renee gained 28lbs/2 stone for the film, mastered the english accent and went to advanced pouting classes. it also seems that her hair became hay-like and her breasts quadrupled in size.
Eric Bana - Chopper
now that’s what i call a transformation - i honestly wouldn’t have known it was the same person. bana gained 30lbs/2.1 stone, spent 4 hours per day on set having shit tattoos applied to his body and even spent a few days with the real chopper in the name of research.
Jared Leto - Chapter 27
he gained a ginormous 62lbs/4.4 stone as preparation for the film chapter 27 and said he did it by eating pizza every single day, a result of which was daily vomit burps.
Matt Damon - Courage Under Fire
he had to lose 40lbs/2.8 stone for the film and damaged his health so much that he needed medical supervision for months afterwards.
Ed Norton - American History xX
possibly the scariest transformation to date, norton gained 30lbs/2.1 stone prior to filming american history x and went to the gym a lot. additionally he taught himself how to grimace like a nazi, applied a fake swastika to his chest and shaved his head.
the result?
one of the most powerful performances ever in one of the darkest films since bmx bandits.
Charlize Theron - Monster
(left to right, aileen wuornos - charlize as aileen - charlize as herself)
in order to play extremely unattractive serial killer aileen wuornos in the film monster ms theron gained 30lbs/2.1 stone, wore prosthetic teeth and generally acted like a really angry slob.
and it worked. she won an oscar and managed to look hideous.
Hilary Swank - Boys Don’t Cry
this is hilary swank….
this is also hilary swank…
She prepared for the film by living as a bloke for a month - her breasts were bound with tape to hide her curves and she wore socks down the front of her trousers to accentuate her non-penis. her neighbours apparently thought her brother had been visting for the past few weeks.
Robert De Niro - Raging Bull
when it comes to method acting you can’t beat de niro. for cape fear he had a dentist crack his teeth to make his character look more believable, prior to taxi driver he worked 12 hour shifts in a new york cab to get into the role.
but the reason for his inclusion in this list is the awesome weight gain during raging bull. forget gaining weight in between projects, bobby put on a massive 60lbs/4.2 stone whilst filming in order to play an ageing jake la motta, and this was after training like a madman in order to play the younger boxer.
Christian Bale - Machinist/Batman Begins
in 2004 (apparently in only a few months) he lost a whopping 63lbs/4.5 stone for his role as an insomniac in the machinist. his co-stars have since claimed that he was even eager to lose more weight during filming and had to be stopped by the director.
as if that wasn’t enough he then immediately had to stuff his face in order to play Batman. he gained, in the space of 6 months, a ridiculous 100lbs/7 stone!
TOTW/F/M Award(s): 2
