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The main goal of a movie star is to step into somebody else's shoes and walk in them so convincingly that the audience forgets they're watching a performance. But some roles given to the famous actors' require more than just excellent acting skills, which is where Special effects makeup and prosthetics come in.
Special effects makeup not only requires the attention of a professional makeup artist but can also take up to several hours to put on. If that isn't dedication to the job, we don't know what is!
Scroll down for some of the most incredible before and after images that have ever taken place on film. We've gathered everyone's favorite popular actors - Ralph Fiennes playing Voldemort and Meryl Steep disguised as a Rabbi to John Travolta turning into a woman and Angelina Jolie turning into a man, the list below, compiled by Bored Panda, is a testament to the fantastic magic of movie makeup.
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#1
Ralph Fiennes - Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter Series)
Monty Is Fiennes 8 years ago
Plus there was a significant amount of CGI work.......on the right
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Fernanda Godinho 8 years ago
So let's just ignore all the digital effects about this and believe that makeup can REMOVE A F*****G NOSE FROM HIS FACE
Anna “annab” B 8 years ago
He was quite a bit older than this in the first Harry Potter film. That's the one you should have used as an accurate comparison.
Sum Ting Wong 8 years ago
I think you'll find that Ralph Fiennes today looks a lot older! Not a good comparison.
Izolda Bronstein 8 years ago
c'mon Ralf is gourgeos but on the left he's 20 years younger than he was in HP
Maggie Grover Bacher 8 years ago
to be fair, this is makeup and special effects. they had to paint out his nose. no amount of makeup can remove your nose
RELATED:
#2
Naomi Grossman - Pepper (American Horror Story Series)
Melody Lanzatella 8 years ago
I LOOOVE actresses who attack parts like this! Charlize Theron also takes on roles that allow her to play 'not very pretty' characters. THAT is an incredible artist!
Hamdhaan Hassan 8 years ago
that is amazing, we should really appreciate the makeup artists work in this one
Black Dahlia 8 years ago
Shaved head, no makeup, prosthetic teeth. People who think this transformation is amazing have never woken up missing their beer goggles.
Catharina Geerts 9 months ago
Seems impossible, that such a sweet face can turn into the monstrosity on the right 😐
#3
Meryl Streep - Rabbi (Angels In America)
Hamdhaan Hassan 8 years ago
what the hell, i did not watch this movie, theres a Meryl Streep movie i did not watch
Bernard Franklin 8 years ago
I thought the same thing, but Google says it was a series.
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John Ashley 8 years ago
What's the reverse of doing drag? Where a woman dresses as a man. Streep must like doing it. She's also a pirate in Robin Williams' Peter Pan movie Hook.
#4
Eddie Redmayne - Lili (The Danish Girl)
Katra V 8 years ago
Stop cis men from playing trans women. Trans women are women, not men in costume.
Skink Dog 7 years ago
Or... you know we could keep being neutral and choose the ones that act the best instead of discriminating and choose based on gender or other traits that doesn't make a difference?
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Marika Stanway 7 years ago
I absolutely loved Danish Girl. I don't think he's been much good at anything else since. I don't dislike him in the latest Fantastic beasts films, but boy, this was his absolute star performance.
SHIBAINUSshalLruleTheWORLD! 8 years ago
No for a matter of fact I am not dumb I am a child and I have not yet watched this movie so I am sorry if that comment was rude I just have not watched that movie so I am very sorry please accept my apology. :(
Katra V 8 years ago
You're not dumb or rude. It is about a transgender woman, but you are right, men are playing these women. Cis men should NOT be playing trans women in movies. TRANS WOMEN should be playing them.
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#5
Robin Williams - Mrs. Doubtfire (Mrs. Doubtfire)
Rogue Hater 8 years ago
Love that movie! Can't wait for my kids to be old enough to watch it. Rest In Peace Robin
Robin Ellison 8 years ago
He was such a light in our darkness. It is sad we were not able to help him with his own darkness.
#6
Heath Ledger - Joker (The Dark Knight)
Mama Panda 8 years ago
I think this was the best Joker ever! I just wish it hadn't broke him. Gone too soon!
Melody Lanzatella 8 years ago
IT didnt "break him"! You need to do your homework! That is a TOTAL MYTH! Watch the show Too Young to Die on Netflix about Heath Ledger. They spoke DIRECTLY with his father! (about the truth!)
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vivek gour 7 years ago
I have seen this movie and I like this movie very much. www.allwallpapersgo.com
#7
Jacob Tremblay - Auggie (Wonder)
Margaret Althea Elvenshadow 8 years ago
Jacob is an AMAZING actor!!! Have any of you guys seen Room?
Brandi Gates 7 years ago
I thought THE ROOM was a great movie.....He was INCREDIBLE.
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TheRubyFalcon 8 years ago
I haven't seen the movie, but I'm curious: Why didn't they use an *actual* Auggie instead of doing makeup to make an ordinary-looking boy look like him?
Katra V 8 years ago
Because people in hollywood, and the average person, do not think about how sh*tty it is to cripple up for a role when it's completely avoidable...
