Celebrities Who Gained Weight for a Movie Role

Posted on Feb 23rd 2011 1:00PM by Blisstree

Today we're showcasing 10 Hollywood movie stars who've gained serious weight for a movie role (or, who are we kidding, in the hopes of nabbing an Oscar, which several of them did). Whether it's a loss or gain, we're not into dramatic weight shifts simply for the sake of a paycheck and royalties, no matter how hefty. It's simply not healthy, even under the care of a professional. (A few of these celebs actually have experienced lasting negative health effects from their rapid weight gain.) In the cases of most of the gents, you'll hardly recognize them. But the funny thing is that a few of the women actually look more normal and real after putting some meat on their bones (obviously they were way too skinny to begin with). Check out our gallery of 10 stars who aren't afraid to transform themselves into slightly overweight people whom Hollywood would never cast in movies in the first place. (And see exactly how much they gained during their hardcore hunt for an Oscar.)

Everett Collection

Hilary Swank, "Million Dollar Baby"
Swank bulked up with 19 pounds of muscle for her Oscar-winning role. To do it, she ate every 90 minutes, gorged on 210 grams of protein daily and slept for nine hours a night.

Everett Collection

Matt Damon, "The Informant"
Thirty (pounds) seems to be the magic number for the stars. Temporarily flabby Damon ate tons of fast food and junk food and reportedly loved every minute of it.

Everett Collection

Renee Zellweger, "Bridget Jones' Diary"
Just like she did for the original BJ flick, Zellweger quickly went from a size 6 to 14 before the sequel's shooting commenced (that's 30 pounds). And in no way was this movie worth any of it.

Everett Collection

George Clooney, "Syriana"
Gain 30 pounds, take home Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Everett Collection

Charlize Theron, "Monster"
Gain 30 pounds. Make self ugly. Play serial killer. Win Best Actress Oscar.

James Devaney/WireImage.com

Jared Leto, "Chapter 27"
Sixty-seven pounds heavier after playing John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, for a movie no one saw, an unrecognizable Leto had to go on Lipitor at the behest of his doctor.

Warner Brothers

Russell Crowe, "Body of Lies"
Crowe put on an astounding 63 pounds to play a pudgy CIA boss. Apparently, cheeseburgers and cupcakes really do make you fat.

Sony

Julia Roberts, "Eat Pray Love"
Yes, she gained ten pounds for (and during) filming in Italy, India and Bali. And yes, you can hate her for the fact that it's impossible to tell.

Universal Pictures

Benicio Del Toro, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"
Back in 1998, Del Toro packed on 40 extra pounds for this road/buddy movie.

Everett Collection

Eric Bana, "Chopper"
Bana piled on 28 pounds to play a low-life criminal/murderer back in 2000. He's still hot, though.

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Tags: charlize theron, Eric Bana, george clooney, hilary swank, jared leto, Julia Roberts, matt damon, renee zellweger, weight gain

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Janine 2-26-2011 @ 2:06PM

I can't believe you left out Robert De Niro! (that boxing pic he did in 1980)

old enough to remember 2-26-2011 @ 2:48PM

Apparently, they are only going back 10 - 15 years. I agree with you, though. They should have included DeNiro.

Rose Smith 2-26-2011 @ 11:30PM

I think that alot of people that were not brought up. Like Shelly Winters gained weight for the original Posieden adventure.

Kathy 2-26-2011 @ 6:29PM

DeNiro gained like 70 lbs to play Jake LaMatta in Raging Bull. He started the movie ripped and then gained the weight fast for the end of the film. WOW, that's an actor.

Mike 2-26-2011 @ 2:26PM

I got a kick out of the "made self ugly" thing. Not that she's ugly, but in order to make most of these Hollywood types very ordinary looking, all you have to do is take the makeup off.

cr8zcats 2-28-2011 @ 8:47AM

What gets me is the way they said, "Gain 30lbs. Make self ugly." It's like they are implying that all Charlize Theron had to do was gain weight to "make self ugly." This woman had a lot more to do to make herself ugly than to just simply gain weight! She had a lot of faux make up work to her teeth, hair line and face! She is in my opinion one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood.
I also don't like the implication that just because a woman may gain weight that it "makes her ugly." Just because someone doesn't "fit" what the world or 'Hollywood' considers the right size or right weight does NOT automatically make you ugly! I personally think that what comes out of a persons mouth makes a person uglier than anything they could possibly do to themselves cosmetically!

Kevin Brown 2-26-2011 @ 5:14PM

I have to agree with you there, many of these 'beautiful" people are only that way because of the make-up, lighting, camara angles, airbrushing and the like. My wife watches that "America's Next Type Model" show and she called me in one night to point out how plain or downright homely looking the girls were before getting the tons of makeup and the like.

JD 2-26-2011 @ 2:33PM

What about Toni Collette for 'Muriel's wedding'?

Kathy 2-26-2011 @ 7:04PM

Yes! I love Murial's Wedding, also Minnie Driver gained a ton for Circle Of Friends.

banebrenda 2-26-2011 @ 2:42PM

It's so hard to take off yet so easy to put it on! Http://www.suesueandsue.com is a weight loss blog by 3 friends named Sue. Honest and inspiring!

gina 2-26-2011 @ 2:48PM

Let us not ignore the obvious. Ever heard of Robert DeNiro & a little movie named "Raging Bull"? Oh no? Oh, because that is the actor who started the trend. He also gained weight for "The Untouchables" and then again for "Angel". He was so good at it, he was unrecognizable. This could have been a much better article, why didn't someone do their research?

justonehappycamper 2-26-2011 @ 2:50PM

YOU FORGOT BEYONCE she gained 30 pounds for the CADILLAC RECORDS movie role.

russlanders 2-26-2011 @ 2:56PM

What about Deniro in Raging Bull

vaygollybum 2-26-2011 @ 3:41PM

What is wrong with this pictures? Are there so few people that could actually play the part, fit the bill physically and be good actors? Or are they such a closed society that new actors are only allowed to enter the sacred precepts of Hollywood under special dispensation?

Gary Mayer 2-26-2011 @ 5:12PM

vaygollybum: The actors who do the things necessary to fit the role are usually the better actors, like Tom Hanks, Robert DeNiro and, especially, Charlize Theron. Meryl Streep has played ordinary looking with make-up; Dustin Hoffman changed his demeanor to an autistic savant in 'Rain Man,' as did Tom Hanks in 'Forrest Gump.'

The two latter films are in my top ten of all time. Actors working their way up the ladder cannot do these portrayals; that is accomplished only by the accomplished.

Cathy 2-26-2011 @ 3:37PM

what about Tom Hanks in Cast Away? he started out pretty pudgy looking

nj2la 2-26-2011 @ 5:30PM

Shelly Winters gained 30+ pounds for The Posieden Adventure and never quite lost it!

jckfmsincty 2-26-2011 @ 4:28PM

You left out Robert DeNiro who gained 80 pounds for his Best Actor Oscar in 1980 for "Raging Bull".

Linda 2-26-2011 @ 4:47PM

You left off Sean Astin, who gained 30 lbs to play Samwise in Lord of the Rings.

Gary Mayer 2-26-2011 @ 5:01PM

Charlize Theron was so 'bad' in 'Monster' the film was over before I realized the character was her.

That acting peformance was not just brilliant; it was a 20 on a scale of 1-10.

While I don't condone killing a rapist, it was a true story and Theron proved she was previously an under-rated actress. She was brilliant and so was the professional who did her make-up.