Where Hollywood makeovers are concerned, nothing lowers jaws more than an actor redefining their physique for a part. Some add pounds, some starve down to waif status, and some bulk up to superhero proportions. It’s equal parts discipline, gamble, and occasionally cottage-industry madness. Here are 10 of the most dramatic weight changes ever undertaken for movies and TV—and the shocking tales behind them.
10. Charles Melton — May December
Charles Melton, a Riverdale veteran for years, all-inned for Todd Haynes’ May December. To portray Joe, the suburban father with a shady past, he gained 40 pounds, numerous burgers, pizzas, and ice cream treats, being part of the process. Melton viewed the weight gain as a continuation of his character work, referring to it as “a natural, external expression of the internal work.” To counteract the tension, he relied on anime such as Demon Slayer and even acupuncture. In retrospect, he called it the highlight of his career.
9. Tom Hardy — The Dark Knight Rises
Tom Hardy’s physical transformation into Bane polarized fans—some felt he wasn’t large enough to measure up to the comic book behemoth villain. Hardy gained 190 pounds for the role but acknowledged that he read the negative feedback and even cried over it. Ultimately, he had faith in Christopher Nolan’s vision and stuck with doing the best performance he could, instead of attempting to resemble a cartoon giant.
8. Rob McElhenney — It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Most actors lose weight with time. Rob McElhenney did the opposite—intentionally. For season seven of It’s Always Sunny, he gained 60 pounds as a joke, ridiculing the way sitcom characters traditionally become more refined with time. He replaced lean food with fast food, Big Macs, and donuts, freely labeling the experience miserable. The result was one of television’s funniest—and weirdest—makeovers.
7. Mark Wahlberg — Stu
Mark Wahlberg has yo-yoed his body plenty for parts, but his Stu transformation was particularly dramatic. He told Instagram he was “going up another 20” pounds, documenting progress along the way. The film was being kept under wraps at the time, which only added to speculation. Wahlberg’s willingness to go from action-hero body to paunchy priest is Hollywood bravado through and through.
6. Renée Zellweger — Bridget Jones franchise
Renée Zellweger’s devotion to Bridget Jones is the stuff of legend. She put on a reported 30 pounds for the first film, then replicated the process for the second one. By the third film, she resisted all the attention surrounding her body, insisting that Bridget was “a perfectly normal weight” to start with. Zellweger’s metamorphosis testifies as much to Hollywood’s fixation with women’s bodies as it does to her work ethic.
5. Charlize Theron — Tully and Monster
Charlize Theron has made two dramatic body changes. She put on 30 pounds for Monster, earning her an Oscar, and did it all again for Tully. Although the initial weeks of gorging were enjoyable, she confessed that the weight gain quickly turned into depression and fatigue. Losing it afterwards took more than a year. Theron has claimed she doesn’t mind it, but it taught her precisely how ruthless these physical transformations can be.
4. Ryan Gosling — The Lovely Bones
Commitment sometimes fails. Ryan Gosling thought his character in The Lovely Bones should be more substantial, so he put on 60 pounds by consuming melted ice cream. Director Peter Jackson didn’t see it that way, and Gosling was replaced by Mark Wahlberg before filming even began. Gosling later laughed; he ended up “fat and unemployed.” A reminder that the best of intentions can go awry.
3. Vincent D’Onofrio — Full Metal Jacket
For Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, Vincent D’Onofrio gained a whopping 70 pounds to become the widest actor to ever portray a Marine recruit. The weight impacted every function of his life—he could barely tie his shoelaces, and women, he declared, actually ran from him. The process was so intense, he went on to do it again for another role, demonstrating just how far he’d go in the name of realism.
2. Christian Bale — Vice (and so many more)
Christian Bale has made body transformations into an art form. He’s wasted away to skin and bone for The Machinist, developed a shredded physique for American Psycho, and put on almost 20 kilos to portray Vice. For this one, he consulted with a nutritionist so that he could bulk up safely. Bale acknowledges that his constant shape-shifting is not something that can be maintained, but it’s part of what makes him Hollywood’s ultimate chameleon.
1. Brendan Fraser — The Whale
Brendan Fraser’s comeback in The Whale came with weight gain and heavy prosthetics to portray a 600-pound man. Apart from the physical transformation, Fraser invested himself in the emotional center of the character: a man trying to cope with bereavement as well as food addiction. The performance was not only a career rebirth for Fraser, but it was also for viewers who were touched by his unfiltered vulnerability.
These metamorphoses demonstrate that for certain performers, the work extends far beyond learning lines. The physical cost—be it brutal diets, life-threatening weight fluctuations, or the gradual return to “normal”—is usually as spectacular as anything on screen. And while controversy still surrounds the risks, one thing is certain: these performances wouldn’t have been the same without the body behind them.