8 Actors Who Gave Iconic Performances as Senior Characters in Movies or TV Shows

Actors are praised for being able to embody different people with various characters, styles, and vibes. However, some actors can even play characters that don’t match their typecast at all and who are sometimes years or even decades older than they are.

1. Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman, who is widely recognized as one of the most stunning actresses in Hollywood, underwent significant changes to portray Julia Edwards in the film Top Of The Lake: China Girl. With a bushy gray wig, freckles, huge fake teeth, and a makeup-free look, Nicole looks way different from her typical appearance. However, this is precisely what drew her to the character and the story.

“I hope people see a character I haven’t played before,” the actress says.

2. Brad Pitt

Already iconic, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button allowed Brad Pitt to do a fantastic job in terms of stage makeup. The film had 56 people working on the makeup team. The makeup process was very complicated and took enormous preparation.

“We did very intense tests for 2 weeks before shooting and started off with every age and just did makeup after makeup,” said Greg Connor, a makeup creator that worked on the film. “The makeup had to work, or the film wouldn’t work.”

3. Pierce Brosnan

Pierce Brosnan shared his look as the 89-year-old historical figure Artie Crawford for the movie The Last Rifleman, directed by Terry Loane. Brosnan rocks a balding gray wig and matching eyebrows. According to the actor, it took 2 hours a day to do the makeup, but it was definitely worth it.

4. Bryan Cranston

Bryan Cranston portrayed the lead role of a blacklisted Hollywood writer who successfully outwits the system in the movie Trumbo. Kentaro Yano, the makeup artist who worked on the film, managed to make the actor appear older, completing Cranston’s look with a bushy 1970s mustache.

5. Tilda Swinton

In the iconic Wes Anderson movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel, makeup artists turned Tilda Swinton into the 84-year-old Madame D. And even though the makeup process involved many professionals, Swinton herself did a colossal job embodying the character who was years older than she was. She even learned to apply lipstick in a certain way.

“She was very involved in the look of her makeup when we came to actually apply it on the day,” said Mark Coulier, who did prosthetic makeup for the film.

6. Chris Evans

Chris Evans went down in history for embodying the already iconic Captain America. Through various movies where Captain America has made an appearance, viewers have seen Evans in many different looks and styles.

In the last film, Captain A went to the past and lived a happy life, returning home as an old man. The makeup process was quite long, and Evans even posted a pic in the middle of the process, looking pretty funny.

7. Meryl Streep

The Iron Lady is a film that has brought together the images of 2 great women. Meryl Streep played Margaret Thatcher and was even nominated for an Oscar for the role. To depict Thatcher in different periods of her life, Streep had to wear prosthetics. The prosthetic material is not only super realistic, but also very responsive, so it didn’t prevent Streep from acting.

8. Keanu Reeves

In the third film of the Bill & Ted movie series, Keanu Reeves, an actor who often plays handsome and strong characters, had to play a much older version of his character, Ted. In the film, the characters time travel, and in one of the versions of their lives, they find themselves noticeably aged. Thanks to prosthetic makeup, Keanu was unrecognizable.