearances in the movies she stars in. In 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015), she shaved her head.

34 / 37 Fotos

Michael Keaton -

In 'Beetlejuice' (1988), he played the protagonist, Beetlejuice, a 'bio-exorcist' hired to help scare away spirits haunting a house. The movie won an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

NL Beeld

35 / 37 Fotos

Michael Keaton -

The actor has also been in 'Birdman' (2015), 'Spotlight' (2015), and 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' (2017).

36 / 37 Fotos

The most dramatic actor transformations for a role

Some of the most iconic transformations actors have gone through to play a movie role

04/11/24 | StarsInsider

MOVIES Movies

Hollywood never fails to impress with its special effects and realistic makeup. Many celebrities go through extremes to transform their bodies for a role, but others are transformed beyond the point of recognition simply with hair and makeup.

In the following gallery, remember some of the most iconic transformations actors have gone through to play a movie role.