15 Actors Who Suffered Lasting Physical Changes From A Difficult Role

We have compiled a list of 15 actors whose bodies were never the same

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• February 4, 2023

Movies are like magical portals that take us away to a world of endless possibilities. We all love the idea of being able to escape reality and be transported to a different world for a couple of hours.

But what we don't understand is the amount of hard work and dedication that goes into creating these cinematic miracles. Hours of grueling rehearsals, meticulous editing, and intense script writing - all just to bring us a few hours of entertainment.

So the next time you're at the movies, take a moment to appreciate all the hard work that goes into making it possible! Some actors have truly gone above and beyond to become the characters they are portraying truly.

They have studied the lines, the mannerisms, and even the character's physicality to get it just right. They have gone so far as to wear wigs, contact lenses, and even fake body parts to become their character.

It's a level of dedication that is simply astounding and downright hilarious. Let's just hope they don't take it too far.

Otherwise, their performance might end up being more theatrical than believable! Here is a list of 15 actors whose bodies have been permanently altered due to a role.

1. Jared Leto

Leto is known to put his body through extreme changes in order to portray his characters accurately. For his role in Chapter 27, he gained a significant amount of weight, causing him to suffer from gout which was so severe that he had to use a wheelchair on set. Just like Tom Hanks, Leto has had to go through drastic physical alterations for his roles.

2. Sylvester Stallone

In many of his roles, Sylvester Stallone portrays tough characters who perform his own stunts. In the climactic fight scene of Rocky IV, Dolph Lundgren delivers a punch to Stallone so powerful that it swells his pericardial sac and almost caused heart complications.

3. Christian Bale

4. Charlize Theron

During the filming of Æon Flux in 2005, Charlize Theron attempted a stunt that resulted in serious injury. The move she attempted was an upside-down move, and upon completion, she fell on her neck and suffered a herniated disc.

5. Daniel Craig

6. Ben Stiller

Stiller is the only actor on this list who is believed to have come down with rabies during the filming of Along Came Polly; a ferret reportedly bit him.

7. Angelina Jolie

Some might not recall Angelina Jolie's parts in the 2010 movie 'Salt,' but she certainly does. During a scene in the film, Jolie sustained a scar on her face. She recalled that she had to dive through a door, but she misjudged it, and her face struck a portion of the set.

8. Tom Hanks

Hanks's well-known role in Cast Away saw him lose a substantial amount of weight, leading him to believe that the recurring pattern of loss and gain in weight for certain characters could be linked to his diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes.

9. Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis is an iconic actor with many well-known movies, but his most acclaimed film is undoubtedly Die Hard. During the filming of this movie, a machine gun was fired so close to him that he suffered permanent hearing loss in his left ear, losing two-thirds of it.

10. Alfre Woodard

While shooting the 1996 Star Trek: First Contact, Alfre Woodard was thrown off balance when the stunt went awry. This incident resulted in an injured arm and Woodard still has the scars to prove it. “My arms were bleeding and all the skin was gone,” Woodard reminisced. “That’s the memory I have of First Contact.”

11. Jackie Chan

Chan is renowned for his death-defying stunts, and he has battle scars to show for it. During filming for Operation Condor, Chan sustained a grave injury that required a full brain operation. He has a steel plate embedded in his skull that he can still feel to this day.

12. Ray Bolger

Some people may not be aware of him, but Ray Bolger was famous for his role as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. Bolger revealed that the set was dangerous, and due to wearing the Scarecrow mask, he had permanent scars on his face.

13. Buddy Ebsen

Buddy Ebsen is known for having been adversely impacted by the lack of regulations during the filming of The Wizard of Oz. Unfortunately, he had to withdraw from the role after being hospitalized due to respiratory difficulties.

14. George Clooney

Clooney described the spinal injury he sustained while filming Syriana as “extremely painful”. “I had to figure out how to make it through,” he stated. While the surgery provided him with some relief, he still feels the effects of the injury even now.

15. Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy has expressed his enthusiasm to play Bane in the Dark Knight movies, saying that the training he underwent for the role gave him "clickable joints that probably shouldn't be", and that he was worried he might have "hurt [his] body too much".

Movie-making isn't all fun and games; some actors have to make enormous sacrifices for their roles. This often means changing their physical appearance in order to bring a character to life.

We've all seen amazing transformations from certain stars, but unfortunately, some of these transformations have lasting effects. This will make them appreciate them more.

Damjan