People often say that to succeed in Hollywood, one must have “the look.” Well, that’s not exactly true. Although the show business world revolves around aesthetics, actors don’t have to have “the look” so much as “a look.”
While face cards will always reign supreme in Hollywood, society, and movie studios hold superstar bodies to a similar standard. Consequently, when an actor makes a dramatic shift in their physique, the world takes notice. Take Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s recent weight gain for Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine, and subsequent weight loss during the film promotion, for example.
Johnson has openly discussed how his new slimmer build will help him take on more grounded, dramatic roles in the future. However, this is far from the first time an actor has gained or lost weight for a movie role. So, here’s Complex’s list of the 10 most radical body transformations in film history.
10.
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson: ‘Things Fall Apart’
Complex
When Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson burst onto the music scene in the early 2000s, his impressive physique was as undeniable as the tidal wave of underground buzz surrounding his name. At the time, 50’s build was unique, as most rappers didn’t look like they could compete for a Mr. Olympia title between recording sessions. As a result, when pictures of 50 looking absurdly gaunt hit the internet, fans couldn’t believe their eyes. To lend an additional dramatic weight to his role in Mario Van Peebles’ Things Fall Apart, Jackson shed a staggering 54 pounds to portray a realistic cancer patient.
9.
Chris Pratt: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’
Complex
Similar to how an iconic role can pigeonhole an actor for years, so can their physique. Even though it’s hard to imagine now, Chris Pratt wasn’t always a believable choice to anchor an action movie franchise. Before his star-making turn as Peter “Star Lord” Quill in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Pratt was the funny, chubby guy from Parks and Recreation. However, once the initial images of Pratt sporting a lean and muscular build popped up online, people slowly began to drop their skepticism. Retaining the goofy charm from his sitcom days, Pratt’s weight loss propelled him to Hollywood’s A-list.
8.
Tom Hanks: ‘Philadelphia’
Complex
Although he had since transcended sitcom fame, before his role as an AIDS patient in Philadelphia, the world viewed Tom Hanks as strictly a comedy star. Hank’s roles in Big and The Money Pit led audiences to believe that playing funny was his only skill. However, it wasn’t only the gravity of Philadelphia‘s subject matter, but Hank’s radical physical transformation that helped audiences finally take him seriously. Hanks reportedly lost almost 30lbs to play the ailing Andrew Beckett in Jonathan Demme’s touching legal drama. Hanks also claimed that his rapid weight loss might have contributed to his type 2 diabetes.
7.
Edward Norton: ‘American History X’
Complex
Nothing makes a man more imposing than adding a few extra lbs of muscle to his frame. A slight increase in mass can transform an otherwise docile-looking individual into an immediate threat. Edward Norton’s remarkable physical transformation for American History X is a perfect example of this theory made manifest. Taking on the role of the tragic anti-hero Derek Vinyard, a reformed Neo-Nazi, Norton amassed 30lbs of muscle to bolster the character’s intimidation factor. The critical acclaim that Norton garnered from his turn as Vinyard helped solidify his status as one of Hollywood’s top character actors for years to come.
6.
Kumail Nanjiani: ‘The Eternals’
Complex
Following in Ed Norton’s footsteps, former stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani transformed from geek to beast for his role in Marvel’s The Eternals. Prior to his casting as Kingo in The Eternals, Nanjiani was loosely associated with the Nerdist comedy troupe, a group of proudly geeky comics. A bulk, no pun intended, of Nanjiani’s jokes were about being bullied during his awkward teen years. With his new physique following his turn as Kingo, it’s hard to imagine anyone bullying Nanjiani in any reality of the multiverse. Although The Eternals didn’t perform as expected, Nanjiani is still walking around like the Hulk.
5.
Tom Hanks: ‘Cast Away’
Complex
It’s one thing to drop a significant amount of weight once at the beginning of your career, but it’s another thing to do it again. After cementing himself on the A-list with films like Saving Private Ryan and Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks decided to prove he was still a hungry actor- literally. Hanks dropped a staggering 50lbs to play Chuck Noland, a man marooned on a deserted island, in the 2000 film Cast Away. Cutting that much weight is already a burden, but considering that Hanks was in his early 40s at the time makes it all the more impressive.
4.
Tom Hardy: ‘Bronson’
Complex
As one of Hollywood’s greatest character actors, Tom Hardy knows a thing or two about “disappearing” into a role. Frequently changing his accent and mannerisms to inhabit a new character is already quite the feat, but Hardy proved he was a physical chameleon in the 2008 film Bronson. Playing England’s most notorious prisoner, Michael Gordon Peterson, known as Charles Bronson, Hardy decided to construct a jailhouse physique. By creating a regimen of bodyweight exercises, such as push-ups, Hardy gained 42 pounds of muscle. Hardy would retain the physique for subsequent roles in the films Warrior and The Dark Knight Rises.
3.
Robert DeNiro:’ Raging Bull’
Complex
Despite being the original role that inspired a generation of actors to lose and gain weight for a film, Robert De Niro’s two separate physical transformations to play legendary boxer Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull are still arguably the most impressive. Portraying LaMotta at two different points in his career, DeNiro got into incredible ring shape only to gain 60lbs to play LaMotta in his later years. At the time, going through such an intense physical transformation for a movie was uncommon. Although actors have gained and lost more recently, De Niro’s ability to do both still boggles the mind.
2.
Matthew McConaughey: ‘Dallas Buyers Club’
Complex
Few have had a career turnaround as dramatic as Matthew McConaughey. After showing great promise early on, McConaughey unfortunately and unfairly became a punchline in the 2000s. However, in the 2010s, McConaughey proved why he was an A-lister by taking several critically acclaimed roles, including Ron Woodruff in Dallas Buyers Club. As Woodruff, McConaughey played an AIDS patient and lost 50lbs to portray how the disease ravages the body accurately. McConaughey’s efforts were recognized by his peers, earning him the Academy Award for Best Actor. However, McConaughey claims that his rapid weight loss took a toll on his long-term health.
1.
Christian Bale: ‘The Machinist’
Complex
When it comes to weight loss and movie roles, there is only one undisputed king, and it’s Christian Bale in The Machinist. Even though Bale dropped a whopping 63lbs to clock in at 120lbs, it wasn’t just the number on the scale that made this transformation so legendary. Bale’s entire physique was so extremely gaunt that it genuinely looked horrific in the film. Couple that with the fact that Bale immediately gained 100 pounds to play Batman in 2005’s Batman Begins. It’s hard to imagine that anyone will ever top Bale for having the most astonishing transformation in film history.
Related Stories
The Rock Becomes ‘The Smashing Machine’ in First Trailer for Benny Safdie’s New A24 Drama
,
Busta Rhymes Shows Off Body Transformation Amid Weight Loss Journey
Related News
Halle Berry, 59, Stuns With Cheeky Desert Bikini Post
Kevin Hart Asks Rubi Rose If She Ate Druski’s Ass on Kai Cenat’s ‘Mafiathon 3’ Stream
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
