2. John Cusack
Gaining and losing weight for roles is usually associated with pressure-driven actresses, so it was surprising to find out that John Cusack dropped 25 lbs for his role as Edgar Allen Poe. He wanted to correctly portray the poverty that Edgar Allen Poe endured as a writer, which means Cusack mainly drank coffee and did a lot of fasting to prep himself for the role. Note: Fasting and drinking coffee is not actually a diet plan; ask Cusack, who admitted that it was "not fun."
1. Rooney Mara
It was one of Hollywood's most coveted parts, but it was Mara who finally landed the role of Lisbeth in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." Lisbeth is definitely portrayed as someone who is dark, tough and twisted, which meant that Mara had to drop some weight to portray the wiry weirdo. In fact, the book describes Lisbeth as "anorexic," and so Mara took the part seriously by getting somewhere close to 98 lbs. She also had to cut her hair and have (fake) tattoos painted on her, but it turned out to be her breakout role. Maybe all that lettuce she consumed was worth it? Aren't you glad that you don't have to rely on your appearance for work? Actors and actresses might look like they're living the good life, but I wouldn't trade my last bag of chips for the lifestyle if it meant I couldn't nosh on normal food again. I'll take bacon over fame any day!