Robert DeNiro
Frame from the movie “Raging Bull” (1980)
imdb.com
In the late 1970s, Robert de Niro fanatically prepared for the role of a boxer in Raging Bull. He has grown so professional that he won two of his three boxing matches in Brooklyn. The actor even received an offer of cooperation from the boxer Jake Lamotte, who became the prototype of the main character of the picture. He stated that he is ready to become De Niro’s coach and manager if he enters professional boxing.
Later, the shooting of the movie “Raging Bull” was suspended for four months, so that the actor could radically change his form. According to the plot, the protagonist ends his career and ceases to pursue himself. During the specified time, de Niro gained 27 kilograms, which helped her to do without complex makeup and a fake belly on the set. The efforts were not in vain – the actor received an Oscar for Best Actor.
Demmy Moor
Shot from the movie “GI Jane” (1997)
Beitia Archives/Global Look Press
For the role of the main character in Ridley Scott’s military drama “Soldier Jane” (1997), Demi Moore took part in a soldier program for several months. The actor was trained by US Navy Special Forces instructor Stephen Helvenston. Every day she ran long distances, swam in cold water, did hundreds of push-ups, crunches, sit-ups, and other exercises. This allowed the actress to achieve a muscular yet feminine body. Sensing his abilities, Moore refused to stay in reserve.
“I could have walked in and asked a stuntman to cross an obstacle course for me, but by doing so I felt I was missing out on an opportunity to experience what these people were really going through in training,” the artist said.
In one scene, Moore actually shaved off his long hair to become a soldier.
Christian Bale
A still from the movie “The Machinist” (2003)
Castelao Pictures
Oscar and Golden Globe winner Christian Bale has dramatically changed his appearance several times for major roles. To play skinny mechanic Trevor Reznik in The Machinist (2004), the actor lost about a third of his weight. At the time of filming, he weighed about 50 kilograms. Bale then began to steadily gain muscle for the role of Batman, which he would play a year after The Machinist. He lost 24kg again for his pilot role in Saving the Dawn in 2006 and got pumped again with the filming of the second part of Batman (2008).
Bale also needed to gain weight to play former US Vice President Dick Cheney in Power (2018). After this role, the actress decided to stop mocking the body and admitted that she was “looking at the very face of death.”
Margot Robbie
Frame from the movie “Tony Against All” (2017)
Lucky Chap Entertainment
Margot Robbie learned to skate from scratch before starring as figure skater Tonya Harding in Tonya Against the World. She worked on the choreography and simple technical elements for four months, five days a week. Famous skater and choreographer Sara Kawahara worked with the actress. This helped Robbie gain confidence on the ice.
“At one point, skating became such a mechanical thing for me, it was brought to automatism,” the actress said. – I learned the choreography and was able to skate properly. But to follow a scenario with such an unusual structure, to play a person at different stages of his life – it was very difficult.
For her role as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, Robbie improved her physical form and also mastered the elements of acrobatics and aerial gymnastics. She did yoga, stretching and body ballet to demonstrate plasticity. During this time, the actress engaged in intermittent fasting and left a “window” of 16 hours without food.
Shia LaBeouf
Frame from the movie “Anger” (2014)
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Actor Shia LaBeouf, known for his eccentric actions, showed himself most clearly on the set of the movie Fury (2014). He played the role of a small tanker in the picture. Finding the make-up on her face unreasonable, LaBeouf cut her cheek with a knife and “regenerated” the wound every day. For the sake of the role, he even removed a tooth and did not wash it for four months with daily training.
“In my first meeting with Fury’s director, I was warned that I had to work hard and train,” LaBeouf said. “But I accepted. And I’m glad about it. The training was not in vain: I learned to shoot and became much more resilient and strong.”
Fury lead actor Brad Pitt admired LaBeouf’s dedication to work and described him as one of the best actors he had ever seen.
Natalie Portman
Shot from the movie “Black Swan” (2010)
Fox Projector Pictures
Actress Natalie Portman has never suffered from excess weight, but for the role of a ballerina in Black Swan, she followed a strict diet and lost 12 kilograms. A year before filming began, she began learning ballet and worked at the bar for up to eight hours a day. When she started working on the film, the actress worked a full shift, and then studied ballet. Relatives were worried that Portman would bring herself to anorexia, but until the end of filming she did not abandon the strict regimen.
“I am a perfectionist. I’m used to doing everything 100% or not doing it at all. But this work has become a real challenge for me.”
After receiving the Best Actress Oscar, Portman began to regain her old weight.
Tom Cruise
Shot from the movie “Mission: Impossible: Fallout” (2018)
Alibaba Pictures
Actor Tom Cruise often performs stunts without the help of stuntmen. In Mission: Impossible: Fallout (2018), Cruz performed the hardest ultra-long HALO jump from a high-altitude low-aperture aircraft. He was the first to perform such a dangerous stunt – often this jump is trained by special forces.
The player, who trained in the wind tunnel for a long time during the training, made more than 100 jumps from the plane. Many countries refused to shoot the HALO jump on their territory, and only the United Arab Emirates allowed it.
Jared Leto
Lindsay Lohan and Jared Leto in Episode 27 (2006)
Peace Belt Entertainment
In “Chapter 27”, actor and lead singer of Thirty Seconds to Mars Jared Leto played Mark Chapman, the murderer of John Lennon. He needed to gain 30 pounds for the role. Because Leto is a vegetarian, he had to eat plenty of carbohydrates and fatty foods of vegetable origin. He was under the supervision of nutritionists, but could not recover from shortness of breath and gout due to unhealthy diet. Summer is back in her old form for a year.
Leto lost 13 kg in a month for her role as a transvestite with AIDS in the movie Dallas Buyers Club in 2013. She epilated her entire body, including her eyebrows, to mimic the effects of chemotherapy.
Matthew McConaughey also lost a lot of weight before filming Dallas Buyers Club. He lost 22 pounds, played a rodeo cowboy with AIDS, and received his first career Oscar.
Rooney Mara
Still from the movie “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (2011)
Colombia Pictures
In The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, actress Rooney Mara played her first major role as hacker Lisbeth Salander. She felt a great responsibility towards the team and she was ready for any reincarnation. For the sake of the image, Mara had to cut off her long hair, pluck her eyebrows, pierce her ears, eyebrows, and nipples. She also hadn’t even had earrings in her ears before, She. They decided not to make holes in the nose and lip – they succeeded with clips. In an interview with Allure, the actress noted that the most painful thing was getting her ears pierced.
“They make four holes in each ear, and oddly enough, this hurts the most. Piercing the nipples didn’t hurt that much,” Mara said. – I thought: my hero has it in the book, which means he must be in the movie. With all the tattoos, makeup, piercings, and physical transformations my body had to go through, I always felt like I was wearing a suit—even when I was naked.”
After filming, Mara removed the earrings from her ears, nose and eyebrows – and the holes were enlarged.
George Mackay
Still from the movie “Captain Fantastic” (2016)
Electric City Entertainment
To get a role in Captain Fantastic (2016), George MacKay had to master rock climbing, archery, combat skills, various academic backgrounds and, in part, Esperanto. The most difficult thing for the actress was to master yoga 3-4 hours a day so that her character Bodavan could perform complex asanas. McKay talked about the film’s trials after its premiere in Cannes.
“Two and a half months passed through sweat and torture,” the actor said.
In an interview with THR later, McKay admitted that he continues to practice yoga in a relaxed mode for himself.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.