Hollywood is all about appearances. There\u2019s hardly a leading lad or lady who doesn\u2019t have flawless skin, perfect hair, and a million-dollar smile when walking the red carpet. But often the roles that made them famous aren\u2019t quite as glamorous as their everyday lives. Sometimes winning an Oscar (or at least achieving cult status) means transforming into a character who is far from beautiful. Here is our list of ten actors who portray ugly characters on screen but are actually really beautiful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1. Jaleel White in Family Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n![\"Jaleel](\"https:\/\/www.fortressofsolitude.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Jaleel-White-in-Family-Matters.jpg\")
Image Credit: ABC<\/div>\nBack in the \u201980s\/\u201990s, most of us knew Jaleel White as the clumsy, lovelorn nerd from Family Matters. His character, Steve Urkel, wore oversized glasses and pants that were far too high, made only worse by his choice to accessorise with suspenders. It took Stephan Urquel, Steve\u2019s suave alter ego, popping up in the fifth season of the hit TV show for fans to finally notice White\u2019s good looks.<\/p>\n
2. Colin Farrell in The Batman<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n![\"colin](\"https:\/\/www.fortressofsolitude.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/colin-farrell-the-penguin.jpg\")
Image Credit: DC Studios<\/div>\nYou can hardly recognise Colin Farrell in his role as Oz Cobb. A thinning hair cap, scarred face prosthetics, and a heavily padded bodysuit transformed him into the infamous Penguin. The effect of all these alterations is so convincing that crew members didn\u2019t even recognise him on the set. It may have been a far cry from his usual bad-boy, heartthrob image, but it earned him a spinoff series and a Golden Globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
3. Bill Skarsg\u00e5rd in IT<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n![\"bill](\"https:\/\/www.fortressofsolitude.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/bill-skarsgard-pennywise.jpg\")
Image Credit: Warner Bros.<\/div>\nThere\u2019s not a single Skarsg\u00e5rd brother who hasn\u2019t been blessed with good looks. But Bill chose to hide the family genes under layers and layers of cakey clown makeup when he took on the role of the terrifying Pennywise<\/a> in the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King\u2019s IT. Bill seems to be drawn to playing odd characters, having previously played Count Orlok in the newest Nosferatu<\/a> adaptation and Eric Draven in The Crow<\/a>.<\/p>\n4. Mae Whitman in The DUFF<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n![\"Mae](\"https:\/\/www.fortressofsolitude.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Mae-Whitman-The-Duff.jpg\")
Image Credit: Lionsgate<\/div>\nMae Whitman was cast as the ugly duckling of her group in the 2015 film The DUFF, but in reality, she\u2019s anything but \u201cfat\u201d or \u201cugly\u201d. Even the dungarees, messy locks, and lack of makeup didn\u2019t really fool anyone.<\/p>\n
5. Gwyneth Paltrow in Shallow Hal<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n![\"Gwyneth](\"https:\/\/www.fortressofsolitude.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gwyneth-Paltrow-in-Shallow-Hal.jpg\")
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox<\/div>\nWith all her strict diets and exercise routines, it\u2019s hard to imagine Gwyneth Paltrow ever weighing more than a feather. Yet, back in the early 2000s, audiences saw her in a whole new look as Rosemary Shanahan in Shallow Hal. The film hasn\u2019t aged well, for obvious reasons, but the message was always intended to be that beauty goes beyond skin deep.<\/p>\n
6. Gabourey Sidibe in Precious<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n![\"gabourey](\"https:\/\/www.fortressofsolitude.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/gabourey-sidibe-in-precious.jpg\")
Image Credit: Lionsgate<\/div>\nGabourey Sidibe made her acting debut in 2009 in the critically acclaimed film Precious. She plays a morbidly obese and illiterate teen who has been abused in the most heartbreaking ways by both her father and mother. The actress was given unflattering haircuts and wore little to no makeup throughout the film to emphasise the character\u2019s difficult circumstances. In reality, Sidibe is nothing like her character; she is a beautiful and confident woman who has accepted her unique beauty and is, as they put it, living her best life.<\/p>\n
7. Christina Ricci in Penelope<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n![\"christina](\"https:\/\/www.fortressofsolitude.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/christina-ricci-penelope.jpg\")
