20 actors who became completely unrecognizable in roles

There was no resemblance of the toned and ripped Bale when he took on the role of former vice president Dıck Cheney in this 2018 black comedy from Adam McKay. While the movie generally received positive reviews, most of the buzz was around Bale's transformation into the polarizing politician. Bale reportedly spent four-to-eight hours per day in makeup, which was used to make his head bigger. The result was an Academy Award for Best Make-Up and Hairstyling and Bale's Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

Speaking of Bale, he was one of six actors who portrayed the different personas of music legend Bob Dylan in this acclaimed 2007 drama. However, the one who drew the most attention was Blanchett as the mid-1960s persona of Jude Quinn, the controversial figure who stunned and angered fans by playing an electric guitar at a popular folk festival. Blanchett's performance was eerily on-point of the often-fragile Dylan exterior, which masked a rousing and unapologetic attitude ready to be unleashed at the time. Blanchett was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar and won the Golden Globe for the same category.

Watching Carell in a serious role was a true sight to behold — in a highly positive way. However, the physical transformation, notably through his facial features (which included an artificial nose), as the unhinged, disturbed Du Pont family heir and wrestling fanatic John du Pont, was as impressive as the performance itself. Carell earned both Best Actor Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his portrayal as the egotistical Du Pont, thus displaying his overall theatrical range that was able to go beyond the realm of comedy projects.

Now, Cruise is certainly recognizable as the volatile and hot-tempered Tropic Thunder executive studio producer Les Grossman in this Ben Stiller satirical action comedy from 2008. However, the added abundance of noticeable chest hair, balding head and poor-man's beard certainly make for a memorable visual from the film. We're not saying Cruise didn't deliver an above-average performance, because he did. But the look just added to the overall brilliance of a character who wasn't the lead, but certainly stood out.

Playing Irish-American mob boss Whitey Bulger was something Depp had wanted to do for some time during his career, and when he got the chance through this Scott Cooper biographical crime drama from 2015, he certainly delivered — both in the performance, and obviously, the look of this infamous criminal, who formed relationship with the FBI. Depp reportedly made sure was as spot-on as possible for a role that critics felt brought the superstar back to Hollywood prominence. He earned Best Actor nominations for the part from both the Screen Actors Guild and Critics' Choice.

There was no radical physical transformation when it came to Diaz's appearance in her praised performance in this innovative Spike Jonze-directed fantasy comedy-drama from 1999. However, to that point in her career, Diaz had not really stripped her looks down to what slashfilm.com described as "dowdy," while playing Lotte, wife of film protagonist and unemployed puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack). Complete with her frizzy hair and pedestrian clothing, Lotte still managed to mesmerize, especially, as we follow her journey — outside and inside — throughout the film. 

The Los Angeles Times stated the makeup job that turned Ferrell into the Penguin for this 2022 version of the Batman story, made the star disappear into the character. Round and middle-aged as the Penguin, Ferrell was unrecognizable on the set of the film, he was referred to be crew members as "scary" or "weird." The same could be said for audiences, who mostly appreciated his performance as the iconic villain. It was a compliment to the makeup crew, as the film received an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. 

The wonders of modern-day film technology helped the brilliantly talented Fiennes fall into the role of the evil Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series of popular films. One of the least-attractive film bad guys ever (with veined, bald head and rotted teeth), the Voldemort experience can be described as a labor of love for Fiennes, who spent hours in makeup to take on the character. However, according to Stylist, his infamous nose was digitally replaced, down to practically nothing, in post-production editing. 

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of James' transformation to become Baywatch bombshell Pamela Anderson is just how much she ended up resembling the star. Now, co-star Sebastian Stan had her ex-husband Tommy Lee's look down in this 2022 biopic miniseries about the ramifications of the release of their infamous sex tape. However, James truly brings out the emotion, insecurity and, in some ways, empowerment, of Anderson that was rarely seen on the surface. James received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the role. 

One year after receiving her first Oscar nomination (Moulin Rouge!), Kidman won her only Academy Award (for Best Actress) to date via 2002's The Hours. Rather unrecognizable as famed author Virginia Woolf, Kidman was singled out for her brilliance in the project. While her plain, simple appearance, with straight, and often unkempt, dark hair, also captivated audiences in a movie that was emotionally challenging to watch at times. The film partially chronicles Woolf dealing with mental illness while trying to write her 1925 novel Mrs. Dalloway. 

