There's no denying that makeup is extremely important for characters in movies to make their features stand out more. But apart from beautifying an actor, sometimes make up is also used to transform actors into entirely different looking people to fit the mythical role that they are playing. From the most hideous to the adorable, here's a look at some actors who were completely unrecognisable in their film roles
Ralph Fiennes
His very name was said to cause shivers to run down the spines of Harry Potter's wizard world, that they chose not to say it at all. So creating a look that fit into that category was no easy task and actor Ralph Fiennes who played the role spent two and a half days everyday on the maekup chair. Although much of his look like the removal of his nose was done using computer-generated special effects, prosthetics were added to the actor’s eyebrows and nose, and he had fake teeth put in place.
Jim Carrey
The Christmas buzz kill guy Grinch was played by Jim Carrey who spent around three to four hours daily getting the facial prosthetics in place. All of this was pretty uncomfortable for Carrey who had to breathe through his mouth. The thick yellow green contact lenses also resulted in scratched corneas. Carrey even went so far as to consult a navy seal for tips on how to defer pain. Only fair that after all the discomfort, that the film went on to win an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Brad Pitt
To create a wrinkly old man for his role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a thin membrane was placed on Brad Pitt's forehead and blended into his skin, crows feet were added to the sides of his eyes apart from adding more age spots and wrinkles.
Jennifer Lawrence
Being dressed head to toe in blue for her role as Mystique in the X-Men First Class movie took almost seven hours and six girls, who first applied latex scales and then airbrushed three layers of blue over her skin. This was then topped off with a spattering of paint afterwards. Lawrence however didn't seem to mind the whole process too much. “It’s like a sleepover, except I’m naked and getting painted,” she said, while she was filming the movie.
John Travolta
John Travolta who played an overweight woman named Edna Turnblad in Hairspray was subjected to five hours of extensive makeup and prosthetics to get into character. He also had to wear a 30-pound fat suit to add to the look.
Health Ledger
This was one unforgettable look. Makeup artists pulled off the late Ledger's iconic look in The Dark Knightwith bold white face makeup, huge dark black circles surrounding his eyes, and large red streaks running down his face.
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron's transformation as Alieen Wuornos in Monster was quite shocking as well. Theron put on 30 pounds and dried her hair out. The makeup people also managed to create damaged and blotchy skin, partially shaved her eyebrows and bleached the remainder. Prosthetics were used on her eyelids, and she wore dentures that were painted to create Wuornos’s distinctive teeth.
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks was apparently a huge fan of the Hunger Games books so she jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the film and wanted to play Effie from the very beginning. But getting into the character wasn't always easy. “The clothes were really very oppressively hard to wear which was appropriate,” she admitted. However her bejewlled nails caused quite a few discomforts as she couldn't do anything by herself with them on.
Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise’s cameo performance in Tropic Thunder as the greedy and ruthless Hollywood producer was pretty unrecognisable. For this role, Cruise’s diet-coke addicted “Les Grossman” donned a fat suit, bald wig, chest hair mat and prosthetic hands, among others. It is said that the actor himself came up with the look
