Celebrating the drive and determination of these great actors to give us cinephiles the most authentic on-screen looks, we bring you some of the greatest physical transformations of actors for film roles. Keep in mind all the work that goes n around the main star(s) though, like the amount of research that goes into relatable and clever nuances which incorporate seemingly unrelated details like exterior wall cladding as part of a specific scene.

Russell Crowe made a whopping 63 pounds for playing the CIA operative who dabbled in the Body of Lies.

Hilary Swank gained nearly 20 pounds of muscle and completely transformed her body to play the award-winning role of boxer Maggie in Million Dollar Baby. Ferrer, a dedicated and serious actor, decided to do the opposite and show one of the most shocking transformations on screen in Triage. Bale said of his overall transformational thought process for each character, “I found myself starting to laugh because I knew too well that it was still me.

Charlize Theron had to raise an extra 30 pounds to convincingly play serial killer Eileen Wuornos, a role that won her an Oscar.

Before losing 50 pounds for his role in Dallas Buyers Club, Jared Leto gained nearly 70 pounds for his role as a psychotic killer in Chapter 27. A year later, Bell reached 220 pounds to play the role of Batman. Just how much lifting of dumbbells went into the training regime?

While this is often aided by period-appropriate clothing, altered hairstyles, and a damn good story, movie stars throughout history have also relied on body transformations to embody specific characters. Donofrio was asked to gain 70 pounds (32 kg), breaking Robert De Niro’s record for the most weight gain in the role of Raging Bull until Kevin Kevin James makes a clear appearance. Granted, Jared Leto got his fair share of dramatic body transformations by winning an Oscar after losing muscle mass for the Dallas Buyers Club.

All his efforts eventually paid off as he received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for this role. Bale has transformed his physique several times throughout his career, including when he played Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Aside from the fact that the film was touching and brilliant, a dramatic weight loss for its lead actor, Michael Fassbender, was badly needed.

In preparation for his role as Chris Kyle on American Sniper, he put on 37 pounds of muscle mass. Most recently, Bale gained 40 pounds for his role as Dick Cheney in Adam McKay in the Backseat, only to lose weight (and more) for his role as British driver Ken Miles in James Mangolds Ford v. New York. Ferrari. Extreme body transformations are becoming more and more popular in Hollywood, whether it’s Hugh Jackman transforming himself into a mountain of bones and gristle to play Wolverine, or Matthew McConaughey devouring himself in the Dallas Buyers Club. Only five weeks to prepare for the role of “Most Dangerous”, Hardy still managed to pack 40 pounds.

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