Leto dropped 30 pounds for his Academy Award-winning role as HIV-positive, trans woman Rayon in 2013's Dallas Buyers Club. However, six years earlier, he did the opposite to turn into Mark David Chapman, the man who shot and killed John Lennon, in this polarizing movie based on the 1992 book Let Me Take You Down: Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman, the Man Who Killed John Lennon. Leto reportedly gained nearly 70 pounds to become Chapman, bloating himself up to the point of a round face and bulging stomach. The experience often left Leto struggling to simply walk because of those excess pounds, and he even suffered from gout at one point. 

Mara made a name for herself with a brief, but lauded, performance from the beginning of The Social Network (2010). That essentially opened the door for her to take on this breakthrough 2011 role as the waifish, emotionally disturbed computer hacker Lisbeth Salander in the popular David Fincher thriller. Mara's morph into the goth-infused Salander created plenty of buzz surrounding the project. However, her subtle, but impactful performance, made her appearance almost secondary. Mara earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.  

Murphy has been known for diving full into makeover mode during his films. Black, white, male, female, whatever — Murphy is all about the laughs. It can be argued that it started with his "Mr. White" sketch from Saturday Night Live during the 1980s, and was hilariously celebrated during his 1988 hit Coming to America. At the forefront of his physical transformation from the comedy is Saul, a Jewish barbershop customer who is a big fan of soup and respects a man to make his own decisions. He even made an appearance in 2021's Coming to America 2, without really aging much.

The fuller face, aged skin and thinning hair did a nice job hiding Oldman's own features, in exchange for historical giant Winston Churchill from this 2017 war drama that won him an Oscar. There has never been an acting role to challenging for Oldman to pull off. As with all his efforts, Oldman sunk himself deep into the Churchill persona, and certainly went to the hilt with the physical appearance. Oldman claimed he carried around roughly half of his then-body weight in makeup and prosthetic material to become Churchill.

Robbie has fared well when portraying real-life celebrities and historical figures. However, when it came to physically turning into such a character, she raised her own personal bar in this acclaimed 2018 drama, which was also Josie Rourke's directorial debut. Sporting a prosthetic nose, red wig and almost white-sand skin tone, Robbie brilliantly morphed into Queen Elizabeth I, cousin to the famed Mary, Queen of Scots (Saoirse Ronan). Robbie was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, while the film earned an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

The massively talented Swinton generated plenty of attention as Dianna, the foul-mouthed, ruthless magazine editor in this overachieving Amy Schumer 2015 comedy. When it came to her overall appearance, Swinton was known for short hair and her rather simple looks, which usually featured a subtle use of makeup. However, she was dolled-up, with longer hair and tanned skin for Trainwreck that left fans of the film baffled and stunned with her presence. Which was likely the point of the entire experience.

The 2003 role that won Theron her Best Actress Academy Award was remembered as much for her stripped-down appearance as the stellar performance itself. In becoming real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos, the sex worker who killed seven men and was executed in Florida. Theron cast aside her usual glamour for a more downtrodden and disheveled look, which included the addition of nearly 30 pounds. The breakout role proved Theron's worth as a top-tier actress capable of not only playing a complex and dramatic character, but doing so with passion and emotion. 

Sticking with Theron in another biographical role. While her portrayal of former Fox news personality Megyn Kelly was highly praised in this 2019 Jay Roach drama about the women of the conservative network who set out to take down CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment, Theron's uncanny resemblance for the real life Kelly was truly remarkable. It was not a stretch to believe we were looking at the actual Kelly, when it was Theron, who shined further by nailing her mannerisms and attitude that has made the actual figure highly polarizing. 

Wahlberg reportedly lost more than 40 pounds for his breakouts role as Vincent Grey, the principal antagonist in this popular 1999 M. Night Shyamalan psychological thriller that starred Bruce Willis. One of the more impactful scenes in the movie is a gaunt and emotionally shaken Grey, standing only his underwear, in the bathroom of Willis' Malcolm Crowe, and his wife. There were viewers, or fans of New Kids on the Block, who failed to recognize that was Wahlberg. The lengths some actors will go to deliver on a film is quite amazing.

The multi-talented entertainer is also known for his rather cut physique. However, according to The Associated Press, 50 Cent dropped from 214 pounds 160 for his role as Deon Barnes, a promising football player who is stricken by cancer in this direct-to-video drama that he co-wrote, and was directed by Mario Van Peebles. Now, the movie has largely flown under the radar over the years, but 50 (aka Curtis Jackson) was praised for both his performance and the lengths he went to physically play the character (a liquid diet and multiple hours a day on the treadmill).