Sometimes, we think that being an actor is not a real sacrifice. However, we must acknowledge that some of them take it quite seriously. Well, imagine winning an Oscar for a leading role. DiCaprio had to wait some years for it but some others, are luckier and got to be recognized before he did.
Being an actor can come with a lot of pressure, you know that movie producers invest big amounts of money in their movies so if you don’t shine, you fail and with your failure a lot of money can be lost. Here, we are going to share some of the most drastic transformations for a role.
Charlize Theron
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The Oscar winner Charlize Theron had to gain over 25 pounds for her role in “Monster” - she looked unrecognizable in her role, and while it was a big gamble, it paid off in the end: she received an Oscar for her dedication and excellent performance in this role.
Tom Hardy
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Tom Hardy is another actor known for his extreme dedication of getting the look of his characters right. He had to gain 20kg (44 pounds) in Bronson to interpret the “The handsome” in RocknRolla. Pretty drastic, right? After this, in Warrior, he had to gain some more weight - 30 pounds to be exact.
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In “Warrior” he had to change his body again because his character was a super fit guy. It almost looks like a whole different person. It is quite impressive actually.
Tom Hardy is truly commited to his trade
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Another impressive body change was when he was going to be Bale’s villain in the third Batman movie directed by Christopher Nolan. He had to gain over 50 pounds, of which 25 where in muscle in the upper part of his body.
Christian Bale
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Christian Bail’s transformation for “The Machinist” is incredible. He nailed the role and it is quite impressive how far did he take it losing that much weight. I don’t know if the director specifically asked for it. However, I feel like it’s more than anyone else would’ve done. He exactly lost 28 kg, which is over 60 pounds!
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After that, in order to play the role of Bruce Waybe / Batman in Batman Begins he had to gain 44 kg of muscle. Again, for his role in American Hustle had to pig out eating everything he wanted to and maybe more. He is an actor that takes his trade seriously and goes to any extent to make it happen.
Matt Damon
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For his role in “Courage under fire” he lost 51 pounds and said that he weighed 190 pounds. If you think about it, this is a lot of weight! I mean, how can somebody change his figure this much? Not to mention it was only for appearing some instants on screen.
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The he again had to gain a lot more weight for “The Informant”. Look at him, a whole different new person. He looks like an old 40-year-old man that loves beer. It's amazing how actors can completely look like different people by messing with their own body.
Jared Leto
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The famous “30 seconds to Mars” frontman had to plump 30 Kg (66 pounds!) for his role in Chapter 27. I never realized that he ever gained that much weight! Did you?
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After this, for “Dallas Buyers Club” he lost a lot of weight and weighed 13 Kg below his healthy weight. Can you imagine making this sacrifice for a movie? I know that a lot of money is involved but I don’t think it’s worth the risk. As we saw with Charlize, the bargain paid off and he got an Oscar as best supporting actor.
Natalie Portman
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She is one of the most talented actresses in the industry. Not only because she started her career being really young but because she usually takes her roles really serious.
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He was below her healthy weight when she starred on The Black Swan, as professional dancers need to seriously watch their weight. That started a big controversy that Black Swan’s director tried to avoid. He defended Natalie saying that she took the role as serious as she had to. She also had to learn how to be a professional ballet dancer which was no easy task at all.
Matthew McConaughey
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For Dallas Buyers Club, he had to lose almost 40lbs. I can’t believe his thin face. It is really impressive. I can even get to see his bones highlighted. He did look very gaunt but that was what his role required.
Rooney Mara
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For his role in “Millenium” she had to even get her body pierced. She interpreted Lisbeth Salander and lost about 15lb. I personally thought that she has lost more weight. The picture looks as if she was below her healthy weight.
50 Cent
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One of the most famous rappers of all time, yes, it is 50 Cent who we are talking about right now. He lost a shocking 60 pounds for his role in “Things fall apart”. He looked like a completely different person!
Robert De Niro
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In “Raging Bull” he gained 30 Kg approximately which is more than a lot! Let’s talk about the year of the movie. It was filmed in 1980. So, that transformation was a whole new thing for everyone.
Rusell Crowe
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I couldn’t believe how much weight he lost in The Insider. Like Robert DeNiro, he gained over 60 pounds and that even changed his whole face. Check it out!
Hugh Jackman
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In Les Miserables, a role that earned him a Golden Globe in 2012, he had to lose 7 kg (about 15 pounds) due to dehydration of his body. I prefer his normal version what about you guys?
Tom Hanks
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For the famous movie Cast Away, Tom Hanks had to lose 25 kg to get into the role of Chuck Noland. Do you think it was worth it? in my opinion, it was. I mean he had an impeccable transformation.
Sean Penn
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In Carlitos Way he was playing the role of a lawyer and was undoubtedly one of the movies that showed his talent the most. He played the character perfectly not only performance wise but also with his whole body.