8. Ellen Burstyn Requiem For A Dream (2000)
Speaking of Requiem for a Dream, Ellen Burstyn did actually receive a nomination for her role in the 2000 film but lost to Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich. It is one of Oscars many upsets, in that Burstyn had an emotional-roller-coaster of a role, including weight changes, while Roberts played it pretty straight and looks like Julia Roberts. For the role, Burstyn wore a convincing 40-pound fat suit, a 20-pound fat suit, and then she lost 10 pounds in two weeks, according to a
CNN interview. For a woman in her late 60s, that is no easy feat. Meanwhile, she was undergoing a radical transformation in terms of her image apart from the weight. Remember, this is the woman probably best known for playing the mom in the Excorcist.