Extreme Body Modifications for Film

Most film actors employ the use of some serious makeup to change their appearance on-screen. There are, however, a small selection of actors who have undergone intense body modification to achieve a desired physique While some of these changes have to do with getting fit, most of the following modifications include extreme weight fluctuation, sometimes to the point of requiring serious medical attention. And it’s no wonder; the diet and workout regiments undertaken by some of these actors are so severe that you might wonder how much they actually are getting paid. Apparently they’re paid enough. Here are a few of those film actors who have taken body modification for film to a whole new level.

Christian Bale – The Machinist

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Christian dropped an unbelievable 62 pounds for this movie role, where he weighted an estimated 120 lbs! He claimed that his daily diet for the 4 months leading up to production included a cup of coffee and an apple or a can of tuna; only 275 calories. At the outset, Bale was hoping to go as low as 99 pounds, however, the producers of the film didn’t allow it. After production for this film was done, Bale quickly surpassed his normal weight of 180 pounds and added 40 pounds for his role as Batman in Batman Begins.

Matt Damon – Courage Under Fire / The Informant

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In most of his films Damon is typically his normal, suave looking self; he even earned the People Magazine title of “sexiest man alive” in 2007. But Damon has also reached both ends of the weight spectrum to fulfill his acting duties. In his role as specialist Ilario in Courage Under Fire, Damon lost 40 pounds during production resulting in his need for strict medical attention for months. More recently, Damon transformed himself into a portly pencil pusher for his role as Mark Whitacre in the 2009 film The Informant by simply eating the way he did in college without working out.

Charlize Theron – Monster

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Normally a stunningly beautiful South African damsel, Charlize hardly resembled herself after she gained 30 pounds and wore prosthetic teeth to play the homely prostitute/serial killer Aileen Wuornos. in Monster. This extreme makeover helped Theron garner praise from esteemed film critic Roger Ebert who stated that Theron’s “embodiment” of the disturbed woman was, “…one of the greatest performances in the history of cinema.” In any event, the transformation was so dramatic, that most people couldn’t believe it was her at first.

Jared Leto – Chapter 27

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In the film Chapter 27, Leto added a colossal 67 pounds to his wiry frame in order to accurately portray John Lennon’s assassin, Mark David Chapman. To bulk up for the film, Leto’s repulsive diet included microwaved pints of ice cream combined with soy sauce and olive oil every night, before going to bed. Sounds delicious, right? Apparently, the shock of the extra weight forced Leto to use a wheelchair at times, as the extra baggage proved uncomfortable and restricting.

Ryan Reynolds – Blade Trinity

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In order to resemble a ripped comic book character, Reynolds, along with the rest of the starring cast, underwent a grueling training process and abstained from fast food. Reynolds, who previously starred mostly in trashy teen films and romantic comedies, transformed his body like never before for this vampire slasher film. Many would posit that Reynolds’ transformation alone gave women a reason to see the film.

Sylvester Stallone – Copland

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For this film, Sylvester Stallone put on a hefty 40 pounds for his role as Freddy Heflin, a hearing-impaired NY state cop. While the extra baggage would look downright gruesome on some, Stallone wears it rather well. Whie, his physique in this film is a far cry from the “physical perfection” he achieved in such films as Over The Top and First Blood, it makes us wonder — is he naturally that sweaty?

Donnie Wahlberg – Sixth Sense

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Donnie Wahlberg, known originally for being the “bad boy” of 80’s sensation The New Kids on The Block, as well as the brother of “Marky Mark” Wahlberg, undertook the role of a skinny, disturbed mental patient in The Sixth Sense. His character is most remembered for being in tighty-whities and killing Bruce Willis’ character. Although his screen time in this film is limited to several scenes, his 43 lb loss makes him virtually unrecognizable.

Gerard Butler – 300

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The workout used to turn Butler’s body into the envy of any comic book hero included a brutal regimen of gymnastic, metabolic, lifting and throwing elements. Butler wasn’t the only one to turn his body into a fine-tuned machine. The whole cast did the same workout, but two weeks less than Butler. In his 12 weeks of training, Butler never repeated the same workout twice and he sustained multiple small cuts, a bunch of bruises, a pulled hip flexor, and tendonitis on both elbows and shoulders. But as the the image above shows, it was well worth it.

Benicio Del Toro – Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

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For his role as Hunter S. Thompson’s drug-fiend sidekick, Del Toro managed to pack on more than 40 lbs in order to look exactly like a drug-fiend sidekick should look: puffy, filthy and sweaty.

Vincent D’Onofrio – Full Metal Jacket

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At the time of filming, the 70 lbs D’Onofrio put on for his role as Gomer Pyle in Kubrick’s 1987 war film, Full Metal Jacket, earned him the record for the most weight ever gained for a film. It took D’Onofrio seven long months to put it on and nine longer months to take it off. That’s some serious dedication.

Robert De Niro – Raging Bull

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Perhaps the all-time classic example of weight change for a (during?) film can be witnessed in the last half hour of Scorcese’s masterpiece Raging Bull. Towards the end of the film, Robert De Niro’s Character, Jake LaMotta, is portrayed as a fat and washed up has-been. De Niro gained nearly 70 pounds for the role by going to Italy for a four month eating binge. What’s more impressive, is his transformation from the incredible shape that he was in during the first half of the movie.