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#8
Richard Brake - The Night King (Game Of Thrones)
Maggie Grover Bacher 8 years ago
i'd like to see how much is makeup and how much is effects. it's amazing what they can do separately but together, anything is possible
Pragya Fating 8 years ago
I really wanna know how they made those ice/glass Crystal thingie jutting out from his head. I wanna have a tiara that looks like that. Blue and cold. LOTR style!!!
Peter Polansky 8 years ago
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/characters/nm0298842?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t157 pretty sure it was another actor playing
Zenozenobee 8 years ago
Vladimir Furdik is playing the Night King since season 6
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#9
Eddie Murphy - Saul (Coming To America)
Mama Panda 8 years ago
I remember when this movie came out and everyone was shocked that Saul was Eddie Murphy. In fact, I won a bunch of money betting people on this very fact! Once people realized that I was right, I would smile, say "A-haaaa, A-haaaa" and then collect my winnings =)
Hannah McGowen 7 years ago
It's not cultural appropriation, but I guess what he is doing isn't that right either...?
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Marty BlackEagle-Carl 8 years ago
why people shouldnt b***h about people playing people of other races!! - it's an artform, not an insult.
Michelle Dodson 8 years ago
Yeah, but heaven forbid a white actor "darkens" for a role - then it's racist. F*****g hypocrites.
Joy 4 years ago
RDJ did it for "Tropic Thunder", actually. Not a whole lot of people complained.
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just a thought ! 8 years ago
Even the hands look so real ... Like how did they just change the color of skin so drastically ?
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Noel Benavente 6 years ago
That was an outstanding work, considering the year of release. I have seen more recent films with not-so-good make-ups.
Skink Dog 7 years ago
Nope because "blacks can't be racist". Gotta love double standards :P
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John Matuszak - Sloth (The Goonies)
Sunzilla 8 years ago
Was that him? I've wondered all these years what the actor looked like. BEST.MOVIE.EVER. (When you're 10 and saw it in the 80"s...)
Beaver-Moose 8 years ago
I ALWAYS wanted to know who played Sloth, but i never got around to it
#11
Ryan Reynolds - Deadpool (Deadpool)
#12
Tim Curry - Pennywise (It, 1990)
Marika Stanway 7 years ago
Much much much love to this awesome actor/singer/performer! IT, Clue and Rocky Horror Picture Show! No matter how many times they might re-make those films, there is nobody in this universe who will do them better. Oh, and his voice is pure indulgence, like melted chocolate.
Claire Kidd 8 years ago
Tim Curry, what a fantastic actor. It's so sad about the stroke :(. And, although you may already have known, that's his real hair!
Mitch Fleming 1 year ago
Tim Curry in Criminal Minds "Our Darkest Hour" has to be one of the scariest characters he has ever done.
Brett Deriso 8 years ago
a far more impressive Tim Curry transformation was "Darkness", from "Legend"
#13
Charlize Theron - Aileen (Monster)
D.S. Watson 8 years ago
Not only was her makeup artist great, but Charlize really nailed the role. Her manerisms and everything reminded me so much of the people I grew up with.
Juana 8 years ago
It was tough to watch but she's a hell of an actor. Forgot I was watching her-she just disappeared in the role.
Load More Replies... Melody Lanzatella 8 years ago
Here she is! I think she is the most beautiful woman in the world! I love her SO much more that "vanity" doesnt keep her from great parts! She RELISHES them! A TRUE artist!
Danusha Kuchtová 8 years ago
she's a talented actress and a truly beautiful woman to me. BUT: talking about movie make-up, left and right are both great.
Marnee DeRider 8 years ago
A lot of the transformation was a result of absolutely brilliant acting.
Jace 8 years ago
P**s off with the damn "women must wear makeup" b******t.
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Tilda Swinton - Madame D. (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Erin Zelnio 8 years ago
This is so unfair. Tilda Swinton is basically a human chameleon. You could make up an entire list of all the characters she's played that don't look like her.
Melody Lanzatella 8 years ago
She was the BEST "Gabriel" (angel) EVER in Constantine! I loved how that angel was androgynous!
A S Koziol 7 years ago
I love that she has so much fun with her completely unique features.
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#15
Johnny Depp - James 'Whitey' Bulger (Black Mass)
Cherie Barnard 8 years ago
Even when he's gross-looking... as this dude and as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts. There's just something about him....
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Pragya Fating 8 years ago
He is a really versatile actor. I love watching him on the screen. There is always something new. He just had 2 lines in FBAWTFD, but God's was I not smitten with the bad boy character.
#16
Bill Skarsgård - Pennywise (It)
Nimue47 7 years ago
All the Skarsgard brothers are really good looking but my favorite is Alexander :-)
Keaton Padilla 8 years ago
They could've gotten a better picture of IT but I guess this does the job.