Image Credit: Summit Entertainment<\/div>\nChristina Ricci has generally stuck to roles where she can play eccentric, unconventional characters. This makes it less surprising that one of her ventures into the romantic comedy genre saw her cursed with a pig snout for the better part of the movie. While Penelope Wilhern\u2019s parents may have imprisoned her until adulthood to hide her appearance, there\u2019s no way anyone is hiding Ricci\u2019s natural beauty. Not even a fake nose can do that.<\/p>\n
8. Margot Robbie in Suite Fran\u00e7aise<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n![\"Margot](\"https:\/\/www.fortressofsolitude.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Margot-Robbie-in-Suite-Francaise.jpg\")
Image Credit: Entertainment One<\/div>\nIt\u2019s hard to imagine that Margot Robbie, who is in fact the human embodiment of Barbie, could ever be anything less than breathtakingly gorgeous. Yet if you watched the film Suite Fran\u00e7aise, you\u2019d know it is possible. Robbie plays a plain and unglamorous village named Celine, who happens to be sleeping with the enemy. It\u2019s surprising what a simple wardrobe, no makeup, and brown permed hair can do.<\/p>\n
9. Charlize Theron in Monster<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n![\"Charlize](\"https:\/\/www.fortressofsolitude.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Charlize-Theron-Monster.jpg\")
Image Credit: Newmarket Films<\/div>\nSuccess for actresses in Hollywood is often attributed to their looks, but Charlize Theron had to strip away her beauty to win her first Oscar. To portray serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster, she had to gain weight, wear a prosthetic with an overbite and yellowed, stained teeth, and shave and bleach her brows. A big cry from Charlize\u2019s usual elegant and put-together look.<\/p>\n
10. Hailee Steinfeld in The Edge of Seventeen<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Image Credit: ABC<\/div>\nBack in the \u201980s\/\u201990s, most of us knew Jaleel White as the clumsy, lovelorn nerd from Family Matters. His character, Steve Urkel, wore oversized glasses and pants that were far too high, made only worse by his choice to accessorise with suspenders. It took Stephan Urquel, Steve\u2019s suave alter ego, popping up in the fifth season of the hit TV show for fans to finally notice White\u2019s good looks.<\/p>\n
2. Colin Farrell in The Batman<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: DC Studios<\/div>\nYou can hardly recognise Colin Farrell in his role as Oz Cobb. A thinning hair cap, scarred face prosthetics, and a heavily padded bodysuit transformed him into the infamous Penguin. The effect of all these alterations is so convincing that crew members didn\u2019t even recognise him on the set. It may have been a far cry from his usual bad-boy, heartthrob image, but it earned him a spinoff series and a Golden Globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
3. Bill Skarsg\u00e5rd in IT<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: Warner Bros.<\/div>\nThere\u2019s not a single Skarsg\u00e5rd brother who hasn\u2019t been blessed with good looks. But Bill chose to hide the family genes under layers and layers of cakey clown makeup when he took on the role of the terrifying Pennywise<\/a> in the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King\u2019s IT. Bill seems to be drawn to playing odd characters, having previously played Count Orlok in the newest Nosferatu<\/a> adaptation and Eric Draven in The Crow<\/a>.<\/p>\n4. Mae Whitman in The DUFF<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: Lionsgate<\/div>\nMae Whitman was cast as the ugly duckling of her group in the 2015 film The DUFF, but in reality, she\u2019s anything but \u201cfat\u201d or \u201cugly\u201d. Even the dungarees, messy locks, and lack of makeup didn\u2019t really fool anyone.<\/p>\n
5. Gwyneth Paltrow in Shallow Hal<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: 20th Century Fox<\/div>\nWith all her strict diets and exercise routines, it\u2019s hard to imagine Gwyneth Paltrow ever weighing more than a feather. Yet, back in the early 2000s, audiences saw her in a whole new look as Rosemary Shanahan in Shallow Hal. The film hasn\u2019t aged well, for obvious reasons, but the message was always intended to be that beauty goes beyond skin deep.<\/p>\n
6. Gabourey Sidibe in Precious<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: Lionsgate<\/div>\nGabourey Sidibe made her acting debut in 2009 in the critically acclaimed film Precious. She plays a morbidly obese and illiterate teen who has been abused in the most heartbreaking ways by both her father and mother. The actress was given unflattering haircuts and wore little to no makeup throughout the film to emphasise the character\u2019s difficult circumstances. In reality, Sidibe is nothing like her character; she is a beautiful and confident woman who has accepted her unique beauty and is, as they put it, living her best life.<\/p>\n
