The world of actors, films, and tv is a bizarre one. Sometimes, in order to get ready for a certain role, actors need to change their entire lifestyle from top to bottom. One of the biggest changes they make is with their bodies.
Sometimes they need to be fat, sometimes bone skinny, and sometimes Greek-statue level ripped, depending on the film and its requirements. Sometimes its noticeable, and other times it isn’t. However what’s true is that certain cases seem to go a little too far.
So without further ado here are five of the most shocking celebrity transformations in modern film.
#1: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Matthew McConaughey shocked fans and producers alike when he walked onto the set of the 2013 hit-film ‘Dallas Buyers Club’, practically a twig.
The actor dropped around 40 pounds over four months prior to the film to play the real-life role of Ron Woodroof.
McConaughey would dispel concerns by explaining how he had plenty of energy going into the film shoot. “The amount of energy I lost from the neck down, I gained from the neck up.”
“During filming, I had plenty of energy. I needed three hours less sleep a night.”
McConaughey is known for his incredibly realistic performances and for practically getting into the mind of the characters he plays, as shown by his many acting practices he does before and after movie scenes.
“I met with a nutritionist. I gave myself four months to lose the weight. I had my programmed meals, lost 3.5lb a week – like clockwork – and got down to my desired weight,” he told the media at that time.
#2: Jonah Hill in Maniac
Jonah Hill has always been known for his strange fluctuations in body weight. In 2014 he lost a good amount of weight for the film 22 Jump Street, but would regain it for the 2016 film War Dogs where he played arms dealer Efraim Diveroli.
However he’s always been known for being on the larger side, until recently, when he shocked fans with a much slimmer, more sturdy physique. It’s a complete jump from his original look, now appearing more like a muscle-builder than anything. Compared to his appearance in movies like The Sitter and The Wolf of Wall Street, Jonah Hill seems to have won his battle with obesity.
#3: J.K. Simmons in Justice League
J.K. Simmons’ before and after photos are almost hard to recognize due to how shredded he got for his role in Justice League, playing Commissioner Gordon.
“He wanted to get into the best shape he had ever been in,” his trainer Aaron Williamson said, stating, “J.K.’s goal was to adopt a healthy lifestyle and never have to worry again about health issues.”
Williamson is an ex-marine who has trained many Hollywood stars in the past to get muscular for their roles, including Zac Efron and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. His work with Simmons began back in 2015 when he had to build muscle for the film terminator Genisys.
#4: Christian Bale in Vice
It’s almost impossible to believe just how much weight Christian Bale put on for his role in the 2018 dramatic comedy film ‘Vice,’ where he played U.S. politician Dick Cheney.
Bale spent countless hours studying images of Cheney, one after another, to try and get the right image in his head. He spent so much time studying the man, in fact, that his iPhone was filled with recurring images of him.
“You’ve got to give everything to every role that you do,” said the actor, who has been widely recognized in the past for his insane body transformations. He has gone from muscular for 2000 film ‘American Pyscho’ to bone-level skinny for ‘The Machinist.’
#5: Tom Hanks in Castaway
Prior to his role in the 2000 film ‘Castaway’ Tom Hanks was a rather slim actor. However, in order to get ready for the film he had to put on some 50 pounds to make himself look significantly older, and so certain pre-production sequences were filmed.
He then had to wait a whole year where he lost around 55 pounds over four months to get ready for the scenes in which he’s stranded on the island.
“The idea of looking at four months of constant vigilance as far as what I ate, as well as two hours a day in the gym doing nothing but a monotonous kind of work-out was formidable. You have to power yourself through it almost by some sort of meditation trickery. It’s not glamorous,” the actor stated.
He followed a strict seafood and vegetable diet (which went on to be know as the Castaway diet) where he mainly consumed crab, fish, coconut milk, and veggies. He also followed a strict training regimen everyday.
