Physical Transformations

[momatt]

After reading up on trivia about Cape Fear (1991), I think De Niro deserves another mention.  What a bloody lunatic:

• Robert De Niro paid a dentist $5,000 to make his teeth look suitably bad for the role of Max Cady. After filming, he paid $20,000 to have them fixed.
• De Niro was tattooed with vegetable dyes, which fade after a few months.
• De Niro did a lot of working out several months before the movie and during the shoot to make him the muscular Max Cady, reportedly taking his body fat down to only 3%.
• De Niro's Cady accent came from an earlier role where he played a southerner. To prepare for the role, De Niro took excerpts of the script and a tape recorder into southern towns and would ask locals to read the lines into the tape.

[Noodle Lizard]

There's that famous, but likely apocryphal, story about Laurence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman on the set of 'Marathon Man'. To prepare for his scenes where his character's supposed to be strung out, Hoffman went days without sleep, ate poorly and was looking pretty rough. Olivier asked him why he was putting himself through such an ordeal and Hoffman replied that he was trying to be convincing in the role. Olivier replied, "It's called acting, dear boy".

[El Unicornio, mang]

Jared Leto fasting (bad idea) for his new role

[Nuclear Optimism]

He fucked his health playing Lennon's killer. That would put most people off this sort of thing for life.

[Johnny Townmouse]

I almost feel sorry for him. Putting yourself through that for another straight to DVD film.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

Is gaining or losing large amounts of weight for a role not just a way to earn some serious actor kudos points comparatively quickly, these days? Before anyone's even seen the performance, they're mesmerised by the feat itself and the actor is seen as committed to their craft. It also serves as great publicity.

This has been a jaded, cynical post.

[Mister Six]

Is gaining or losing large amounts of weight for a role not just a way to earn some serious actor kudos points comparatively quickly, these days? Before anyone's even seen the performance, they're mesmerised by the feat itself and the actor is seen as committed to their craft. It also serves as great publicity.

I honestly think this is the basis of about 50 percent of Christian Bale's acclaim as an actor.

[phantom_power]

and the actor is seen as committed to their craft.

Besides anything else surely it shows they ARE committed to their craft. Possibly too much

[SteveDave]

I honestly think this is the basis of about 50 percent of Christian Bale's acclaim as an actor.

The other 50% is because people think he's James Brolin in the 70s.[nb]Watch Westworld or especially The Amityville film for proof[/nb]

[Dark Sky]

Now, there's this lad, who I've seen in a few films my girlfriend watches.
He obviously uses steroids.

Noooooo he worked hard he did he's too beautiful to have lied noooooooooo go team jacob

[Crabwalk]

Besides anything else surely it shows they ARE committed to their craft. Possibly too much

It shows their commitment to the role, but not necessarily to their craft, I'd argue.

[momatt]

The other 50% is because people think he's James Brolin in the 70s.[nb]Watch Westworld or especially The Amityville film for proof[/nb]

I had to Google him, but blimey, Christian with a beard!

[Nobody Soup]

Is gaining or losing large amounts of weight for a role not just a way to earn some serious actor kudos points comparatively quickly, these days? Before anyone's even seen the performance, they're mesmerised by the feat itself and the actor is seen as committed to their craft. It also serves as great publicity.

This has been a jaded, cynical post.

I think you're right about this, on certain films most of the talk in the press build up is about just how serious an actor took it because they were prepared to put on three stone of emaciate themselves and look shit.

I think a few people have spotted this though, I seem to remember a lot of cynics saying nicole kidman was favourite for an oscar one year just because it was a pretty person wearing an ugly fake nose.

also, I think in retrospect it looks embarrassing, I quite liked pollock the film, it's not too bad and reasonably interesting, but I do still think ed harris getting hugely fat just to play pollock in the last 20 minutes was overkill for a film that didn't really feature that much ambition besides being a relatively straightforward biopic.

[Brundle-Fly]

While looking for a picture of Sly Stallone bulking up for Copland I found this link

http://www.listal.com/list/going-skinny

[small_world]

Ah, well just close the fucking thread then, game over.....

Ha, good site, but what's the 'drugs rating'? Makes no sense.

[Nobody Soup]

it's funny how many of them go to great lengths to bulk up, bloat or thin right down for authenticity then insist on having immaculately trimmed facial hair (and well cut head hair).



no food but access to a braun.

