10 Movie Characters Who Were Completely Transformed for the Role

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most amazing and convincing actor transformations. We will not be including inhuman creatures or characters whose faces are intentionally obscured. Were you fooled by any of these transformations? Let us know in the comments below!

#10: Nicolas Cage

“Longlegs” (2024)
One of the breakout films of 2024 was “Longlegs,” a serial killer thriller unlike any other. Nicolas Cage plays the titular Longlegs, although you probably wouldn’t know it without reading the credits. Cage dons a layer of powdery makeup, facial prosthetics, and a white wig to turn into the serial killer, and the results are absolutely mesmerizing. Cage drew on his own memories of his mother for the role. In particular, he recalled a moment in his childhood when his mother accidentally scared him while wearing cold cream. The pale appearance of his mother stuck with him, and he put those creeped-out feelings into the creation of his character.

#9: Chris Hemsworth

“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (2024)
It’s amazing how much a fake nose and a beard can make someone unrecognizable. Chris Hemsworth went from hero to villain for “Furiosa,” playing the warlord Dementus. The actor told Variety that he spent four hours in the makeup chair every day, a process that included the fake beard, wig, and prosthetic nose. He even joked that the protracted time spent in the chair helped craft his character, as there was “a nice amount of pent-up rage” going into shooting. But the results were well worth it, transforming the very handsome actor into another person entirely.

#8: Nicole Kidman

“The Hours” (2002)
If you’d told us this was some new up-and-coming actress we would have believed you. But the actress in “The Hours” playing Virginia Woolf was none other than Nicole Kidman. She literally and figuratively disappears into the character, and deservedly took home the Oscar for Best Actress. Kidman was made up to look like the late writer, which included the addition of a fake nose. The process took three hours a day, and according to Kidman, some people on set had no idea that it was her. She also claimed that test audiences sat through the entire movie without realizing that it starred Nicole Kidman. We don’t blame them. That’s Virginia Woolf, isn’t it?

#7: Jared Leto

“House of Gucci” (2021)
This singer-slash-actor is no stranger to huge transformations. Or playing historical figures. Back in 2007, he gained 67 pounds to play John Lennon’s killer, Mark David Chapman. But perhaps his biggest transformation was when he turned into Paolo Gucci. To play the chief designer of the iconic fashion brand, Leto donned a bodysuit, facial prosthetics, and a bald cap. The effect was so convincing that it even fooled Leto’s co-star Al Pacino. Pacino had not seen Leto in hair and makeup, and when Leto approached Pacino in character, he was weirded out by this random guy calling him “papa.” Someone had to tell Pacino that it was Leto, and he couldn’t believe his eyes. Neither can we.

#6: Colin Farrell

“The Batman” (2022)
Penguin is one of Batman’s most iconic foes, and in 2022 it was Colin Farrell’s turn to don the tux. While we do love Danny DeVito’s Penguin, there was something distinctly menacing about Colin Farrell’s realistic and gritty portrayal, which was more ‘actual mob boss’ and less, well, ‘actual penguin’. Farrell’s face was marked and scarred, and a bodysuit gave him a substantial amount of weight. The makeup artists also performed little touches to his face, like arching his eyebrows and pointing his nose, all to give him a more penguin-y appearance. Farrell claims that the first makeup test took about eight hours, and his co-stars didn’t even recognize him when he said hello.

#5: Cate Blanchett

“I’m Not There” (2007)
Who knew that such a great casting choice for Bob Dylan would be … Cate Blanchett? “I’m Not There” is an experimental biopic, telling its story non-chronologically and using six different actors to depict the various “personalities” of Bob Dylan. Blanchett plays Jude Quinn, the mid ‘60s Dylan who abandoned folk and went electric. Nothing is done to Blanchett’s face, but it’s amazing how much she embodies this era of Dylanesque fashion. The curly Dylan wig and iconic sunglasses are all she needs to transform into the icon - her brilliant acting does the rest.

#4: Gary Oldman

“Darkest Hour” (2017)
This actor is well known for being a chameleon, but in this case he completely transformed into Winston Churchill. “Darkest Hour” depicts the Prime Minister’s life during the early days of World War II, and it’s like watching footage of the man himself. The makeup team won an Oscar for turning Oldman into Churchill, a process which took just over three hours every day. Oldman required a bodysuit to change his proportions, and he essentially received a whole new face every day, including a fake nose, cheeks, chin, and even ears. It was obviously a lot of hard work, but it paid off beautifully.

#3: Tom Cruise

“Tropic Thunder” (2008)
Tom Cruise was originally supposed to play Rick Peck, a role that eventually went to Matthew McConaughey. It was Cruise who had the idea to play an obnoxious studio head, and he and Ben Stiller collaborated to create the character of Les Grossman. Cruise donned a bald cap, wore glasses, and climbed into a bodysuit. He also put on giant prosthetic hands, an idea that he pitched himself. Some speculated that the portrayal was meant to evoke notorious producers Scott Rudin and Harvey Weinstein. Cruise’s appearance was one of the movie’s greatest surprises.

#2: Christian Bale

“Vice” (2018)
The English actor Bale is known far and wide for his crazy body transformations, like when he shed 62 pounds to play Trevor Reznik in “The Machinist.” But in this case, Christian Bale became another person, and that person is former Vice President Dick Cheney. The movie took home the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, which is no surprise when you see Bale’s metamorphosis. What makes this even more amazing is that the team had to create different looks for Cheney as he aged throughout the film. By the time he reaches his late 60s, Bale was in the makeup chair for four hours a day. The results are almost indistinguishable from real life.

#1: Charlize Theron

“Monster” (2003)
This is one of those shapeshifts that has to be some kind of black magic. Even knowing that this is Charlize Theron and knowing exactly how it was done, we still can’t believe it. Theron plays Aileen Wuornos, a real life serial killer who took the lives of seven men in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Theron gained 30 pounds for the role, and the makeup team did extensive work on her face to make her look like the real Wuornos. They gave her skin a completely different complexion, shaved her eyebrows, popped in some dentures, and provided contacts that changed her eyes from blue to brown. It’s still the most mind-blowing transformation in movie history.