All Of Christian Bale's Most Unbelievable Movie Transformations - Ranked

Bale has had many noteworthy performances over the years, but the first to nab him the coveted Best Supporting Actor Academy Award was playing Dicky Eklund in David O. Russell's The Fighter. The role called for a welterweight fighter whose addiction to crack-cocaine meant Bale was going to have to lose some weight.

Typically, Bale's healthy weight is 183 lbs, but a welterweight fighter needs to be within 140 pounds (53.5 kg) and 147 lbs (66.7 kg). Beyond that, people who spend all their money smoking crack don't tend to eat much, which meant he had to lose even more weight to nail the role of Eklund.

To get his body in shape for the role, Bale told the Latino Review that he “was just running like crazy. I could just run for hours on end, and I felt really healthy.” He also remained in character during filming to ensure he could accurately nail the Boston accent.

When he showed up for filming on the first day, he had already dropped from 183 to 122 lbs (55 kg) and shaved a bald spot into his head. Of course, he joked that he "did a lot of coke" to get ready for the role, but in reality, it was all diet and exercise.

Bale could have relied more heavily on makeup instead of altering his body, but his ability to play off the way he looked helped to make the role look like it was made for him. His performance was a clear choice for the Academy when they awarded him his first Academy Award for the role.