21 actors who lost weight for movie roles

Kirsten AcunaJul 20, 2023, 03:25 IST

Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer.Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures

Many actors have transformed their bodies for movie roles.
Cillian Murphy slimmed down for his starring role in Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer."

Many actors will transform their bodies to get in character for a role. Sometimes that includes gaining or losing weight for movie and TV roles.

Some of the same actors who have gained an extreme amount of weight for roles have also gone on diets and even stopped eating for their Oscar-nominated and winning roles as ballerinas, journalists, and more.

Keep reading to see which actors have lost weight for movie roles.

Cillian Murphy lost an undisclosed amount of weight to star in "Oppenheimer."

Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in "Oppenheimer."Universal Pictures

Beyoncé went on a cleanse to lose 20 pounds for "Dreamgirls."

Beyoncé told Oprah she wanted to lose weight for "Dreamgirls," which followed the history of the musical group during the 1960s and '70s.Paramount Pictures

Natalie Portman dropped 20 pounds to play a ballerina in "Black Swan."

Natalie Portman in "Black Swan."Fox Searchlight

Mila Kunis also lost 20 pounds for her role in the same movie.

Kunis slimmed down to 98 pounds for "Black Swan."Fox Searchlight

Chris Pratt lost 60 pounds in six months for the first "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie.

Chris Pratt did a lot of training for his Marvel superhero movie."Guardians of the Galaxy"/Marvel

Christian Bale stopped eating and exercising to drop 63 pounds for "The Machinist."

Bale has been a master of gaining and losing weight for roles.Paramount Classics, Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Anne Hathaway lost 16 pounds to play a prostitute in "Les Miserables."

Hathaway said the diet made her break out.Universal

Tom Hanks went from 225 pounds to 170 for "Castaway."

Tom Hanks had to look like he was living on an island for several years.YouTube/ 20th Century Fox

Ben Kingsley shaved his head and lost 20 pounds to play Gandhi.

Director Sir Richard Attenborough had been searching for an actor to play Gandhi for 20 years when he offered British actor Ben Kingsley the role.Columbia

50 Cent lost around 50 pounds for "All Things Fall Apart."

50 Cent looked unrecognizable in "All Things Fall Apart."Getty/Cheetah Vision

Chris Hemsworth went on a restricted diet with his costars for "The Heart of the Sea."

Chris Hemsworth shared a very skinny photo of himself on Instagram.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images, @ChrisHemsworth/Instagram

Jennifer Lawrence went on a strict diet for "Red Sparrow."

Jennifer Lawrence in "Red Sparrow."20th Century Fox

Dan Stevens dropped 30 pounds after leaving "Downton Abbey."

Dan Stevens in 2017 vs. 2011 during a panel for "Downton Abbey" at the summer TCA tour.Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Matthew McConaughey lost nearly 50 pounds for his "Dallas Buyers Club" role.

Matthew McConaughey in "Dallas Buyers Club."Anne Marie Fox / Focus Features

He wasn't the only one who lost weight for the role. Jared Leto said he stopped eating to lose over 30 pounds for "Dallas Buyers Club."

Jared Leto completely transformed for his winning role in "Dallas Buyers Club."Ethan Miller/Getty Images, Focus Features

Lily Collins underwent check-ups at the doctor to make sure she lost weight safely for "To the Bone."

"To the Bone" will be released on Netflix July 14.Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, Netflix

Adam Driver was asked to lose weight by Martin Scorsese for his film, "Silence."

Adam Driver plays Kylo Ren in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." You can see his frame in the trailer for "Silence" to the right.Mike Coppola/Getty Images, Paramount Pictures

Jonah Hill lost about 40 pounds for "Moneyball."

Jonah Hill in 2010 vs 2017.AP Photo/Charles Sykes, Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Joaquin Phoenix lost 52 pounds to play the latest incarnation of the Joker.

Joaquin Phoenix in "Joker."Warner Bros.

Michelle Pfeiffer said she was on a diet of "tomato soup and Marlboros" while filming "Scarface."

Michelle Pfeiffer at the 35th anniversary panel for "Scarface" on the left versus how she looked in the 1983 movie.Taylor Hill/FilmMagic, Universal Pictures

Jake Gyllenhaal went all-out to lose 30 pounds for his role in "Nightcrawler."

Gyllenhaal stopped eating to get into the mind of a deranged, career-hungry freelance journalist.Open Road Films via YouTube

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