<i></i> <i></i> <i></i> 1<p>Watching a movie is one of the most popular ways to unwind. What makes a movie great is the perfect combination of acting skills, storyline and the execution of the plot. If the actors are not convincing in their roles, the chances are that you will not enjoy the movie as much as you could have. Owing to this fact, actors spend months in advance in preparing for their roles. Most of them have to undergo serious physical transformations in order to fit into their roles correctly. At times makeup and special effects can do the trick whereas, sometimes actors need to gain or lose considerable amounts of weight to look like their characters. Here are 19 actors who went through phenomenal weight transformations for their roles in films.</p> <h2>15. Christian Bale, “The Machinist” (2004)</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1153.jpeg"/>Wikimedia <p>Christian Bale is undoubtedly one of the most deserving people here. Not only for losing drastic weight for his film, The Machinist, but also for immediately following this loss by bulking back right after it to play the iconic Batman. Gaining a staggering 100 pounds in a mere six months that too mostly muscle mass is insanely hard. However, it was in Brad Anderson’s “The Machinist” in which Bale showed his greatest transformation yet. Bale lost a monumental 60 pounds by going on a diet that consisted largely of coffees and apples.</p> <h2>14. Charlize Theron, “Monster” (2003)</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1155.jpeg"/>Wikipedia <p>Weight gain, while immense, was only a small fraction of the total effort that the gorgeous model Charlize Theron had to undergo in order to convincingly portray the serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Patty Jenkins’ “Monster.” Apart from gaining enough weight to transform her appearance completely, Theron also had to have her skin smothered with washed off tattoo ink to give it a weathered appearance, her eyebrows were partially shaven, and her mane of hair was repeatedly thinned and fried. However, the extensive work helped Theron pick up an Academy Award!</p> <h2>13. Robert De Niro, “Raging Bull” (1980)</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1157.jpeg"/>cdn-mf1.heartyhosting <p>Robert De Niro’s weight gain for his role of Jake La Motta is nothing short of legendary. He proceeded to pack on massive 60 pounds to accurately portray the immense girth of the previously great boxer gone to waste. De Niro’s method is also probably the most enjoyable we’ve heard of: during a 4-month break from filming designed solely for the purpose of gaining weight, he ate his way around Italy and France before returning to film the movie’s ending scenes. Imagine all the cheese and pasta!</p> <h2>12. Jared Leto, “Chapter 27” (2007)</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1159.jpeg"/>Wikipedia <p>“Dallas Buyers Club” was not the solitary time that the 30 Seconds to Mars leading man, Jared Leto, had to undergo a severely dramatic weight change for a role. Back in 2007, in order to play Lennon’s assassin, the chubby Mark Chapman, Leto gained an astonishing 67 pounds. After his performance, Leto obviously went back to a strict diet again; however, he has sworn off gaining weight as fast as he did for “Chapter 27”. Following the sudden change in weight, his body went into shock, forcing Leto into a wheelchair, albeit temporarily, and giving him gout.</p> <h2>11. 50 Cent, “All Things Fall Apart” (2011)</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1161.jpeg"/>Wikipedia <p>50 sent went through what sounds pretty close to a foodies personal idea of hell – a liquid diet and 3 hours a day on a treadmill. That was what was required in order to achieve the astounding 54-pound weight loss for his role as a cancer-stricken football player.</p> <h2>10. Matt Damon, “Courage Under Fire” (1996)</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1163.jpeg"/>Wikipedia <p>For a meager two days of filming as an opiate-addicted soldier in the movie. “Courage Under Fire,” Damon lost 40 pounds in a mere 100 days. However, after this intensive weight loss, he apparently had to take a long course of medication to combat some of the problems this had triggered with regards to his adrenal gland. Talk about commitment to the craft!</p> <h2>9. Jake Gyllenhaal in Southpaw</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1164.jpeg"/>Wikipedia <p>Some actors have to gain large amounts of weight to fit into a part, while others have to drop so many pounds that they start looking sick. Jake Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, had to gain considerable amounts of muscle for his role as the lead in the movie Southpaw. Gyllenhaal portrayed Billy Hope, a midweight boxer who is in the process of preparing for a big fight that could potentially bring his family back together. Gyllenhaal had, in fact, lost a lot of weight for the movie Nightcrawler and weighed in at a meager 67 kilograms (147 lb) before filming Southpaw. He had to train intensely to get in shape in time for filming and eventually gained 13 kilograms (28 lb) of lean muscle. Gyllenhaal achieved his transformation by jogging, jump rope, footwork drills, shadow boxing, bag work and tire drills.