Insane Celeb Transformations For Movie Roles

Actors having to learn their lines is often only half the battle, as many times these stars are asked to visually portray the characters they’re playing physically as well, which sometimes calls for some pretty drastic heath changes. From eating to exercising, or refraining from them, can do a number on these actors. They’re human too, and while these changes can be difficult, these Hollywood heavyweights are dedicated to their craft, and some of their best work came after they were asked to make a significant commitment for a certain role. These are the wildest celebrity transformations for movie roles.

Gal Gadot- Wonder Woman

The Israeli actress and model went to the gym and ran twice a day. She also ate a clean, strict diet that she was quite frankly very sick of by the end of her training.

Natalie Portman – Black Swan

Portman lost 20 pounds in order to portray a bulimic, professional ballet dancer who always strived for perfection.

Margot Robbie – Suicide Squad

With the help of trainer Andie Hecker, Robbie used Pilates and cardio such as running, swimming, and trampoline jumping to slim down her tummy.

Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables

Hathaway lost 15 pounds to play a convincing Fantine, a starving prostitute.

Chris Pratt – Guardians of the Galaxy

Known for his fun-loving attitude and dad bod, Pratt lost 60 pounds of fat and gained muscle for this role.

Matt Damon – The Informant

Damon gained 30 pounds of fat for this role and stated, “It was very, very easy to gain the weight. It was very, very fun, probably the funnest time I had working, because I didn’t have to go to the gym after work and I just ate everything I could see.”

Christian Bale – American Hustle

Hardly recognizable from the Batman series, Bale gained 43 pounds of fat for American Hustle.

Tom Hardy – The Dark Knight Rises

Hardy had already gained 30 pounds of muscle for his Warrior body, then gained another 30 pounds of muscle for The Dark Knight Rises a year later.

Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club

In order to look sickly, McConaughey lost 38 pounds to depict a suffering AIDS victim.

Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler

Gyllenhaal did a fine job mimicking a neurotic, freelance journalist in this thriller. He lost over 20 pounds.

Mel Gibson – The Expendables 3

Gibson gained about 25 pounds of muscle for this role.

Hugh Jackman – The Wolverine

“My sessions were all geared around a four-week program. It was hard work, but calculated hard work. We start with progressive overloading. We do a lot of the basic lifts like the bench press, variations of squats, deadlifts. We do weighted pull-ups, shoulder press, triceps dips, lateral raises—the tried and tested free-weight exercises. We never use any machines,” said Jackman, who gained 25 pounds of muscle.

Chris Hemsworth – Thor

Hemsworth trained with former Navy SEAL Duffy Gaver, concentrating on his arms and shoulders. Getting buff was difficult after filming In The Heart of the Sea, which he had to be very slim for.

Ryan Reynolds – Blade Trinity

After six-day-a week workouts for three months and a 3,200-calorie daily diet, he gained 25 pounds of muscle.

Robert Downey Jr. – Iron Man

Consuming 5,000 calories a day and hitting the gym religiously, Robert Downey Jr. put on 25 pounds of muscle.

Chris Evans – Captain America

Evans maintained a strict, high-protein diet to pile on 30 pounds of muscle.

Paul Rudd – Ant-Man

Paul Rudd’s 5 a.m. daily workouts incorporated gymnastics, flips, and rolls. He stayed away from carbs and alcoholic drinks for a full year, and ate many proteins and vegetables.

Andrew Garfield – The Amazing Spider-Man

He quit smoking, worked out five days a week, and rested for the other two days. Each workout session started with 20 minutes of cardio, followed by 45 minutes of strength training. The routine ranged from Pilates to plyometrics to weight training.

Thomas Haden-Church – Spider-Man 3

“I never did any cardio because, as any fitness expert will tell you, cardio is the enemy of muscle and they just wanted me to get bigger, and I did. I gained 28 pounds of muscle and dropped 10 pounds of body fat,” said Haden-Church about his transformation to Sandman. He worked out for two years and admitted to using steroids to achieve maximum results.

Don Cheadle – Iron Man 2

“You do have to get in shape for superhero movies, but I was lucky. I’ve had a lot of roles that I had to hit the gym for, so I already knew my way around the weights. I have no groundbreaking moves that I do. I bike, I use free weights, I do Pilates, and I use a reformer,” said Cheadle.

Andy Serkis – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Known mostly for playing a seriously creepy Gollum in The Lord of the Rings series, Serkis used his road bike and mountain bike often to keep his balance and stamina up to par. He also ran frequently.

Karen Gillan – Guardians of the Galaxy

This red-headed Scottish actress completed fight training everyday in addition to daily cardio and weight training. She was told to bulk up, although she doesn’t really think she achieved that result.

Charlie Cox – Daredevil

Cox worked out three to six days a week and ate six to seven times a day. He had to eat “a lot of carbohydrates” to gain weight, which he eventually turned into muscle.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson – Avengers: Age Of Ultron

He followed a mix of kettle-bell circuits, German volume training, cardio before breakfast, and an intensive ab workout.