Top 10 Actor Body Transformations
#10 – 50 Cent: “All Things Fall Apart” (2011)
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Muscular Fiddy shocked fans with his suddenly sickly appearance. Turns out, his over 50-pound weight loss was for, “All Things Fall Apart,” where he honored his late childhood friend by playing a cancer-stricken football player. To drop from 214 to 160, the rapper consumed only liquids and ran 3-hours a day. He said the anguish this caused improved his performance. You be the judge.
#9 – Eric Bana: “Chopper” (2000)
When Bana was tapped to play criminal “Chopper” Read, he was known for comedy, not drama. But he took the role to heart and shaved his head, spent hours daily getting fake tattooed, hung with the real Chopper and gained thirty pounds-worth of beer gut by downing junk food and not exercising. He later had a similarly drastic, CGI-aided transformation when he became an angry green monster. Sorta…
#8 – Russell Crowe: “The Insider” (1999), “Body of Lies” (2008)
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Crowe was cut as a Roman fighter, so his appearance in “The Insider” was…surprising. With makeup, an extra 35-pounds and an artificially receding hairline, the 33-year-old became middle-aged immediately. But, we were most shocked by “Body of Lies,” where the chameleon gained an astounding 63-pounds. Barely able to exit his car, Crowe suffered from dangerously high cholesterol and struggled for two years to drop the extra poundage.
#7 – Tom Hanks: “Philadelphia” (1993), “Cast Away” (2000)
This legend toiled for his first Oscar: “Philadelphia” was shot chronologically so Hanks could undergo the necessary physical changes to resemble an AIDS-sufferer, which included thinning his hair and starving himself to lose around 35-pounds. He later gained a gut for “Cast Away,” before filming stopped for a year, so Hanks could adopt the desert island diet to drop a shocking 50-pounds. And gain lotsa hair.
#6 – Charlize Theron: “Monster” (2003)
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Here’s proof she’s not just a pretty face. When the gorgeous Charlize Theron accepted the role of Aileen Wuornos, she went all the way: the normally svelte star gained 30-pounds thanks to chips and Krispy Kreme, shaved off her eyebrows, and donned false teeth and Wuornos’ characteristic mannerisms to personify the serial killer. She quickly lost the weight before her next role, but gained some impressive hardware.
#5 – Robert De Niro: “Raging Bull” (1980)
No one does method acting like De Niro. To portray boxer Jake LaMotta in “Raging Bull,” the lean-mean De Niro was trained by LaMotta himself and became such a proficient boxer he actually won competitive fights. Filming was then halted for four months so De Niro could eat his way through Europe to play the retired LaMotta – he came back a record 60-pounds heavier, with health problems to boot.
#4 – Vincent D’Onofrio: “Full Metal Jacket” (1987)
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Think 60-pounds is bad? D’Onofrio expanded his waistline by 70-pounds to play the clumsy Gomer Pyle in “Full Metal Jacket,” breaking De Niro’s record. D’Onofrio’s 280-pound frame proved problematic during rigorous obstacle course scenes, as he fell and injured his knee so badly he needed surgery. It took him seven months to gain and nine months to lose, but D’Onofrio was back at his fighting weight for his next job.
#3 – Matt Damon: “Courage Under Fire” (1996), “The Informant” (2009)
To lose 40-pounds for his heroin addict role in “Courage Under Fire,” Damon ran 13-miles daily and crash-dieted for 100-days. Without a nutritionist. For two days of filming. The unhealthy ordeal caused years of health problems – in fact, doctors said he was lucky his heart didn’t shrink. But Damon got his just desserts. Actually, it wasn’t just desserts: it was pizza, burgers and beer that added his 30-pounds for “The Informant.”
#2 – Jared Leto: “Requiem for a Dream” (2000), “Chapter 27” (2007) “Dallas Buyers Club” (2013)
Living on NYC streets, sugar- and sex-withdrawal, and a loss of 28-pounds prepared Leto for life as a heroin addict in “Requiem for a Dream.” More impressive was his 67-pound gain for “Chapter 27,” which gave him gout and left him wheelchair-bound. His secret? Chugging melted Häagen-Dazs, olive oil and soy sauce. But, he was back to scary skinny in 2012 alongside co-star Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club.”
#1 – Christian Bale: “The Machinist” (2004), “Batman Begins” (2005)
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Bale’s trademark intensity reached new levels when he started smoking and ate one can of tuna and an apple daily to drop to a terrifying 120-pounds to play an insomniac. His nonexistent muscles left him struggling during action scenes, but that didn’t last long: within six months he’d gained 100-pounds for “Batman Begins.” Between Batmans he downsized again to play a crack addict in “The Fighter,” and won an Oscar – so hard work pays off. Do you agree with our list? Which actor’s body transformation do you think was the most extreme? For more great top 10s, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
