10 awesome actor transformations for a role in a series #Season2

Some actors are unrecognizable when they interpret a character in a series. Whether it’s because of the make-up, or simply because they went through intensive training before the shoot. Here are 10 actors who underwent a physical transformation to stick as much as possible to their character.

Update: This article was published in May 2020 and updated in December 2022.

Taryn Manning: Pennsatucky (Orange Is The New Black)

Taryn Manning had to radically change her physique in order to get into the skin of her character fromOrange Is The New Black. During an interview for Access Hollywood Live, she explains that she was the one who imagined the appearance of Tiffany Doggett, aka Pennsatucky. The character, addicted to methamphetamine, has his teeth ravaged by this drug. It is not a question of prostheses to give this illusion of dilapidated teeth but of make-up. She should also show up with a dull complexion and bags under her eyes. In short, the face of his character must be marked by time and show the consequences of his years of addiction. A very great physical transformation since we hardly recognize the actress, Taryn Manning, when she shows herself in her true light.

Kathy Bates: Ethel Darling (American Horror Story Freakshow)

The actress’ transformation is impressive for her role as Ether Darling in the season Freakshow. Kathy Bates had to go through the make-up box in order to have his fake beard posed. The objective being that it is well glued to his face and that it does not move between takes. Moreover, this fake beard is actually a wig transformed for this occasion, made from yak hair and human hair.

The physical transformation of Cameron Monaghan: the “Joker” (Gotham)

Cameron Monaghan’s physical transformation is striking throughout the seasons of Gotham. But it’s during the series finale that this change is the most incredible. The makeup studio FX, which is in charge of this transformation of the actor, posted on his Instagram account a timelapse video of his radical change as “Joker”. A colossal job from makeup artists that takes time and preparation, Cameron Monaghan is unrecognizable.

Russell Crowe as Roger Ailes (The Loudest Voice)

For the Showtime miniseries titled The Loudest Voice, Russell Crowe was cast to interpret the role of Roger Ailes, the founding CEO of Fox News and main character of the show. In order to look as much like the founder of the American channel as possible, the actor had to go through the make-up box. He confides that this physical transformation required hours of make-up and special effects. The shortest session lasted “only” 2 hours and 17 minutes, that is to say. And in order not to put all these hours of work in the trash, Russell Crowe had to stay still for an hour for the prostheses to stick perfectly to his face!

The physical transformation of Taylor Kitsch: David Koresh (waco)

The Paramount Network miniseries called waco tells the true story of the clash between the FBI and the spiritual branch of David Koresh. The latter having truly existed, the actor Taylor Kitsch had to work physically in order to look like him like two drops of water. To do this, the actor had to lose weight: “It was almost heartbreaking to see him on the first day of filming (…) All the weight he lost, the transformation he went through, physically. He was so disciplined and dedicated, it was impressive to see “says Melissa Benoist who plays the wife of David Koresh in the mini-series.

Matt BomerJamie BurnsThe Sinner season 3)

To embody Jamie Burns, the main character of the third season of The Sinner, Matt Bomer was forced to makeover. First he had to go to the hairdresser to have his head shaved. Then the actor had to lose weight and it was this point that made him almost unrecognizable. He also showed this physical change on his Instagram account with the caption ” That’s what a season in The Sinner will do to you! Thank you to the most amazing cast, crew and creators you could ever hope to work with“. In the post below, you can see the actor on the left before his transformation, and on the right his drastic physical change.

The physical transformation of Shemar Moore: Hondo (SWAT)

Shemar Moore was forced to undergo intensive training to slip into the shoes of the unit sergeant of the series SWAT, called Hondo. His goal before playing this new role is to make the viewer forget his character in Criminal mindsthat’s why he did a lot of sports, as he explained in Tele-Leisure : “ We lifted weights, I gained between 4 and 6 kilos compared to my look in Criminal Minds. I wanted Hondo to look awesome » . Shemar Moore also explains that he feels compelled to have such a physical transformation because he is the opposite of this badass character. The least we can say is that his work is impressive!

Jonah Hill as Owen Milgrim (maniac)

Throughout his career, Jonah Hill has juggled losing and gaining weight for his movie roles. For the sake of his character in the film War Dogs the actor gained a lot of pounds, before losing them thanks to Channing Tatum! ” I gained weight for War Dogs and then I wanted to get in better shape, so I called Channing Tatum and said, ‘Hey, if I eat less and go see a fitness trainer, is would I be in better shape?” And he said to me: “Of course, you idiot, of course! he explained to Jimmy Fallon. It is therefore with his kilos less that we could see him in the Netflix mini-series maniacalongside Emma Stone.

Henry Cavill: Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher)

We are not going to hide it, Henry Cavill was already well built before playing Geralt in the Netflix series The Witcher. Nevertheless, to interpret this new character, the actor had to work on his body. He explains that he was dehydrated to show his muscles as much as possible in the series (especially for the bath scene), and even admits that he did not drink water for a few days: “ That’s the worst part of it all. Going on a diet is complicated and you are always hungry. But when you get dehydrated for three days, you get to a point where on the last day you can almost feel when there’s water around you. Henry Cavill shares on the Graham Norton Show. He also took out a gym membership to gain muscle and work on his cardio. Not to mention the colored lenses to make Geralt’s eyes unique.

Donald Glover: Teddy Perkins (Atlanta)

During episode 6 of the second season ofAtlanta, Donald Glover appears as Teddy Perkins, and is totally unrecognizable. For this famous episode, the actor had to go to make-up as soon as he arrived on the set. His transformation is striking and has also traumatized some fans of the series as the physique of this character is terrifying. Besides, nobody on the set knew that it was Donald Glover behind the make-up. The teams and the actor made believe that it was a real person and everyone fell into the trap. Some people have even confided that they did not dare to speak to him on the set as he was so scary.

10 awesome actor transformations for a role in a series #Season2