10 Actors Who Totally Transformed Themselves For TV Shows

1. Robin Weigert - Deadwood

Lily James Pam and Tommy Rebecca
HBO

Deadwood is one of the greatest TV shows of all time, and if you haven't seen it yet, you're missing out.

By its nature, David Milch's mesmerising western drama series sees a massive ensemble cast transformed into residents of the titular 1870s South Dakota camp, largely by way of first-rate costume design, makeup, and hairstyling.

But no single character marks as startling a transformation as real-life frontierswoman Calamity Jane, played here with sublime vulgarity by Robin Weigert.

In most of her contemporary TV and movie work, Weigert looks very much as she does off the screen - an attractive and stereotypically feminine-looking woman, which couldn't be further from the part she plays in Deadwood.

Weigert's flowing locks are most often tied up and concealed underneath a hat, and even when they are on display they're extremely unkempt, while her face is stripped of beautifying makeup and instead grubbed up to make her resemble, well, a frontierswoman.

As much of the credit admittedly goes to Weigert's fantastically coarse, foul-mouthed performance, stripping every iota of traditional femininity away from the character as she attempts to be "one of the boys."

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.