10. Cameron Diaz in Being John Malkovich (1999): While Cameron Diaz may be known as gorgeous comedic blonde, in Being John Malkovich, she plays a rather plain Jane character that is the pet-loving yet sensual Lotte Schwartz. She is nearly unrecognizable with her frizzy hair, contact lenses, and pale face.
9. Ralph Fiennes in Harry Potter series (2005-2011): As we all know, Ralph Fiennes can emotionally transform into a villain. But as Voldemort, he proves he can not only pull off a villainous role emotionally, but physically as well, as his character has pale white skin and a snakelike nose.
8. Gary Oldman in Dracula (1992): Gary Oldman has proven his versatility as an acting chameleon, but in Bram Stoker's Dracula, he proves himself to be a rather physical chameleon. However, unlike Ralph Fiennes in the Harry Potter series, Gary Oldman dons different looks, ranging from an old man to a bat-like creature. It's no wonder the people who made him look monstrous won the Best Makeup Oscar.
7. Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands (1990): Although Johnny Depp has blended into a variety of different characters over the years, like Jack Sparrow and Willy Wonka, I'm going with what I consider to be his best performance, and that is his work in Edward Scissorhands. Despite the fact his character is pale, scarred, frizzy-haired and has scissors instead of hands, he is very endearing.
6. Rooney Mara in Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011): One of the more recent entries on this list, Rooney Mara, who is quite a beauty in real life, plays a character in Girl With The Dragon Tattoo that has qualities that are anything but beautiful. Mara is virtually unrecognizable as bisexual goth computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.
5. Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor (1996): Not only does Eddie Murphy play multiple characters in Nutty Professor, but honestly, makes you forget that it's him playing all those characters. To me, that is a testament to his comedic genius. I am a fan of his work, but I am quite fond of his multiple character work in The Nutty Professor.
4. Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008): The genius of Heath Ledger's performance is that even though I know it is him playing the role of The Joker, whenever I watch this film, I always forget that I'm watching Heath Ledger on screen. The makeup brought to his performance was definitely a beneficial factor to helping Ledger immerse himself into the crazed clownish character. May he rest in peace.
3. Christian Bale in The Fighter (2010): I remember when I saw a few pictures of Bale in The Fighter where he was all emaciated and was shocked by his physical transformation. But I forget that is how dedicated Bale is to his craft. He manages to pull off skeletal like in not just The Fighter, but The Machinist, muscular in Nolan's Batman films as well as American Psycho, and even pudgy in American Hustle. Like other actors on this list, he is very much an actor's actor.
2. Charlize Theron in Monster (2003): I've always marveled at how amazing this performance is, but here, I will discuss at how astonishing Theron's physical transformation from glamorous model-actress to trashy prostitute turned serial killer Aileen Wuornos is. Theron is virtually unrecognizable with her contact lenses as well as her crooked teeth and the serious poundage she put into the role. I've always liked Theron as an actress, but here, she proves that she is not only a versatile performer, but physically dedicated to her craft as well.
1. Robert De Niro in Raging Bull (1980): Nowadays, it is easy for an actor to fake gaining weight by putting on a fat suit, but back when De Niro did Raging Bull, he actually had to gain the serious amount of weight that he did. In the scenes towards the end where he is overweight, I honestly was shocked that I was still watching Robert De Niro on screen. With his physical and emotional dedication to his performance, it should come as no surprise De Niro walked away with an Oscar for his performance.
Now, here are a few honorable mentions that didn't quite make the list, but I want to acknowledge:
Tom Hanks in Philadelphia (1993)
Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club/Chapter 27/Requiem For A Dream (2013/2007/2000)
Elizabeth Banks in The Hunger Games (2012)
Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice (1988)
Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady (2011)
Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln (2012)
So, that was my list of the Top 10 Best On-Screen Transformations. Please feel free to write your thoughts in the comments section, and thanks for reading!
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