7. Christina Ricci in Penelope<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: Summit Entertainment<\/div>\nChristina Ricci has generally stuck to roles where she can play eccentric, unconventional characters. This makes it less surprising that one of her ventures into the romantic comedy genre saw her cursed with a pig snout for the better part of the movie. While Penelope Wilhern\u2019s parents may have imprisoned her until adulthood to hide her appearance, there\u2019s no way anyone is hiding Ricci\u2019s natural beauty. Not even a fake nose can do that.<\/p>\n
8. Margot Robbie in Suite Fran\u00e7aise<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: Entertainment One<\/div>\nIt\u2019s hard to imagine that Margot Robbie, who is in fact the human embodiment of Barbie, could ever be anything less than breathtakingly gorgeous. Yet if you watched the film Suite Fran\u00e7aise, you\u2019d know it is possible. Robbie plays a plain and unglamorous village named Celine, who happens to be sleeping with the enemy. It\u2019s surprising what a simple wardrobe, no makeup, and brown permed hair can do.<\/p>\n
9. Charlize Theron in Monster<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: Newmarket Films<\/div>\nSuccess for actresses in Hollywood is often attributed to their looks, but Charlize Theron had to strip away her beauty to win her first Oscar. To portray serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster, she had to gain weight, wear a prosthetic with an overbite and yellowed, stained teeth, and shave and bleach her brows. A big cry from Charlize\u2019s usual elegant and put-together look.<\/p>\n
10. Hailee Steinfeld in The Edge of Seventeen<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Image Credit: DC Studios<\/div>\nYou can hardly recognise Colin Farrell in his role as Oz Cobb. A thinning hair cap, scarred face prosthetics, and a heavily padded bodysuit transformed him into the infamous Penguin. The effect of all these alterations is so convincing that crew members didn\u2019t even recognise him on the set. It may have been a far cry from his usual bad-boy, heartthrob image, but it earned him a spinoff series and a Golden Globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
3. Bill Skarsg\u00e5rd in IT<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: Warner Bros.<\/div>\nThere\u2019s not a single Skarsg\u00e5rd brother who hasn\u2019t been blessed with good looks. But Bill chose to hide the family genes under layers and layers of cakey clown makeup when he took on the role of the terrifying Pennywise<\/a> in the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King\u2019s IT. Bill seems to be drawn to playing odd characters, having previously played Count Orlok in the newest Nosferatu<\/a> adaptation and Eric Draven in The Crow<\/a>.<\/p>\n4. Mae Whitman in The DUFF<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: Lionsgate<\/div>\nMae Whitman was cast as the ugly duckling of her group in the 2015 film The DUFF, but in reality, she\u2019s anything but \u201cfat\u201d or \u201cugly\u201d. Even the dungarees, messy locks, and lack of makeup didn\u2019t really fool anyone.<\/p>\n
5. Gwyneth Paltrow in Shallow Hal<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: 20th Century Fox<\/div>\nWith all her strict diets and exercise routines, it\u2019s hard to imagine Gwyneth Paltrow ever weighing more than a feather. Yet, back in the early 2000s, audiences saw her in a whole new look as Rosemary Shanahan in Shallow Hal. The film hasn\u2019t aged well, for obvious reasons, but the message was always intended to be that beauty goes beyond skin deep.<\/p>\n
6. Gabourey Sidibe in Precious<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: Lionsgate<\/div>\nGabourey Sidibe made her acting debut in 2009 in the critically acclaimed film Precious. She plays a morbidly obese and illiterate teen who has been abused in the most heartbreaking ways by both her father and mother. The actress was given unflattering haircuts and wore little to no makeup throughout the film to emphasise the character\u2019s difficult circumstances. In reality, Sidibe is nothing like her character; she is a beautiful and confident woman who has accepted her unique beauty and is, as they put it, living her best life.<\/p>\n
7. Christina Ricci in Penelope<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: Summit Entertainment<\/div>\nChristina Ricci has generally stuck to roles where she can play eccentric, unconventional characters. This makes it less surprising that one of her ventures into the romantic comedy genre saw her cursed with a pig snout for the better part of the movie. While Penelope Wilhern\u2019s parents may have imprisoned her until adulthood to hide her appearance, there\u2019s no way anyone is hiding Ricci\u2019s natural beauty. Not even a fake nose can do that.<\/p>\n
