When an actor completely immerses themselves into a role, the result is usually stunning. Sometimes though, what’s more impressive is the work that went in before filming even began. Changing appearance for roles has become quite common in movies today, but occasionally, an actor’s physical transformation goes far beyond a bit of make-up or a haircut, like Christian Bale in, well, most of his films.
In The Dark Knight Rises, out in theatres this week, actor Tom Hardy bulked up significantly to play the menacing terrorist Bane, a new villain intent on taking down Gotham City. The actor has had to bulk up for roles before (Warrior, Bronson), and in honour of his dedication, we look back at ten actors who have undergone remarkable physical transformations for their roles.
To start, let’s look at the aforementioned Mr. Hardy.