8 Actors Who Drastically Changed for a Movie Role

It takes a lot of willpower and dedication to completely alter yourself in order to be the perfect fit for a movie role, and these actors and actresses have done just that. As if memorizing lines wasn’t hard enough, being able to change your complete persona is truly inspiring, and it’s why we all love to see them in their element.

1. Taylor Lautner

Taylor Lautner began working out for his role on New Moon right after he finished shooting scenes for the franchise’s first movie, Twilight. “The day I finished Twilight, I came home and started bulking up. For New Moon, I’m 30 pounds heavier than I was in Twilight.” He knew he had to get to work right away, and he couldn’t wait any longer.

Not only did he gain so much muscle, but he also “outgrew” his old clothes and went up a couple of sizes. “I went from a men’s small to a men’s large,” claimed Lautner. He was very dedicated to his intense fitness program and diet.

2. Natalie Portman

This sweet actress had to lose 20 pounds for her character in Black Swan. She says it was very challenging to play an ambitious ballerina, and she also admitted to starving herself. Natalie Portman also suffered from an injury and concussion behind the scenes, so it was quite dangerous for her health. “I thought I literally was going to die.” However, it all worked out perfectly in the end, as she won an Oscar for portraying Nina Sayers so wonderfully.

3. Jared Leto

Jared Leto needed to portray a completely different person living in the wrong body on Dallas Buyers Club. He said he met transgender people and just listened to them and the stories they told him. “It was fascinating to dive into these lives and to share and hear about some of their challenges and fight for acceptance.” He also said that even though Rayon was an imaginary person, to him, she was real. “When I read the script, the first thought that came to mind is there is an opportunity here to bring someone to life.”

4. Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron had to gain 30 pounds for the movie, Monster. But it wasn’t just about getting thick for her, she was aiming to feel like her from the inside. “Aileen carried scars on her body from her lifestyle, and if I’d gone to make this movie with my body — physically, I’m very athletic — I don’t know that I would have felt the things Aileen felt with her body. It was about getting to a place where I felt closer to how Aileen was living.”

5. Demi Moore

Demi Moore had to shave her head for the movie G.I. Jane, and she claims that she regretted doing it. “I think now that I’m older, I also know I don’t have anything to prove. So if they really need my hair different, they can give me a wig.” She also said that it’s not clear how it would grow back. Moore vowed to keep her hair long and take good care of it. “I’m not comfortable with rules that don’t seem to have any real meaning or justification.”

6. Chris Hemsworth

As we all may know, Chris Hemsworth is the perfect actor to star in action and superhero movies. But he needed to lose all that muscle and weight in the Heart of the Sea. He tried a new diet and training program called “Lost at Sea” and claims he wouldn’t recommend it. “When you’re already starting off lean, it’s brutal to chew through that kind of weight. Every pound feels like a kilogram.” He had to work out every day, even on the days they were shooting.

7. 50 Cent

50 Cent had to play a football player diagnosed with cancer in All Things Fall Apart. Initially, he weighed about 214 pounds but reached the 160-pound mark for this role. He lost weight by going on a liquid diet and working out on a treadmill for 3 hours every day for 9 weeks. “I was starving. But I’ll be back in shape in no time.” For other movies, he had to remove his arm tattoos. “It cuts down on the amount of time I have to spend in makeup covering them up,” he said.

8. Ben Kingsley

Ben Kingsley is known as the perfect actor to portray Gandhi in Gandhi. He prepared for this role “methodically and scientifically,” adding that he used his body to fit the character precisely. He not only shaved his head but also lost 20 pounds on a vegetarian diet, studied yoga, reinforced meditation into his life, and learned to spin cotton thread on a wooden wheel. “When I have totally immersed myself in the mechanical, logical preparation of a part if I and my craft are totally bonded and fully exploited, something else in me is awakened and begins to inform my work.”

Which actor’s transformation shocked you the most? Let us know in the comments!