While there are occasions where that word can perhaps be a bit of a stretch, there have also been several cases in Hollywood history where the work of costume, make-up and prosthetics teams – along with, on occasion, extreme diets – have resulted in pretty radical reinventions for big stars.
We've taken a look at some of the most memorable Hollywood transformations below, from John Hurt's iconic role in David Lynch's The Elephant Man back in 1980, to recent Oscar nominees (and winners) like Jacob Elordi and Amy Madigan from just last year.
Read on for 12 of Hollywood's most extreme movie transformations.
1. Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
In recent years, he's had major roles in Emerald Fennell's films Saltburn and Wuthering Heights, and played Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola's Priscilla, but it's his role as The Creature in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein that so far represents the most radical work of his career – earning him his first Oscar nomination in the process.
Underneath all those prosthetics, he gave a terrific physical performance that was picked out by many as one of the clear highlights of the film, with critic James Mottram writing in our own 5-star review that he "truly shows his dexterity in a performance of few words but grand and sometimes heartbreaking gestures".
"There’s something almost balletic about his performance, the way he moves, the way the Creature discovers itself as a sentient being," he added.
2. Amy Madigan – Weapons
It's not often that a character becomes instantly iconic, but this was certainly the case for the villain in Zach Cregger's film, due to a combination of both Madigan's chilling performance and also the tremendous work of the costume and make-up teams to craft an originally horrifying look.
Whether you were familiar with Madigan's previous work – which included an earlier Oscar nomination for Twice in a Lifetime some four decades prior – or not, no one could see her in this character: only the pure evil of Aunt Gladys. A transformation for the ages!
3. Sebastian Stan – A Different Man
That all changed in 2024 when he took on roles in not one, but two different films that required pretty major transformations. The first of those was as Donald Trump in biographical film The Apprentice – which saw him nominated for an Oscar – but he was even more unrecognisable in the brilliant thriller A Different Man (or at least the opening sections of it.)
While promoting A Different Man, Stan explained how wearing the prosthetics had given him a greater understanding and empathy for what it must be like to live with neurofibromatosis, and his performance won him significant praise, including award wins at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Golden Globes.
4. Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
It's undoubtedly the biggest physical transformation she's taken on for a role, with the star wearing heavy silicone prosthetics and cosmetics that reportedly took between 4 and 7 hours to apply in three different stages.
"I tried to accommodate and make it as painless as possible. It was a daunting task pushing for a level of perfection and seamlessness."
Clearly, it did the job – helping Chastain on her way to eventual Oscar glory.
5. Tilda Swinton – Suspiria
But none of those stars were ever quite so radically altered for one of their roles as Tilda Swinton was when she appeared in Luca Guadagnino's 2018 remake of Dario Argento's giallo classic Suspiria.
When the film premiered at Venice Film Festival, Swinton read a letter at a press conference which she claimed to be from Ebersdorf. It read: "I am a private individual who prefers to remain private... Though I strongly suspect Suspiria will be the only film I ever appear in, I like the work, and I do not mind getting up very early."
Some time later, she told The New York Times that Dr Klemperer was played by Lutz Ebersdorf, and Ebersdorf was played by her. She added that she took on the role 'for the sheer sake of fun above all' and added: "The intention was never to fool anybody. The genius of [makeup artist] Mark Coulier notwithstanding, it was always our design that there would be something unresolved about the identity of the performance of Klemperer."
6. Sydney Sweeney – Christy
Perhaps the most notable example of this is the biopic Christy, in which she played the trailblazing female boxer Christy Martin – a role that saw her gaining 14kg after extensive boxing and weightlifting training.
In our review of the film, we noted that Sweeney delivered a "powerhouse performance" and added that she "pours her heart into this transformation".
It's a promising sign of what Sweeney can be capable of as an actor if she continues to choose interesting and challenging roles, with her lead part in the excellent 2023 film Reality another example that proves her range.
7. John Hurt – The Elephant Man
Fascinatingly, the prosthetics used for the film were based on body casts of the real Joseph Merrick, which had been made in 1890 and preserved for 90 years in the Royal London Hospital's private museum.
Hurt initially wasn't so keen on the extensive process of having the makeup applied – which took seven to eight hours – with The Telegraph reporting that after his first experience he called his girlfriend and said: "I think they have finally managed to make me hate acting."
8. Glenn Close – Hook
One such example is Glenn Close's small but memorable role as a member of the pirate crew in Steven Spielberg's Hook – a film which was of course led by another man who was no stranger to a cross-dressing transformation, Robin Williams.
"I mean, the script girl tried to hit on me," she said during a 2025 appearance on The Today Show.
9. Nicole Kidman – The Hours
While not every critic agreed on the effectiveness of the star's prosthetic nose – which attracted its fair share of criticism – Kidman went on to win the best actress Oscar for her portrayal of the legendary writer.
She added: "I like when I’m able to change up my appearance, as someone trained to be a character actor. Some people are employed to look and be exactly themselves. I’ve been trained as a character actor, so therefore when I’m working, I’m not here to be Nicole.
"If that means changing my physical appearance? Of course. You have to walk differently, breathe differently, talk differently. The timbre of your voice has to change. All of the internal mechanisms affect the external."
10. Christian Bale – The Machinist
Undoubtedly the most radical of all, however, was his leading turn in the 2004 psychological thriller The Machinist, which saw him lose 28kg in preparation to play a character who had been unable to sleep for an entire year.
He actually wanted to go even further and lose more weight, but the filmmakers advised him against doing so due to health concerns – and even as it is, some people have criticised the extreme lengths he went to.
Still, his performance attracted much praise, and our own Radio Times review remarks that: "The most astonishing thing about this bleak, underplayed psychological thriller is Christian Bale’s incredible physical transformation."
11. Brendan Fraser – The Whale
Unlike Bale, Fraser didn't adjust his diet to alter his own body weight, but instead underwent a four-hour process each day that saw him fitted with prosthetics that weighed up to 140kg.
“They let me know what their diet was and how obesity had affected their lives in terms of their relationships with loved ones,” he said of his work with the aforementioned coalition.
"It was heartbreaking, because very often these people were mocked and made to feel awful about themselves. Vindictive speech is painful. And it does damage because it feeds into the cycle of overeating. I just left those conversations thinking, 'Hey, this is not your fault. This is an illness. This is an addiction.''"
12. Charlize Theron – Monster
In Patty Jenkins's 2003 drama, Theron put on 14kg for the role of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, as well as shaving her eyebrows and wearing prosthetic teeth. It's one of those cases where the word "unrecognisable" probably isn't too much of an exaggeration.
Still, that transformation was just one part of a performance that was almost universally regarded as superb. In our own review, we note that her turn "goes beyond the weight-gain and dental prosthetics, finding both compassion and coldness in Wuornos’s descent into homicidal mania".
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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