10 of the biggest on-screen transformations, from Christian Bale in Vice to Tilda Swinton in Suspiria
Over the years, certain actors have gone to extreme lengths to transform themselves for a role
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Christian Bale’s dramatic transformation as Dick Cheney in Vice has been one of the biggest talking points around the new film, and has also earned him a Best Actor nomination at this year’s Oscars.
This isn’t the first time Bale has gone to lengths to disguise himself for a new character.
For the role of insomniac Trevor Reznik in The Machinist he went to extremes that were, at the time, reported to be a record for the film industry. He dropped his body mass to 120 pounds on a meagre diet of water, an apple and one cup of coffee a day, according to his former assistant.
Filmmakers reportedly refused to let Bale lose any more weight once he reached that point. It sounds quite horrific, but that role helped him when he had to lose weight again to play Dick “Dicky” Eklund in The Fighter.
To mark the release of Vice, here are 10 more of the most famous on-screen transformations:
Vice is out in cinemas now
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments