15+ Actors Who Are So Good at Their Jobs We Had to Double-Check If It Was the Same Person
Films
02/22/2021

Actors and actresses always give 100% for a role, going through extreme changes for the movies and TV shows they act in. Gaining or losing weight, getting shredded, going bald, dyeing their hair — these are all relatively big changes that performers undertake to help them get immersed in their new character and successfully impress the audience.
Bright Side has compiled a list of actors who transformed themselves completely, so much so that we couldn’t recognize them until the end credits rolled.
1. Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad vs Malcolm in the Middle
2. Harry Melling in Harry Potter vs The Queen’s Gambit
3. Helena Bonham Carter in the Harry Potter series vs The Crown
4. Johnny Depp in The Professor vs Black Mass
5. Rooney Mara in Mary Magdalene vs The girl with the Dragon Tattoo
6. Charlize Theron in Mad Max vs Monster
7. Cillian Murphy in TRON: Legacy vs Peaky Blinders
8. Jared Leto in The Outsider vs Chapter 27
9. Blake Lively in Gossip girl vs The Rhythm Section
10. Bradley Cooper in Case 39 vs American Sniper
11. Matthew McConaughey in True Detective vs Dallas Buyers Club
12. Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose vs Macbeth
13. Denzel Washington in Training Day vs Roman J. Israel, Esq.
14. Margot Robbie in Mary Queen of Scots vs I, Tonya
15. Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler vs Southpaw
16. Claire Foy in The Crown vs The Girl in the Spider’s Web
Were you aware of these actors’ transformations? Which one was the most impressive change?
Preview photo credit Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets / WarnerBros, The Queen's Gambit / Netflix
Comments
Get notifications
Related Reads
How 20 “Harry Potter” Actors Looked in Their Youth and in the Films

Films
02/13/2020
10 Unforgettable Moments That Remind Us Genuine Kindness and Heartfelt Empathy Never Fade

People
09/06/2026
From a Fly in a Mother-in-Law’s Homemade Dish to a Sudden Inheritance Twist, These 10 Stories Reveal the Tender Hearts Behind Tough People

People
10/06/2026
10 Powerful Moments When Animal Compassion and Love Changed a Human Life

People
09/07/2026
10 Moments That Teach Us Kindness From the People We Love Fills Our Hearts With Happiness

People
08/03/2026
20 Stories That Teach Us the Homes We Live in Remember Everything We’ve Ever Put Into Them

Home
07/27/2026
15 Touching Moments That Prove Children’s Kindness and Compassion Are the Purest Form of Empathy in 2026

People
08/16/2026
10 Moments of Rare Kindness That Prove the Strongest Hearts Choose Love and Empathy, Even When Life Is Tough

People
09/26/2026
10 Moments of Love That Show Why the Strongest Hearts Choose Kindness and Compassion First (USA Edition)

People
08/07/2026
I Refuse to Save My 2YO Sister from Foster Care, I’m Not a Free BabySitter

Curiosities
09/03/2026
12 Acts of Quiet Compassion That Still Bring Hope and Light to Heavy Hearts in 2026

People
07/29/2026
20 Stories of Strangers Whose Kindness Arrived Before Anyone Could Ask for It

People
10/05/2026















