Skip to main content
Games Radar
  • Newsarama
  • Total Film
  • Edge
  • Retro Gamer
  • SFX
Total Film The smarter take on movies
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best Netflix Shows
Recommended reading
Jesse Plemons in Game Night
Movies The 32 most underrated movie comedies of all time
M. Night Shyamalan
Drama Movies Mysterious new movie from M. Night Shyamalan gets supernatural first plot details
Bring Her Back
Horror Movies The most exciting upcoming horror movies coming in 2025 and beyond
The Phoenician Scheme trailer
Comedy Movies Sicario star leads Wes Anderson's new movie in weird and wonderful new trailer
Emma Stone in Bugonia
Sci-Fi Movies Emma Stone stars in frenetic first trailer for Poor Things director's remake of cult South Korean sci-fi comedy
Eva Victor as Agnes in Sorry, Baby
Drama Movies Star Wars actor's new movie with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score gets new trailer – and it looks like a mix between Perks of Being a Wallflower and Frances Ha
The Penguin episode 8 (2024)
Horror Movies 2 years after its announcement Dr Strange star and The Penguin's Golden Globe-nominated Sofia Falcone are in talks to lead the weirdest horror movie adaptation out there
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

30 Unrecognisable Movie Star Transformations

Features
By Joshua Winning published 26 November 2013

Guess who…

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

The Movie Star: Talky funny guy Ryan Reynolds.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Reynolds is known for his sharp tongue, so to see him without a mouth is to be driven mad with confusion.

Transformed into the deadly Deadpool at the end of this sub-par comic adap, Reynolds rocks the bald, vein-y look. It's... Just... Wrong...

Looks More Like: A GI: Joe villain.

Page 1 of 30
Page 1 of 30
Big Fish (2003)

Big Fish (2003)

The Movie Star: Glamorous British actress Helena Bonham Carter.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them:
Three things: eye-patch, frizzy silver hair and the kind of complexion you only see on mummified corpses.

Those are things cinema-goers didn't generally equate with Miss Bonham Carter back in the Noughties - until, that is, her hubby turned her into a scary witch in his fantasy book adap.

Looks More Like: The female gnome played by Patricia Hayes in The Neverending Story .

Page 2 of 30
Page 2 of 30
The Grinch (2000)

The Grinch (2000)

The Movie Star: Rubber-faced comedian Jim Carrey.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Well, Carrey isn't generally quite so green-faced. He's also not normally quite as fuzzy, but he was BOTH (and then some) in this adaptation of Dr Seuss's bedtime favourite.

Plus there's the tiny nose and whiskers, which are more disturbing that words can possibly convey...

Looks More Like: That thing you're pretty convinced is living under your bed.

Page 3 of 30
Page 3 of 30
Batman Returns (1992)

Batman Returns (1992)

The Movie Star: Taxi star and bona fide chuckle machine Danny DeVito.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: While Michelle Pfeiffer was busy squeezing herself into catsuits on this comic book sequel, DeVito was getting turned into a nightmarish penguin thing.

With his prosthetic nose, black saliva and flippers, DeVito's Penguin is a terrifying creation that sees the actor navigating darkly comedic waters.

Looks More Like: The missing evolutionary link between penguins and modern man.

Page 4 of 30
Page 4 of 30
Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire (2005)

Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire (2005)

The Movie Star: Ralph Fiennes.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: He's missing a nose, for starters. Also, that dark crop of hair seems to be missing.

See, Fiennes is playing Voldemort, aka the most evil wizard who ever lived, which is why he's looking somewhat off-colour.

Looks More Like: A viper. A man-sized viper.

Page 5 of 30
Page 5 of 30
Beetlejuice (1988)

Beetlejuice (1988)

The Movie Star: A pre-Batman Michael Keaton.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Though he was best-known as a comedian (on shows like Working Stuffs and Night Shifts ), Keaton's transformation into Beetlejuice still boggled brains.

With that crazy green hair, facial war-paint and stripy suit, he looks nothing like the Keaton we know and love. Crazier still - he landed Batman off the back of this...

Looks More Like: Somebody tripping on acid who found a stripe-making machine.

Page 6 of 30
Page 6 of 30
Hellboy (2004)

Hellboy (2004)

The Movie Star: Perpetual scene-stealer Ron Perlman.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Perlman was the perfect choice for a live-action version of Hellboy - not only does he have the voice, he also has the jawline.

Which worked perfectly in conjunction with the myriad prosthetics (four hours in the make-up chair) he had to wear to play the demon with a formidable red right hand.

Looks More Like: Hellboy; it's as if he's stepped right out of the comics.