8. Margot Robbie in Suite Fran\u00e7aise<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: Entertainment One<\/div>\nIt\u2019s hard to imagine that Margot Robbie, who is in fact the human embodiment of Barbie, could ever be anything less than breathtakingly gorgeous. Yet if you watched the film Suite Fran\u00e7aise, you\u2019d know it is possible. Robbie plays a plain and unglamorous village named Celine, who happens to be sleeping with the enemy. It\u2019s surprising what a simple wardrobe, no makeup, and brown permed hair can do.<\/p>\n
9. Charlize Theron in Monster<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nImage Credit: Newmarket Films<\/div>\nSuccess for actresses in Hollywood is often attributed to their looks, but Charlize Theron had to strip away her beauty to win her first Oscar. To portray serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster, she had to gain weight, wear a prosthetic with an overbite and yellowed, stained teeth, and shave and bleach her brows. A big cry from Charlize\u2019s usual elegant and put-together look.<\/p>\n
10. Hailee Steinfeld in The Edge of Seventeen<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Image Credit: Warner Bros.<\/div>\nThere\u2019s not a single Skarsg\u00e5rd brother who hasn\u2019t been blessed with good looks. But Bill chose to hide the family genes under layers and layers of cakey clown makeup when he took on the role of the terrifying Pennywise<\/a> in the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King\u2019s IT. Bill seems to be drawn to playing odd characters, having previously played Count Orlok in the newest Nosferatu<\/a> adaptation and Eric Draven in The Crow<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mae Whitman was cast as the ugly duckling of her group in the 2015 film The DUFF, but in reality, she\u2019s anything but \u201cfat\u201d or \u201cugly\u201d. Even the dungarees, messy locks, and lack of makeup didn\u2019t really fool anyone.<\/p>\n With all her strict diets and exercise routines, it\u2019s hard to imagine Gwyneth Paltrow ever weighing more than a feather. Yet, back in the early 2000s, audiences saw her in a whole new look as Rosemary Shanahan in Shallow Hal. The film hasn\u2019t aged well, for obvious reasons, but the message was always intended to be that beauty goes beyond skin deep.<\/p>\n Gabourey Sidibe made her acting debut in 2009 in the critically acclaimed film Precious. She plays a morbidly obese and illiterate teen who has been abused in the most heartbreaking ways by both her father and mother. The actress was given unflattering haircuts and wore little to no makeup throughout the film to emphasise the character\u2019s difficult circumstances. In reality, Sidibe is nothing like her character; she is a beautiful and confident woman who has accepted her unique beauty and is, as they put it, living her best life.<\/p>\n Christina Ricci has generally stuck to roles where she can play eccentric, unconventional characters. This makes it less surprising that one of her ventures into the romantic comedy genre saw her cursed with a pig snout for the better part of the movie. While Penelope Wilhern\u2019s parents may have imprisoned her until adulthood to hide her appearance, there\u2019s no way anyone is hiding Ricci\u2019s natural beauty. Not even a fake nose can do that.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to imagine that Margot Robbie, who is in fact the human embodiment of Barbie, could ever be anything less than breathtakingly gorgeous. Yet if you watched the film Suite Fran\u00e7aise, you\u2019d know it is possible. Robbie plays a plain and unglamorous village named Celine, who happens to be sleeping with the enemy. It\u2019s surprising what a simple wardrobe, no makeup, and brown permed hair can do.<\/p>\n Success for actresses in Hollywood is often attributed to their looks, but Charlize Theron had to strip away her beauty to win her first Oscar. To portray serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster, she had to gain weight, wear a prosthetic with an overbite and yellowed, stained teeth, and shave and bleach her brows. A big cry from Charlize\u2019s usual elegant and put-together look.<\/p>\n4. Mae Whitman in The DUFF<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Image Credit: Lionsgate<\/div>\n5. Gwyneth Paltrow in Shallow Hal<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox<\/div>\n6. Gabourey Sidibe in Precious<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Image Credit: Lionsgate<\/div>\n7. Christina Ricci in Penelope<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Image Credit: Summit Entertainment<\/div>\n8. Margot Robbie in Suite Fran\u00e7aise<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Image Credit: Entertainment One<\/div>\n9. Charlize Theron in Monster<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Image Credit: Newmarket Films<\/div>\n10. Hailee Steinfeld in The Edge of Seventeen<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Hailee-Steinfeld-The-Edge-of-Seventeen\"](\"https:\/\/www.fortressofsolitude.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Hailee-Steinfeld-The-Edge-of-Seventeen.jpg\")