Although modern computer technology has made it possible to transform the actors we see on screen beyond recognition, many movie-makers still prefer to use good old-fashioned make-up. And sometimes the results are no less impressive.
Take a look at the dramatic difference between the following actors’ real life appearances and their movie characters. We guarantee you’ll find this surprising!
Tilda Swinton as the rich and eccentric Madame D.
The Grand Budapest Hotel, 2014
© Keystone Press / Indian Paintbrush
Jared Leto as Rayon
Dallas Buyers Club, 2013
Steve Carell as the crazy millionaire John du Pont
Foxcatcher, 2014
Daveigh Chase as the dead girl Samara
The Ring, 2002
© BenderSpink / Bischoff’s Taxidermy and Animal FX
John Travolta as Edna Turnblad
Hairspray, 2007
Meryl Streep as the wicked witch
Into the Woods, 2014
Maïwenn Le Besco as alien opera diva Plavalaguna
The Fifth Element, 1997
Naomi Grossman as Pepper, suffering from microcephaly
American Horror Story, 2012
Gary Oldman as the vampire count
Dracula, 1992
© Michael Scott Slosar / Animal Makers
Robert Englund as the maniac Freddy Krueger
A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984
© Rex Features / The Elm Street Venture
Tom Cruise as Les Grossman, a multimillionaire producer
Tropic Thunder, 2008
© Splash News / Custom Film Effects
Robert Downey Jr. as actor Kirk Lazarus
Tropic Thunder, 2008
© Paul Drinkwater / Custom Film Effects
Ralph Fiennes as the dark lord Voldemort
Harry Potter, 2005−2011
Emma Thompson as nanny McPhee
Nanny McPhee, 2005
© Splash News / Framestore CFC
Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 2008
Christopher Walken as the Headless Horseman
Sleepy Hollow, 1999
Robert De Niro as Frankenstein’s monster
Frankenstein, 1994
Jim Carrey as the evil count Olaf
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, 2004
Ksan Angelovich as a zombie
The Walking Dead, 2010
Danny DeVito as the Penguin
Batman Returns, 1992
© Rex Features / 4-Ward Productions
James McAvoy as the faun Mr. Tumnus
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 2005
