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
Top 11 Pets Who Proved Kindness Successfully Can Save a Broken Soul

Animals
05/14/2026
15 Acts of Kindness That Prove Compassion Is the Light That Guides Love to Heavy Hearts

People
03/27/2026
15 Sledgehammer Moments That Cracked Open Walls and Rewrote Family History

Home
04/16/2026
15 Funny Stories Where Kindness and Humor Broke the Tension Better Than Any Apology

People
05/13/2026
16 Family Stories That Prove the Deepest Love Doesn’t Announce Itself

Family & kids
04/23/2026
11 Tiny Acts of Love That Changed Everything, Even When Their Relationships Were Hanging by a Thread

People
04/27/2026
12 Love Stories That Show the Heart Doesn’t Forget, Even as Life Goes On

Relationships
04/14/2026
15+ School Reunion Stories That Prove Life Writes Better Than Any Script

Curiosities
04/28/2026
15 Home Renovation Nightmares Nobody Saw Coming and Nobody Could Stop

Home
05/03/2026
I Discovered My Son Got a 16-Year-Old Pregnant, but We Are Not Her Safety Net

Family & kids
04/03/2026
11 Stories That Teach Us to Hold On to Kindness, Even If the World Is Letting Us Go

People
03/21/2026
10 Moments That Prove Good Samaritans Are Among Us, Even When the World Feels Too Cold for Kindness

People
04/30/2026















