When watching a movie, the goal is to be temporarily transported into the fictional world where the film takes place. With constant tabloid attention, society is already aware of the celebrities who play the movie's characters, but we try to momentarily forget we know them in order to garner an authentic opinion about the story line.
Sometimes entertainers help us forget their real-life star status when they transform their appearance for a movie role, and after watching, we're shocked to discover it was actually them in the first place.
Here are eight celebrities who became unrecognizable for a movie role.
1. Renee Zellweger
When Renee Zellweger played the titular role in 2001's Bridget Jones' Diary, she gained 25 pounds to play the modern-day version of Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. She later dropped the weight to star as Roxy Hart in the musical Chicago the following year, and then gained it all back again for the 2004 Bridget Jones sequel: Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason.
2. 50 Cent
Most known for his rap career and constant claims of bankruptcy, 50 Cent took on the role of Deon, a cancer-stricken college football player in the 2011 film, All Things Fall Apart. He lost a whopping 55 pounds by running on the treadmill for three hours a day and consuming an all liquid diet for nine weeks.
3. Charlize Theron
For the 2003 critically acclaimed hit, Monster, Charlize Theron gained 30 pounds to transform herself into real-life serial killer, Aileen Wuornos. She also wore extensive makeup and a pair of prosthetic teeth.
4. Matthew McConaughey
While Matthew McConaughey's usual roles include characters with buff bods, he shocked fans when lost almost 40 pounds for the role of Ron Woodruff in 2013's The Dallas Buyer's Club. McConaughey said he lost the weight in a healthy manner, by eating of plenty of fresh fish.
5. Rooney Mara
Rooney Mara rose to fame when she starred as Lisbeth Salander in 2011's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Mara went through several physical changes when she lost 15 pounds, pierced her eyebrow, nose, and lip, bleached her eyebrows, dyed her hair black, and shaved part of her head.
6. Christian Bale
Christian Bale went down to a staggering 120 pounds to play Trevor Reznik in 2004's The Machinist, by abiding to a strict diet of apple juice and a can of tuna a day. Nine years later, Bale would balloon to 228 pounds for American Hustle.
7. Demi Moore
When Demi Moore took the role of as Lieutenant Jordan O'Neill in 1997's G.I. Jane, she underwent extensive military training to accurately play a Navy SEAL. She also shaved off all her hair for the role, a scene still iconic to this day.
8. Tom Hanks
In 2000's Castaway, Tom Hanks lost 50 pounds and grew a long, shaggy beard to authentically played the role of a FedEx executive whose plane crashes over the Pacific Ocean. Hanks said he's been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, following a lifelong lifestyle of yo-yo dieting for his acting roles.
Which celebrity do you think had the most shocking transformation?