10 Actors Who Totally Transformed Themselves For Upcoming Roles

These actors went above and beyond to prepare for their next roles.

By Jack Pooley /

If there's one thing audiences can't resist, it's seeing actors like they've never seen them before, because who among us doesn't love watching a performer completely lose themselves in a role?

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Most actors tend to look relatively similar in most movies - unless your name is Gary Oldman, of course - and so it's immediately attention-grabbing whenever any performer makes a concerted effort to ditch their traditional style for something totally different. 

From an actor's perspective, an epic physical transformation can be vital in helping them get into character and fully believe the part they're playing, so it's basically a net win for everyone. And in terms of upcoming movies, these are the 10 actors set to transform their bodies and even their minds far beyond what anyone could've ever anticipated.

Whether it's one of the most recognisable movie stars on the planet changing how his face looks, to slender leading ladies packing on the muscle for ultra-physical performances, and actors shedding their vanity to become monstrous horror icons, these transformations are some of the most startlingly committed the film industry has seen in recent years.

10. Jessie Buckley & Christian Bale - The Bride!

Maggie Gyllenhaal's impending Bride of Frankenstein remake will see both lead actors present themselves to audiences as they've never seen them before.

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As the titular bride, Jessie Buckley will don curly blonde hair, dyed eyebrows, and bear black splotches and bruises across her face, the latter presumably as part of the reanimation process. As Frankenstein's monster, Christian Bale will meanwhile have a large scar spanning across his head - as is tradition - while also bearing scarred lips and having the word "Hope" tattooed across his chest.

Clearly, Gyllenhaal isn't endeavouring to make this a grounded, gritty take on the Bride of Frankenstein - it's going to be big and operatic. 

Given that the film reportedly has a budget in excess of $100 million and will feature elaborate dance numbers, that certainly tracks. Considering Buckley and Bale's respective track records of fearlessly throwing themselves into their roles, why expect any different from them here?

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