Gary Oldman For Sid & Nancy
One of the master method actors of our time, Gary Oldman has had countless roles where he’s been virtually unrecognizable, but no transformation took more work on his part than what he did for Sid & Nancy. Oldman was playing Sid Vicious, the heroin-addicted bassist for the Sex Pistols. Vicious was a skeleton, so Oldman lost 30 pounds in order to best emulate the rocker on screen. The transformation worked, as Oldman ended up looking surprisingly similar to the emaciated Vicious.
Oldman’s diet for the film sounds miserable, as he claims he exclusively ate steamed fish and melon, and not a lot of it. The transformation took such a toll on his body that he was actually briefly hospitalized. It was worth it though as the film was one of Oldman’s first, and his dedicated performance certainly helped propel him to later roles, and ultimately to his current status as one of the most respected actors of our time.