16 Actors Who Were Radically Transformed To Portray Their Characters
Hollywood makeup artists are truly amazing.
Some actors disappear so completely into a role that the person behind the character feels almost impossible to spot. That kind of transformation is part makeup, part styling, and part movie magic, and it can make a familiar face look totally new.
In this roundup, the focus is on performers who looked dramatically different on screen than they do in real life. From heavy prosthetics to bold hair and makeup choices, these TV characters became unforgettable for more than just their storylines.
Some of these reveals are still hard to believe, and a few of them are especially striking once you see the actor without the costume. Read on.
Madeline Brewer plays the supporting character Janine Lindo, or Ofwarren, in The Handmaid's Tale
Hulu / Getty ImagesTaryn Manning played one of the main antagonists of the show Orange Is the New Black, Tiffany 'Pennsatucky' Doggett, early on
Netflix / Getty ImagesRory McCann played the role of Sandor Clegane, who was also known as The Hound, in Game of Thrones
HBO / Getty Images
Naomi Grossman was unrecognizable when she played the genius microcephalic woman Pepper in American Horror Story
FX / Getty Images
Shannon Purser was the unfortunate Barb Holland in Stranger Things season 1
Netflix / Getty Images
America Ferrera played the lead role of Betty Suarez in Ugly Betty
ABC / Getty Images
It’s giving the same tension as Kaley Cuoco’s set moment with the Charmed A-lister who overlooked her.
Ariel Winter played Alex Dunphy, the middle child of Claire and Phil Dunphy, in Modern Family
ABC Family / Getty Images
Noel Fisher as the complicated thug Mickey Milkovich in Shameless
Showtime / Getty Images
Sophie McShera plays the kind but naïve Daisy Mason in Downton Abbey
PBS / Getty Images
Laura Gomez stars in Orange Is the New Black as Blanca Flores
Netflix / Getty Images
Matthew McConaughey portrays the deeply troubled detective Rust Cohle in True Detective
HBO / Getty Images
Millie Bobby Brown plays the iconic role of Eleven, or Jane 'El' Hopper, in Stranger Things
Netflix / Getty Images
Dascha Polanco took on the role of Dayanara 'Daya' Diaz, the final antagonist in Orange Is the New Black
Netflix / Getty Images
Judy Greer plays George Bluth's ever-loyal personal assistant Kitty Sanchez in Arrested Development
Fox / Getty Images
Uzo Aduba played Suzanne 'Crazy Eyes' Warren in Orange Is the New Black
Netflix / Getty Images
Ann Dowd played the strict and brutal Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid's Tale
Hulu / Getty Images
This is proof that the makeup team deserves just as much praise as the actors who portrayed these characters. They also do an excellent job bringing these characters to life with face paint and brushes, and that is not an easy task.
So kudos to them. Hopefully, more people will show appreciation for their work too.
Which transformation was your favorite?
Want the real reason Danielle Fishel “couldn’t show her arms” in the last season? See what the costume designer revealed.