</p> <h2>8. Natalie Portman in Black Swan</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1165.jpeg"/>Wikipedia <p>The fragile ballerina that entranced us on screen in Black Swan was achieved through months of arduous effort. Natalie Portman already has an incredibly petite body frame, yet she still had to drop an extra 9 kilograms (20 lb) to play the ballerina Nina Sayers. She practiced ballet for over a staggering 16 hours a day and barely ate any food to prepare for her role, much like the real life of a professional level ballerina. Portman reportedly said that being so thin and frail made her feel scared about how immersed she had become in her role and that she was going to die from lack of nutrition. However, her efforts were not in vain. Her iconic role as the Swan Queen landed her several awards, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe.</p> <h2>7. Chris Pratt in Guardians Of The Galaxy</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1166.jpeg"/>Imgur <p>Most people know Chris Pratt as the fun and naive Andy Dwyer from the popular TV series Parks and Recreation. He has also starred in several hit movies including Jurassic World, The Magnificent Seven, and more recently, Guardians of the Galaxy. Pratt had to bulk up considerably for his role in Guardians of the Galaxy and showed off a magnificent ripped body. His character in the movie, Peter Quill, is that of an adventurer who gathers an unlikely team of social misfits to stop a villain from destroying the galaxy. Pratt went from the funny chubby guy to the shredded hero in Guardians of the Galaxy. He dropped more than a massive 27 kilograms (60 lb) in just six months by adhering to a strictly disciplined diet and an intense workout regimen. He started off with a minimum of four to six sessions every week that consisted of both bodybuilding and muscle conditioning workouts. The hard work indeed paid off for Pratt, and he showcased his new body, that has now become a part of his newly forged identity, in his new film.</p> <h2>6. Matthew Fox in Alex Cross</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1167.jpeg"/>Wikipedia <p>Matthew Fox is most popularly known for playing Dr. Jack Shephard in the sensational TV show Lost. However, there was a lot of ongoing discussion about his phenomenal transformation for his film Alex Cross. He plays the lead antagonist, named Picasso, who is a formidable and sociopathic serial killer. Matthew Fox lost an impressive 18 kilograms (40 lb) for the part, making him terribly thin. However, instead of appearing frail and weak, he was also greatly ripped and muscular from all the intense workout sessions. He engaged in seriously hard-core training for around five months before the beginning of the film. According to Fox, his training sessions included repetitive bouts of circuit training and focus on certain muscle groups.</p> <h2>5. Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1168.jpeg"/>Wikimedia <p>We have all witnessed Anne Hathaway grow into a talented and gifted actress since she first starred in The Princess Diaries. She has since been a part of several hit movies, often engaging in diverse roles, but she has never gone through a transformation as large as her transformation for her role in Les Miserables. In her critically acclaimed performance in Les Miserables, Hathaway is shown portraying the starving Fantine. She lost a total of 11 kilograms (25 lb) for her part, 7 kg of which were lost in the last two weeks before filming began. The director actually never wanted Hathaway to lose weight, but it was her idea to make the role seem more convincing and realistic. Moreover, character, Fantine, also has her hair chopped off during a scene in the movie, and instead of faking it, she decided on having her real hair cut on camera. Her brilliant performance got her several awards, including an Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award.</p> <h2>4. Mathew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1169.jpeg"/>Wikipedia <p>While playing the leading role in the movie Dallas Buyers Club, Mathew McConaughey lost a massive 50 pounds for an accurate portrayal of his character. The actor was of around 40 years of age when he was chosen to portray the character of an HIV infected patient which makes his transformation even more commendable. This drastic transformation turned out to be worthwhile his immense efforts when he won a prestigious Oscar for this role.</p> <h2>3. Jennifer Hudson in Winnie</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/c-users-zainab-afridi-downloads-18-10-pata-ni-jpg.jpeg"/>straightfromthea <p>Jennifer Hudson kicked off her career as a professional singer who later turned into a highly successful acting career. This multifaceted actress most recently came into the spotlight for her new efforts towards losing weight.For the movie Winnie, she dropped off a massive 80 pounds of weight for getting in the role of Nelson Mandela’s wife.</p> <p> </p> <h2>2. Mila Kunis in ‘Black Swan’</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1170.jpeg"/>Wikipedia <p>Mila Kunis weighed in at a new low of a meager 95 pounds during the making of the film “Black Swan,” in which she plays Portman’s rival. While she obviously looked amazing on camera, she reportedly hated how she looked off camera. She gained back the 25 pounds she lost as soon as filming ended.</p> <h2>1. Christian Bale in ‘The Fighter’</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1171.jpeg"/>Wikipedia <p>Christian Bale has joked on several accounts that he did “a lot of coke” to lose all the weight that he did for “The Fighter.” In the movie, Bale portrays a former drug addict named Dicky Ecklund. To lose weight, Bale ran a lot. In fact, he could run up to 4 hours in a single stretch!</p> <i></i>