13 Actor Transformations That Made Us Rub Our Eyes in Disbelief

A truly talented actor can be equally good in different movie genres, from comedies to thrillers. Sometimes, in order to make viewers believe what’s happening on the screen, actors need to drastically change their appearance. They lose or gain weight, use prosthetics, and apply tons of makeup. We want to show you a compilation of actors that changed beyond recognition to portray their characters in the most plausible ways.

Nicole Kidman

The makeup artists needed 3 hours to turn Nicole Kidman into the English writer, Virginia Woolf, in The Hours. The actress had a prosthetic nose to look more like her character, and it was worth it. Kidman got an Oscar for Best Actress.

Nicolas Cage

In January 2023, a trailer for Renfield was released. The story of Dracula’s servant is going to be told through the film. Nicolas Cage plays Dracula, and it’s very hard to recognize him.

Michael Keaton

When you compare Michael Keaton in Birdman and Beetlejuice, it’s hard to believe it’s the same actor. Thanks to the amazing work done by makeup artists, Keaton is impossible to recognize in Beetlejuice. It’s no wonder the film won an Oscar for Best Makeup.

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix became famous after his role in Gladiator. He often plays very different characters, and in 2023, he’s going to appear in Napoleon.

Tahar Rahim

French actor Tahar Rahim is well-known thanks to the film, A Prophet. But the role in The Serpent was one of the biggest challenges of his career. With his clean-shaven face, a ’70s hairstyle, prosthetics on the face, and a cold manner of speaking, Rahim was barely recognizable.

Susan Sarandon

One of the most famous Hollywood actresses, Susan Sarandon, is not afraid of trying different looks. She can play a big movie star (Feud) and an evil witch (Enchanted).

Al Pacino

The actor is a master of transformation. A great example is his character Big Boy Caprice in Dick Tracy.

Tom Hanks

A lot of people love Tom Hanks for Forrest Gump. And we want to show you how much he changed for Cast Away. Hanks took a 1-year-long break from filming to lose over 40 pounds and grow out his beard and hair.

Gary Oldman

This British actor is famous for his transformation abilities. Just look at how different he is in Sid and Nancy and Interstate 60.

Ben Kingsley

Ben Kingsley portrayed Mahatma Gandhi in the 1982 film, Gandhi. To make him look more like the famous Indian man, he wore lots of makeup. This role made Kingsley famous at the start of his career.

James McAvoy

He is very good at transformations. The actor looks like 2 different people in His Dark Materials and Split.

Eric Bana

Australian actor Eric Bana played the villain Nero in Star Trek. The actor looked so different that even his own agent didn’t recognize him on set.

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp has had a lot of eccentric roles, and it’s hard to pick his best transformation. In the new film, Jeanne du Barry, he’s going to play King Louis XV, and we can’t wait to see him on the big screen.

What other actors do you like for their amazing transformations? Name some of them in the comment section below.