Page 7 of 30
Page 7 of 30
Cloud Atlas (2012)

Cloud Atlas (2012)

The Movie Star: Bumbling, floppy-haired Brit actor Hugh Grant.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Though all of the actors go through some startling transformations in the Wachowskis' book adap, perhaps the most shocking is this one.

Grant donned severed body parts (a jaw, a finger) and lots of body paint to play a formidable warrior. Take that, Love, Actually.

Looks More Like: An extra from Apocalyto .

Page 8 of 30
Page 8 of 30
Avatar (2009)

Avatar (2009)

The Movie Star: Star Trek 's very own Uhura, aka Zoe Saldana.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: She's not actually on-screen, which helps with the confusion.

Saldana mo-capped her role as alien Neytiri in James Cameron's sci-fi, meaning though she provided the movements for the character, she's never physically on screen. Also, she looks more like a cat than a human.

Looks More Like: A Smurf crossed with a lioness.

Page 9 of 30
Page 9 of 30
Sin City (2005)

Sin City (2005)

The Movie Star: Actor gone wild Mickey Rourke.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Covered in plasters and donning a prosthetic face/hair-piece, Rourke's transformed into a terrifying hulk of a man in this comic adap.

As Marv, Rourke's prosthetics are so convincing that - paired with a muscular performance - they kicked-started the actor's faltering career.

Looks More Like: A cross between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis.

Page 10 of 30
Page 10 of 30
Spring Breakers (2012)

Spring Breakers (2012)

The Movie Star: Work-a-holic and Jack of all trades James Franco. Seriously, does this guy ever take a day off?

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Gobbing off like a gangster, even the voice is unrecognisable as Franco plays, er, gangster Alien.

Factor in corn-row hair, giant shades and THOSE metal teeth, and this is miles away from Franco's turn as Harry Osborn in the Spidey flicks.

Looks More Like: Marky Mark in the '90s.

Page 11 of 30
Page 11 of 30
Hook (1993)

Hook (1993)

The Movie Star: Multiple Oscar-winner Dustin Hoffman.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Dolled up in a curly black wig and one of the most impressive movie moustaches we've ever seen, Hoffman doesn't look anything like himself as bad guy Captain Hook.

It's even more disturbing when the curly wig comes off, revealing a plucked-chicken pate...

Looks More Like: A buck-toothed Looney Tunes character.

Page 12 of 30
Page 12 of 30
Hitchcock (2012)

Hitchcock (2012)

The Movie Star: The Welsh sir otherwise known as Anthony Hopkins.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: With the unmistakable double chin and the way he drawls his lines, it's impossible not to confuse Hopkins with the man he's playing in this biopic.

Here, it's director Alfred Hitchcock, a role that Hopkins actively campaigned to land. Wonder if he regretted it after a long day in those prosthetics...

Looks More Like: Hitchcock, luckily enough.

Page 13 of 30
Page 13 of 30
Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)

Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)

The Movie Star: Workaholic actor Willem Dafoe.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Dafoe took his cue from classic vampire flick Nosferatu in this film surrounding the fictional making of that seminal fright flick.

Bald, perpetually grim-faced and with some terrifying claws, he makes the Green Goblin look positively friendly...

Looks More Like: Some kind of scarily mutated Roland The Rat.

Page 14 of 30
Page 14 of 30
Tropic Thunder (2008)

Tropic Thunder (2008)

The Movie Star: Action stud and impossible-mission-solver Tom Cruise.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: In a far cry from his normal look as a chiselled, ridiculously-fit action hero, Cruise donned a fat suit and a bald cap to play irate studio exec Les Grossman.

The character proved so popular that there's been talk of a spin-off for Grossman, with Cruise apparently all-too-prepared to don the fat suit again.

Looks More Like: Any number of movie executives. We won’t name names…

Page 15 of 30
Page 15 of 30
Hannibal (2001)

Hannibal (2001)

The Movie Star: Oscar-nominated Brit Gary Oldman.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: For Hannibal Lecter's return to the big screen, Oldman transformed himself into a terribly-scarred criminal whom Lecter himself personally dealt with.

Disfigured and paralysed, he comes to a particularly horrible fate involving hungry wild boars…

Looks More Like: A victim of Hannibal Lecter…

Page 16 of 30
Page 16 of 30
Legend (1985)

Legend (1985)

The Movie Star: Funny chap and Rocky Horror maestro Tim Curry.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: He's painted entirely red and wearing three-foot-tall fibreglass horns. Which'll just about fool anybody.

Curry spent five and a half hours in make-up every day that he worked on the film, and had to wear a harness under his make-up to keep those impressive horns aloft. Which is fine, because every day ended with a lovely hour-long bath that dissolved the soluble spirit gum.

