11 Drastic Movie Role Transformations

Sometimes, practicing lines isn't enough. No matter how talented an actor is, getting in character requires more than memorizing words or practicing facial expressions. They also have to look the part. Obviously, not every actor looks exactly like the character they are meant to portray. That's why the acting world has the likes of wigs, prosthetics, and makeup. But sometimes actors even go beyond that. Some celebrities have made drastic movie role transformations that are so extreme it's hard to even recognize the famous face behind the character.

Some roles require actors to lose an absurd amount of weight, often to portray someone who is unhealthy or struggling with a terrible disease. Other roles call for actors to hit the gym big time and bulk up to achieve some serious muscles, especially if they are portraying a superhero. Yet others call for actors to stuff their faces with pizza and doughnuts to gain weight for the sake of their character's frame. Making an extreme body transformation in any form is definitely a challenge, but it seems like the actors below were up for the task. Read on to find out just how much their roles mattered to them.

1. Christian Bale

The actor is truly a master of disguise. He lost a whopping 60 pounds for his role in the psychological thriller The Machinist. Not even a year passed before he gained it all back and more for his role in Batman Begins.

2. Charlize Theron

The actress gained about 30 pounds for her role in Monster as a female serial killer. She said she upped the pounds by stuffing her face with Krispy Kreme doughtnuts. When she got sick of those, she moved on to potato chips and reportedly was rarely seen without them.

3. 50 Cent

The rapper dropped a mind-blowing 50 pounds for a movie role he took on about a college football player battling cancer. He got the sickly figure by taking on a liquid diet and three-hour runs on the treadmill.

4. Tilda Swinton

Tilda Swinton usually has short platinum blonde hair and tends to not wear a lot of makeup, but for Trainwreck, she had uncharacteristic long reddish hair, tanned skin, and loads of eye makeup. It was hard to even know it was her until the credits rolled.

5. Hugh Jackman

To bulk up for his role of Wolverine, the Aussie actor followed a strict six-month period of eating 6,000 calories per day and working out. He gained 25 pounds of pure muscle as a result, thanks to the recommendation of none other than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

6. Elizabeth Banks

When one of your character's main characteristics is the ever-changing color and design of her hair you know you are in for a long haul with stylists. As if Banks' styles and over-the-top costuming for her role as Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games weren't enough, just imagine how long it must have taken to get all that makeup caked on. Yikes!

7. Natalie Portman

Already slim, the actress dropped a noticeable 20 pounds for her role in Black Swan, so her measurements more accurately reflected a professional dancer.

8. Jim Carrey

The actor reportedly spent three hours getting prosthetic makeup applied to play Dr. Seuss's beloved character in the 2000 live-action How The Grinch Stole Christmas. He spent a whopping 92 days in the latex, outfit, and crazy yellow contacts. Now that's dedication!

9. Jake Gyllenhaal

The actor got more ripped than ever for his role in the film Southpaw, gaining 15 pounds of pure muscle. Fans weren't surprised though, as they had already commended him for losing 25 pounds in his role as a junkie in Nightcrawler. Much like Bale, Gyllenhaal has been all over the spectrum.

10. Chris Pratt

Pratt is yet another actor who has yoyo-ed along the weight spectrum for the sake of roles. For instance, his spot on Parks and Recreation served as encouragement for him to keep the weight up. He once weighed 300 pounds, but last year for Guardians of the Galaxy, he decided to lose weight for good.

11. Anne Hathaway

The actress underwent a complete makeover in terms of costuming and hairstyling for her role in Les Misérables as a prostitute dying of tuberculosis. As if the dramatic cut and makeup to look like she was suffering from a disease weren't enough, the already slim star shed off an alarming 25 pounds in the process.

Well, it is obvious that drastic body transformations are not for everyone. But it is clear that these actors were willing to do that for the love of their job. Let's hope they were all happy with the results of the movies!