10 Actors Who Totally Transformed Themselves For Upcoming Roles

Paul Mescal is generally known for having a relatively slim, wiry appearance, but for the lead role of Lucius Verus in Ridley Scott's hotly anticipated epic sequel Gladiator II, he underwent quite the regime to turn his body into a pure weapon.

Shortly after being cast, Mescal claimed that he would most likely play the part with a physique similar to his natural one, which inevitably caused some blowback online from fans.

Ultimately, after wrapping shooting, however, Mescal called this remark "naive" on his part, as he actually ended up undergoing an extensive regimen of weight training, complete with a strict diet, to put on 18 pounds of muscle.

Mescal added that the physical transformation also caused a psychological one in him during shooting, as he truly believed that his body could "inflict damage." 

It's certainly a far cry from the more modest, dialogue-driven indie drama roles that have defined most of Mescal's career up to this point, that's for sure. But from what we've seen from the actor in action so far, it sure looks like he rose to the challenge.