Looks More Like: The devil himself.

Page 17 of 30
Page 17 of 30
The Elephant Man (1980)

The Elephant Man (1980)

The Movie Star: British treasure and all-round top bloke John Hurt.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them:
Hurt's transformation into real-life deformed man Joseph Merrick is so convincing that you really believe it's Merrick on-screen.

Unsurprisingly, the prosthetics used were based on actual casts of Merrick's body. The final result was so staggering that it prompted the Academy Awards to create a whole new category for Best Movie Make-Up.

Looks More Like: Well, Joseph Merrick. It's really that good.

Page 18 of 30
Page 18 of 30
Things Fall Apart (2011)

Things Fall Apart (2011)

The Movie Star: Rapper and wannabe actor 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson).

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Playing a footballer who suffers from an incurable disease, 50 Cent shocked the world by tweeting images of himself emaciated and skeletal.

Dropping from 214 to 160lbs in just nine weeks, he lived on a liquid diet and ran on a treadmill for three hours every day.

Looks More Like: A really, really ill person.

Page 19 of 30
Page 19 of 30
The Informant! (2009)

The Informant! (2009)

The Movie Star: Bourne himself, otherwise known as Matt Damon.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: In order to look more like the real-life man he was playing - whistle-blower Mark Whitacre - Damon gained 20-30 pounds and sports a moustache.

Looks More Like: Corey Haim.

Page 20 of 30
Page 20 of 30
Hairspray (2007)

Hairspray (2007)

The Movie Star: One-time action hero and Grease heartthrob John Travolta.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them:
Um, he's dressed as a woman. And quite a sizeable one at that.

Rather than pulling a Jared Leto and eating himself big, Travolta wore a fatsuit and A LOT of make-up to play Tracy Turnblad's mother in this musical stage adap.

Looks More Like: Rikki Lake.

Page 21 of 30
Page 21 of 30
Precious (2009)

Precious (2009)

The Movie Star: Platinum-selling pop singer turned actress (and Glitter star) Mariah Carey.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Popping up at the midway point of Lee Daniels' book adap, Carey plays an understanding social worker with barely a scrap of make-up on.

Not only that, but Carey put in such a gentle and genuine performance that it was even less likely we’d believe this was the same woman who changed her outfit 500 times during a single episode of MTV's Cribs ...

Looks More Like: Mariah Carey before she became ‘Mariah Carey’…

Page 22 of 30
Page 22 of 30
Raging Bull (1980)

Raging Bull (1980)

The Movie Star: Martin Scorsese's favourite actor, Robert De Niro.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them:
In order to portray Jake LaMotta's spiralling life from champ to chunk, De Niro gained 60lbs. By the end of filming, he was doughier than we'd ever imagined De Niro could ever look.

In fact, De Niro got tired so quickly during those weightier segments that filming hours had to be slashed...

Looks More Like: The Stay Puft Marshmellow Man.

Page 23 of 30
Page 23 of 30
Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

The Movie Star: Glenn Close, who most recently had the small screen sizzling in Damages .

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Close has been slathered in prosthetics to play Nova Prime, an alien in Marvel's awesome-looking sci-fi extravaganza.

Close previously made herself into a man for Albert Nobbs, so why not go the full hog and play an ET? We admire that kind of courage.

Looks More Like: One of those cat nuns from Doctor Who.

Page 24 of 30
Page 24 of 30
The Machinist (2004)

The Machinist (2004)

The Movie Star: Brit actor Christian Bale.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Just a year after this film, Bale beefed up as Batman, making his dramatic weight loss for Brad Anderson's thriller all the more shocking.

Bale pushed himself to the limit by losing 62lbs - and he would have lost more if the filmmakers hadn't stepped in and ordered him to stop.

Looks More Like: He-Man villain Skeletor. Weirdly, Bale could probably pull off playing both Skeletor AND He-Man…

Page 25 of 30
Page 25 of 30
Chapter 27 (2007)

Chapter 27 (2007)

The Movie Star: A usually-svelte and six-pack-having Jared Leto.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Before he lost a ton of weight to play an AIDS sufferer in Dallas Buyers Club (alongside Matthew McConaughey), Leto went the opposite way and packed in the pies to play Mark David Chapman, the man who murdered John Lennon.

Looks More Like: Well, a fat Jared Leto, to be honest.

Page 26 of 30
Page 26 of 30
Foxcatcher (2013)

Foxcatcher (2013)

The Movie Star: Anchorman funny guy Steve Carell.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: Well, he's got a massive fake schnozz on for a start. Carell was also aged for his role as John EleuthËre du Pont, the paranoid schizophrenic who ended up killing his brother, meaning the salt n pepper look probably threw you off the scent, too.

