There are great actors, great actors who decided it’s best to get real serious about their roles so they have a good performance.
In many cases, there are performers who have to change their lives in order to carry out a story. Some have had dramatic lost weight, suffered physically and even almost lose their minds.
1. Hillary Swank
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress, winner of two Oscars, a Golden Globe and a SAG award. Her appearances in films like Boys Don’t Cry or Million Dollar Baby have brought her critical acclaim and recognition.
She had to drastically change her appearance for this role.
Hillary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry
This is one of the best roles of her entire fame history. To play her role as Teena Brandon, a transgender character, the actress lived as a man during the previous month of rolling. She were so convincing that even her neighbors confused Hillary with her cousin.
2. Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Michael Blake Day- Lewis (London, April 29, 1957) is a British actor and later nationalized Irish in 1993. It is the only actor in the history who has won three Oscars for Best Leading Actor. This way became the third actor (besides Walter Brennan and Jack Nicholson) to win three times an Oscar for his performances. Also, he received two Golden Globes, four BAFTA Awards and three SAG awards and is considered by critics as one of the best actors of his generation and one of the best in history.
Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot
Two months before starting filming, the actor was in a cerebral palsy clinic in Dublin to learn the characteristics of the disease. On set, he never abandoned his wheelchair; he stayed in character all the time.
3. Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor and producer. Two-time winner of the Academy Award and four Golden Globes. Hanks is one of the actors who have won two consecutive Oscars for best lead performance and the only male performer who has done it in the second half of the twentieth century. For his role in Angels & Demons (2009) he became the second highest paid actor after entering fifty million dollars. The box office achieved by his films in the United States exceeds 4.5 billion dollars.
Tom Hanks in Cast Away
One of his best performances. To play this role, Hanks gained weight for a year, and then spent another whole year losing it and getting ready to be on the island. He succeeded on a strict diet and exercising to burn all the energy consumed and more.
4. Heath Ledger
Heath Andrew Ledger was an Australian actor of movies and television. After making minor roles in movies and on television during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to continue his career.
Heath Ledger as the Joker
To achieve a convincing Joker, Ledger lived in a London hotel for a month without any contact with the outside and plunged into darkness. He also recorded his experiences and feelings in a diary, in which he let his uncensored imagination free.
5. Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron (Benoni, August 7, 1975) is a South African actress and model nationalized American. She reached fame after participating in several US film productions in the nineties, among which are The Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe/Joe (1998) and The Cider House Rules (1999). In 2003 she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film Monster, which made her the first African to receive the award in that category.
Charlize Theron in Monster
The successful characterization in this film for the actress is amazing. She had to transform not only physical: gaining weight, plucking her eyebrows and carrying a dental prosthesis; but also her way of breathing and walking. For the interpretation of the character she also spent hours reading the letters that the killer wrote from prison.
6. Robert de Niro
Robert De Niro Jr. (New York, August 17, 1943), better known as Robert De Niro is an actor, director and producer of American cinema. Winner of two Oscars for his performances in the films Raging Bull and The Godfather II.
Robert de Niro in Raging Bull
De Niro gained several weight in just 4 months to be the legendary Jake La Motta. He made a gastronomic tour for northern Italy and France. Although it doesn’t seem like sacrifice, the actor had to reach 213 pounds, which made him gained about 55 pounds.
7. Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto (Bossier City, Louisiana, United States, December 26, 1971) is a musician, multi-instrumentalist, actor, director and producer. Winner of the Oscar, Golden Globe, SAG, among other awards. He is also known as a director with the name of Bartholomew Cubbins, but he’s best known as the vocalist, guitarist, bassist, pianist, composer and founder of the alternative rock band 30 Seconds to Mars.
Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club
Jared Leto has a reputation for getting a lot into his roles, as in his portrayal of the Joker in Suicide Squad. For Dallas Buyers Club, the actor lost nearly 44 pounds and depilated his entire body. To reach the desired weight he practically stopped eating.
8. Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey (Uvalde, November 4, 1969) is an actor and producer of films and television. He is a winner of an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award. Known for his participation in films such as A Time to Kill (1996), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Sahara (2005), We Are Marshall (2006), Tropic Thunder (2008), Killer Joe (2011), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Dallas Buyers Club (2013) and Interstellar (2014). On the television roles he has played, is especially known for his portrayal of Rustin Rust Cohle, a detective from Louisiana State Police in the acclaimed HBO series, True Detective.
Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Leto's mate has a place in the list. McConaughey also lost more than 55 pounds, and spent a month locked in his home in Texas, without exposure to sunlight and reading the personal diary of his character: the activist Ron Woodroof.
9. Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (Los Angeles, November 11, 1974) is an actor and film producer. He has received numerous awards, including: an Oscar for best actor for his performance in The Revenant, a BAFTA award for best actor in The Revenant, three Golden Globes for best actor in drama for his performance in The Aviator in 2005, The Revenant in 2016, and a Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy or musical for the Wolf of Wall Street in 2014. Additionally, he won the Silver Bear award and a Chlotrudis.
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
DiCaprio himself says that shooting the film was a "living hell". DiCaprio ate bison meat, slept on dead animals and plunged into frozen rivers.
10. Christian Charles Philip Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale (Haverfordwest, Wales, Jan. 30, 1974), known as Christian Bale, is a British actor. Winner of an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award. Among his most important roles are Empire of the Sun, American Psycho, Equilibrium, The Machinist, Batman Begins and the sequels The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, The Prestige, 3:10 to Yuma, Public Enemies, Terminator Salvation, The Fighter and American Hustle.
Christian Bale in The Machinist
The first place goes for Bale for his brilliant performance in The Machinist. To play his character, he had to lose more than 66 pounds in a few months. This effort was twofold, because in a few months had to gain weight and muscle mass to be Batman.
