The Most Stunning Movie Character Transformations

Christian Bale appeared in Equilibrium around the same time as The Machinist. Here he looks a lot more like himself.

Christian Bale lost an almost troubling amount of weight to play the emaciated character in The Machinist.

In the same year as Monster, Charlize Theron starred in The Italian Job where she had more of her regular look.

To play serial killer Aileen Wuornos, Charlize Theron gained weight gain, got prosthetic teeth, and used a ton of makeup to creepify.

The year before playing Joker in The Dark Knight, Heather Ledger had a role in I’m Not There about elements of Bob Dylan’s life.

Heath Ledger became the Joker in 2009’s The Dark Knight. It was an award-winning performance and, tragically, the second-to-last role for Ledger before his passing.

The great Gary Oldman had a role in The Hitman’s Bodyguard the same year he starred in Darkest Hour. The change is stunning.

Gary Oldman was nearly unrecognizable as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.

It’s almost like Tilda Swinton transforms completely for each movie, so it’s no wonder she’s on this list. She could be on a couple of different times.

In Suspiria, Tilda Swinton went so far as to play an elderly male psychiatrist in one of many roles she took for this film.

Rooney Mara was in The Social Network a little more than a year before she starred in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Rooney Mara got the full overhaul to embody Lisbeth Salander with dramatic hair, makeup, and piercings in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Jared Leto is another actor who could definitely be on this list multiple times, and it’s often hard to find him playing roles where he looks like “himself.”

For Dallas Buyers Clue, Jared Leto lost weight and adopted a feminine appearance to play the transgender character Rayon.

We are getting a Dallas Buyers Club back-t0-back transformation here. Matthew McConaughey has a distinctive look which he showed off in Mud.

For Dallas Buyers Club, Matthew McConaughey lost a significant amount of weight to portray Ron Woodroof, a man diagnosed with AIDS.

Like many of the greats, Tom Hanks has gone through all kinds of transformations through the years on the big screen.

Tom Hanks had to film Cast Away in two timelines because he went through such a change to play his time spent in isolation on the beach.

John Travolta has transformed a number of times on the big screen, though in Be Cool he sported his classic look.

Then, in Hairspray, John Travolta pulled off one of the biggest transformations of his career. He played Edna Turnblad, wearing a fat suit, makeup, and sporting very all the feminine.

Margot Robbie has gone through transformation after transformation on the big screen and a year before I, Tonya she played Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad.

In I, Tonya, Margot Robbie fully transformed into Tonya Harding to play the troubled skating star.

It’s easy to just assume now that Johnny Depp changes dramatically for every role, but remember that his first big one came in Edward Scissorhands. Before that, he was best known for his role in 21 Jump Street.

In Edward Scissorhands, Johnny Depp sported a crazy new look to take on this iconic character.

Hilary Swank was just starting to gain real recognition when Boys Don’t Cry hit the big screen, and for some it was their first real impression of the actress.

In Boys Don’t Cry, Hilary Swank played Brandon Teena, a transgender man. The role involved significant physical and behavioral changes.

Mickey Rourke has always had a distinctive look, and that’s going back decades. But at his most “classic” he looked completely different than what we saw in The Wrestler.

Mickey Rourke had to transform his body to portray an aging professional wrestler. It menat adopting a muscular and weathered appearance for the ring.

No surprise to see Christian Bale on this list twice. The great ones are always pushing the limits with their on-screen transformations.

In Vice, you have to look twice to even realize this is Christian Bale as former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the all-time great and seemed to become and embody every character he ever played. Though Lincoln might have taken the prize.

It’s one thing to transform into a new character. It’s another to transform into one of the most important historical figures in America’s history.

Nicole Kidman is one of the most recognizable actresses of the last few decades, so any change she undergoes will be noticeable.

Nicole Kidman underwent a pretty drastic transformation in Destroyer including using prosthetics and makeup to appear as a hardened, world-weary detective.

Ryan Reynolds is as recognizable as they come and was that way even before Deadpool. Which is good, because he spends most of that franchise in a mask.

Again, Ryan Reynolds spends most of his time covered up, but when he’s the shell of Wade Wilson, the transformation is crazy.

When you are walking away from one of the most iconic television characters of all-time, you want to do something totally different. Steve Carell definitely went that way.

Steve Carell donned a totally different look in Foxcatcher and went for the a very creepy and dark vibe.

Brad Pitt is pretty easy on the eyes, so when he’s getting an on-screen overhaul into a small old man, it’s worth paying attention.

Brad Pitt plays a character who ages in reverse so we get him as an old man and a baby. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of regular Brad Pitt in between.