Actors losing or gaining weight for a movie has become very common these days. But the twist comes when you can’t even recognize the actor in a movie, and this is when we categorize it as one of the biggest movie transformations of all time. There have been many actors who have completely transformed into something they are not just to better portray a character. Here is a list of seven of the biggest movie transformations of all time, and you will never recognize these actors until you see their name in the credits.
7. Ben Kingsley in Gandhi
Watching Ben Kingsley in Gandhi is like watching a real, walking and talking Gandhi. Along with shaving his head, growing a moustache, and using round glasses, Ben Kingsley actually started a vegetarian diet, lost 20 pounds, learned to make cotton threads, and studied yoga and meditation for this role.
6. Chris Hemsworth in In the Heart of the Sea
Chris Hemsworth, one if the most handsome Hollywood actors, actually looked like a beggar in his historical epic In the Heart of the Sea. Though he only lost 15 pounds, he said losing every pound felt like a kilogram. He, along with rest of the cast, was obsessed with eating only 500 calories per day and weighing themselves every day.
5. Nicole Kidman in The Hours
Nicole Kidman won an Oscar for making the character of Virginia Woolf come alive on the screen. In 2002’s drama The Hours, she actually used a prosthetic nose throughout the movie. It changed her beautiful face completely, but she still looked stunning.
4. Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour
For a talented actor like Gary Oldman, playing late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was not a difficult task. But looking like him was definitely a challenge, and Oldman knew that. So, he agreed to play the character only on the condition that he would get to work with master make-up artist Kazuhiro Tsuji. Tsuji left the movie business in the year 2011, but he came back for Oldman. And as a result, Oldman won an Oscar for the role!
3. Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder
The 2008 film Tropic Thunder is a comedic masterpiece in which all of the actors are seriously funny. But Tom Cruise steals the show with his bald, old, and foul-mouthed character. Though he only has a short part in the movie, it’s still a masterpiece.
2. Johnny Depp
The number two on our list is held by the question, “Is that Johnny Depp?” In almost every movie he stars in, he makes an epic transformation. Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean), Whitey Bulger (Black Mass), Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland), Guy Lapointe (Tusk ), Willy Wonka (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), and Tonto (The Lone Ranger) are some of his infamous characters.
1. Christian Bale in Vice
Our topmost spot is reserved for the one and only master of many disguises – Christian Bale. Many people will remember Christian Bale’s epic weight loss of 30 lbs. in the movie The Machinist, or his fat belly from American Hustle. But we are ranking him for something else. In Vice, Christian Bale takes on the role of former Vice President Dick Cheney. And the truth is, he transforms so completely into Cheney that he’s not recognizable at all.
