See Meryl Streep, Jake Gyllenhaal, Matthew McConaughey and More Stars Who Transformed Themselves for Movie Roles!

Misc

Dec 1, 2014 5:45 pm·

By Julia Birkinbine

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Click through the gallery to see stars — including Meryl Streep, Jake Gyllenhaal, Matthew McConaughey and more — who completely changed their looks for film roles!

1 of 27

Matthew McConaughey

The actor packed on a few pounds — and went bald! — to film his movie Gold.

2 of 27

Johnny Depp

Johnny also went bald to portray infamous mobster Whitey Bulger in Black Mass.

3 of 27

Christian Bale

Christian is a pro at altering his appearance for roles! He lost a shocking 62 pounds to play a man whose insomnia leads him to becoming emaciated in The Machinist. After that film wrapped, he had only had six weeks to bulk up to play Batman in 2005's Batman Begins.

4 of 27

Tilda Swinton

The actress — or should we say human chameleon? — looked seriously unrecognizable in Trainwreck! For her role as a no-holds-barred magazine editor, the Oscar winner ditched her signature pompadour pixie haircut and instead donned a long, wavy wig and heavy makeup. And frankly, we're still barely convinced it really is Tilda in the movie!

5 of 27

Bradley Cooper

For his portrayal of real-life Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the actor followed a "strict, crazy diet" to pack on about 40 pounds for American Sniper.

6 of 27

Meryl Streep

The iconic actress donned talon-like fingernails, a matted blue-gray wig and prosthetic teeth to transform herself into a haggard witch in the 2014 movie musical Into The Woods.

7 of 27

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake looked almost unrecognizable as a boxer in Southpaw, a role for which he gained approximately 15 pounds of muscle!

8 of 27

Renee Zellweger

The actress packed on a reported 20 pounds each time she played the title character in the Bridget Jones franchise! To put weight on her naturally slim figure, Renee abandoned her normally strict workout regimen and swapped salads for 4,000+ calorie meals instead.

9 of 27

George Clooney

The actor won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role after he gained 30 pounds in just 30 days to play CIA agent Robert Baer in the 2005 film Syriana.

10 of 27

Hilary Swank

To play an aspiring boxer in Million Dollar Baby, Hilary dedicated more than four hours per day, six days per week to weight training and consumed nearly 210 grams of protein per day. All of her hard work paid off when the actress won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2004!

11 of 27

Anne Hathaway

The actress dropped a reported 16 pounds from her trim figure for her role as a prostitute in Les Miserables.

12 of 27

Jared Leto

To play the man who murdered John Lennon in 2007's Chapter 27, Jared gained 67 pounds and had to use a wheelchair on set due to the stress of the sudden increase in weight put on his body.

13 of 27

Natalie Portman

Natalie also won an Academy Award after she lost nearly 20 pounds from her already tiny 117 pound frame to play a troubled ballerina in the 2010 psychological thriller-horror film, Black Swan.

14 of 27

Tom Hanks

The actor dyed his brown locks white — and sported a mustache! — to play Captain "Sully" Sullenberger in Sully.

15 of 27

Maggie Gyllenhaal

The actress swapped her signature pixie cut for long, blonde curls to star in the series The Deuce.

16 of 27

Milla Jovovich

The actress swapped her signature brunette stands and youthful complexion for a grey bob and wrinkles for her role as Alice in _Resident Evil: The Final Chapter*.

17 of 27

Melissa McCarthy

The actress swapped out her signature brunette strands for a red pixie cut to portray Michelle Darnell, a wealthy businesswoman gone bankrupt in The Boss.

18 of 27

Chris Hemsworth

The actor underwent a drastic weight loss to portray Owen Chase, the first mate of the vessel Essex, which is later destroyed by a whale, leaving the ship's crew stranded at sea for 90 days in In the Heart of the Sea.

19 of 27

Sienna Miller

The actress got a 1920's makeover to play Emma Gould in Live By Night, a film which takes place during the prohibition era.

20 of 27

Justin Theroux

The actor sported dreadlocks and a crazy outfit for his role as the Evil DJ in Zoolander 2.

21 of 27

Dustin Hoffman

The actor grew out his hair — and beard! — to portray a respected NYC artist who attempts to reconcile his estranged family in The Meyerowitz Stories.

22 of 27

Julianne Moore

Julianne donned prosthetic wrinkles and a gray wig for Wonderstruck.

23 of 27

J.K. Simmons

The actor recently transformed his body to star in Justice League.

24 of 27

Nicole Kidman

The actress looked much older with a gray wig and age spots on the set of Top of the Lake.

25 of 27

Vince Vaughn

The actor looked nearly unrecognizable after going bald for his movie Brawl in Cell Block 99.

26 of 27

Neil Patrick Harris

The actor donned a wig and prosthetic nose to portray villain Count Olaf in the Netflix show A Series of Unfortunate Events!

27 of 27

Brad Pitt

Brad switched out his signature brunette strands for gray locks for his upcoming movie, War Machine!

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