[gmoney]

I don't know that they all have final say in the hair and make-up stakes. I wouldn't doubt a few do, but I'd be surprised if Emile Hirsch would have pulled that move, and if anyone would have listened to him.

[Marv Orange]

For me Micheal Keaton as beetle juice I remember as a kid not being able to square off in my mind that batman and beetle juice were played by the same actor.TO me this is more impressive as it was down to his abilities rather than stunt weight loss.

I know this thread is more about weight loss but if 50 cent can do it for a multimillion paycheck I'm sure I could do .

[lazarou]

I've often observed that yer 70s muscle men look qualitatively different than their modern equivalents. These days they look super sculpted whereas in the old days they were just... bigger I guess. The chest and biceps seem to be the most different - ultra defined. I guess that's due to the type of equipment we've got in gyms these days which allow you to focus more intensely on specific muscles whereas perhaps back then you'd be more likely to do a greater proportion of compound exercises? Or is it just the 'roids?

I think there's a few factors at play there. There's a better understanding of diet and targeted exercise these days, and anyone going for that kind of look tends to more strictly adhere to both. A big reason for that is that the acceptable standard for being 'in shape' has become exponentially higher over time. Even actors not known for their bodies tend to look much more 'cut' than their counterparts did 20 years ago. Hell, most pretty people you pass in the street do.

[madhair60]

it's funny how many of them go to great lengths to bulk up, bloat or thin right down for authenticity then insist on having immaculately trimmed facial hair (and well cut head hair).



no food but access to a braun.

One of the worst films I've ever seen.

[Kane Jones]

One of the worst films I've ever seen.

That's a quite refreshing opinion. I didn't hate it, but I know plenty of people who think it's incredible and 'important' even, and this empty blind worship of such an underwhelming film has certainly jaded my view of it.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I thought it was an excellent film

[Sam]

One of the worst films I've ever seen.

Care to explain? It's not a masterpiece but it's pretty damn great. If it's one of the worst films you've ever seen, what's your idea of some good films that tackle similar themes? I really can't take your comment seriously and will assume it's just exaggeration unless you can back it up.

[small_world]

Ahh... I thought it was a good film.
Kid seemed like a cunt. But he was 20-ish weren't he?
So, standard.

[vrailaine]

I thought it was a very good film, looked great, enjoyed it for the most part and felt it didn't really hero-worship the idiot as much as I was expecting.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

For me Micheal Keaton as beetle juice I remember as a kid not being able to square off in my mind that batman and beetle juice were played by the same actor.TO me this is more impressive as it was down to his abilities rather than stunt weight loss.

I agree with this completely. When a good character actor is able to embody somebody else entirely through sheer performance power, it impresses me far more than the weight loss/gain gimmick.

[Talulah, really!]

I really can't take your comment seriously and will assume it's just exaggeration unless you can back it up.

[Mister Six]

I agree with this completely. When a good character actor is able to embody somebody else entirely through sheer performance power, it impresses me far more than the weight loss/gain gimmick.

This. Very much this.

If you have a personal trainer, a dietician, access to Hollywood's best gyms/restaurants and the incentive of millions of dollars waving around in front of your nose, it's hardly an achievement to put on or lose weight, even in extremis. The only restraining factor would be the limits of your body shape, which are hardly under your control.

Meanwhile, someone who can convince their audience utterly of the role they are portraying - irrespective of their physical attributes - should be applauded. Michael Keaton, as pointed out above, is such an actor. Or look at Bryan Cranston - it's hard to believe that the guy playing borderline sociopathic monster Walter White in Breaking Bad[nb]Especially the later seasons, when he's arguably a different character to the one he was at the start of the show - in a good way, mark you.[/nb] is the same guy who played Malcolm's hapless, flapping, useless father in Malcolm in the Middle.

[SavageHedgehog]

Brendan Fraser rather suspiciously claimed to have gained weight specifically for his role in the kiddie animal farting comedy Furry Vengeance, a film unlikely to earn him an Oscar or Blockbuster award. He did admit he wasn't necessarily going to lose it all, whether he has or not I can't tell you as I haven't seen him since.

[neveragain]

'Mac' getting fat in the seventh season of It's Always Sunny, only for him to be thin again in the next. Yes, I know it isn't a film and I go on about the show too much anyway, but it's surely the only example of someone De Niro-ing (or 'Pyle-ing it on', Full Metal fans) for a sitcom.