Looks More Like: Gerard Depardieu.

Page 27 of 30
Page 27 of 30
Prometheus (2012)

Prometheus (2012)

The Movie Star: Aussie actor Guy Pearce, perhaps best known for losing his memory in Memento .

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: He's hidden under layers and layers of prosthetics, transformed into a seriously old man who seems perpetually on the brink of death - probably because he is.

Looks More Like: A pickled baby bird. Or your 100+ granddad.

Page 28 of 30
Page 28 of 30
The Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

The Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

The Movie Star: Former rom-com favourite Matthew McConaughey.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them: McConaughey lost 38lbs in order to play a man suffering from AIDS. With his gaunt features and withered frame, he looks nothing like the bronzed Adonis who regularly whips his shirt off on-screen.

Looks More Like: Bizarrely, Harry Dean Stanton.

Page 29 of 30
Page 29 of 30
Monster (2003)

Monster (2003)

The Movie Star: Blonde bombshell and former model Charlize Theron.

Why You Wouldn’t Recognise Them:
Theron infamously underwent an 'uglification' process to play serial killer Aileen Wuornos, packing on 30lbs and wearing prosthetics to become pretty much unrecognisable.

She deserved that Oscar and then some.

Looks More Like: A Made In Chelsea cast member after a particularly heavy night on the tiles.

Page 30 of 30
Page 30 of 30
Joshua Winning
Social Links Navigation

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.  

See more Movies Features
Read more
Jesse Plemons in Game Night
The 32 most underrated movie comedies of all time
M. Night Shyamalan
Mysterious new movie from M. Night Shyamalan gets supernatural first plot details
Bring Her Back
The most exciting upcoming horror movies coming in 2025 and beyond
The Phoenician Scheme trailer
Sicario star leads Wes Anderson's new movie in weird and wonderful new trailer
Emma Stone in Bugonia
Emma Stone stars in frenetic first trailer for Poor Things director's remake of cult South Korean sci-fi comedy
Eva Victor as Agnes in Sorry, Baby
Star Wars actor's new movie with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score gets new trailer – and it looks like a mix between Perks of Being a Wallflower and Frances Ha
Latest in Movies
David Corenswet as Superman
David Corenswet has a favorite DC character he'd like Superman to meet next, and we're totally on board with it
Upcoming movies: Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning
New Tom Cruise underwater action thriller reportedly put on pause after budget spirals to $275m
Emma Mackey and Fiona Shaw as Sofia and Rose in Hot Milk
Sun, sea, and strained relationships: Andor's Fiona Shaw and Barbie's Emma Mackey play a mother and daughter on the brink in new drama Hot Milk
David Corenswet as Superman in James Gunn's Superman
Is James Gunn's Superman linked to Justice League and the rest of the DCEU? The new superhero movie's canon, explained
The T-rex in Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World: Rebirth writer "didn't have a single idea" how to continue the previous movies' 'dinosaurs in the our world' thing – so he backtracked using a key moment in Michael Crichton's novel
Pokemon image of Pikachu
Gotta watch 'em all: The best Pokémon movies from your childhood are available for free on YouTube for a "limited time"
Latest in Features
Emma Mackey and Fiona Shaw as Sofia and Rose in Hot Milk
Sun, sea, and strained relationships: Andor's Fiona Shaw and Barbie's Emma Mackey play a mother and daughter on the brink in new drama Hot Milk
Two menacing gingerbread men look intimidating while a candy person waves from a cage
I didn't expect to like the latest D&D book, but after an utterly stupid adventure I'm all in on Dragon Delves
Mion and Rena look uneasy in the classroom in Higurashi: When They Cry
The Silent Hill f writer's debut game was basically the original Doki Doki Literature Club, and it's still terrifying me 23 years later
Quantum Witch screenshots
This stunning 2D "plotformer" is the ultimate cottagecore fantasy with an extra dose of mystery, sapphic witches, and a giant lady who fights you
Superman
Krypto the Superdog - The comic history of Superman's best friend
All-New Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider #1
Spider-Gwen's new comic introduces her own personal symbiote villain, Tantrum: "Tantrum is the embodiment of everything Gwen was trying to leave behind"
  1. Sam fires at the ghost mech squid boss in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    1
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  2. 2
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  3. 3
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  4. 4
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  5. 5
    Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter"
  1. A T-rex in Jurassic World Rebirth
    1
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  2. 2
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  3. 3
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  4. 4
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  5. 5
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...