#17
Emma Thompson - Nanny McPhee (Nanny McPhee And The Big Bang)
Monika Broughill 7 years ago
I love Emma Thompson, she js absolutely perfect in all her movies
#18
Helena Bonham Carter - Red Queen (Alice Through The Looking Glass)
Hamdhaan Hassan 8 years ago
i allways love this women, which ever part she plays she always makes it memorable
Juana 8 years ago
Really? She seems the same to me in all her roles. The only time I like her is when she plays a normal human like in The Kings Speech.
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D.S. Watson 8 years ago
Okay a good part of this terrible movie was all CGI. I'm sure there was makeup involved, but most of it was smoke and mirrors.
Stephane Piro 7 years ago
I always disliked this actress no matter which role she had. I think she is just disgusting
#19
John Travolta - Edna Turnblad (Hairspray)
Hamdhaan Hassan 8 years ago
i actually didnt even realised that it was a guy until my sister told me i was a little surprised that he would do that role
manowce 8 years ago
why surprised? good actor is not afraid of any role! and this one is hilarious (: and honestly how could you not tell that it's Travolta?
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Holly Hofmann 8 years ago
The only Hairspray that should be watched is the original Hairspray, not this abomination.
Robert Pittman 8 years ago
Edna looks more natural than John, and Divine was much better looking edna-5a217...46bbdf.jpg 
#20
Cate Blanchett - Bob Dylan (I'm Not There)
#21
Ron Perlman - Hellboy (Hellboy)
#22
Gary Oldman - Dracula (Bram Stoker's Dracula)
Melody Lanzatella 8 years ago
AND THIS is the one I have been waiting for! The TRUE chameleon of actors! In EVERY movie he TRANSPORTS himself to entirely different person! SO talented! (Fun Fact: Oldman had played so many characters that were not in his native British accent, that he began to lose it! He hired a dialect coach to help him get it back!)
Maggie Grover Bacher 8 years ago
no kidding! this is the master. zorg, sirius, dracula . . . . .
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#23
Gary Oldman - Mason Verger (Hannibal)
Raspberry37 8 years ago
I once read apost about Gary Oldman saying that he can hide in plain sight. That is so true with every role of his. He always manages to make me concentrate on the character so much that I only notice that it's him after watching the movie at least twice.
Beater Medina 8 years ago
I recall he didn’t want to appear in the main cast if this film. He said it was funny to play Mason Verger and let peolple shocked to know it was him at the very end.
#24
Robert Downey Jr - Kirk Lazarus (Tropic Thunder)
Joe Sauer 8 years ago
What do you mean you people, What do YOU mean you people. Such a great movie!
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Ryan Smith 8 years ago
It really shouldn't have... look at the Wayans Bros in that movie "White Chicks"... some people just like to be pissed... life
Load More Replies... Paige Dahl 7 years ago
I Loved this character! People get on my nerves with the blackface argument. It's all about intent.
nazan fidan 8 years ago
there is no chance in a million years for me to guess that kirk lazarus was Robert downey jr.
martha humphreys 1 year ago
Brilliant performance. Walking the tightrope between performance and parody. Where's Robert's Oscar? More to the point, could that film be made today?
#25
Daniel Radcliffe - Ig Perrish (Horns)
Taryn Wallace 8 years ago
More weird than Swiss Army Man cuz that was a SUPER weird movie, good but very strange
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#26
Doug Jones - Pale Man (Pan's Labyrinth)
Elizabeth Molloy 8 years ago
Also Pan in the same film, Mama in the film of the same name, Abe Sapien in the Hellboy films and the ghosts in Crimson Peak.
Hallak65 8 years ago
And Angel of Death too and Lt. Saru in Star Trek Discovery. He is a very good character actor who mostly plays in mask.
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Susan Allen 8 years ago
That movie is SO dark - but these creatures were the worst - they scare me, even to this day.
#27
Peter Mayhew - Chewbacca (Star Wars Series)
Mama Panda 8 years ago
Wait... you mean to tell me that Chewie isn't real? Man I was all set to get one for my very own!
Katra V 8 years ago
I know, it's like finding out Santa isn't real :( (spoiler alert..)
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Maggie Grover Bacher 8 years ago
can we all just appreciate that HIS WIFE crocheted the costume? that's why the original wookie skin moved and bounced. then in the prequels, not so much with the wookies. they went back to a woven base in 7 so it would move like it was supposed to again
#28
Jim Carrey - The Grinch (How The Grinch Stole Christmas)
Beater Medina 8 years ago
Jim is the kind of actor that can disguise in his very own flesh. Love him
Jasmina Wetherley 8 years ago
that would have taken ages to take the make-up off... or is it a mask?
Sivi 8 years ago
Ages to take off? Ages to take on if you ask me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=009wPQyVM7c
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Hannah Paige 2 years ago
The process of putting on the makeup and costume took about 8 hours each day; it was so torturous, he had to consult a CIA interrogator and torture expert to make it through.
#29
Tim Curry - The Lord Of Darkness (Legend)
Maggie Grover Bacher 8 years ago
this guy has played everything. scary clown, devil, ballet dancer, crazy person, evil tree, sweet transvestite, barbie villain. there is nothing he can't do
#30
Daveigh Chase - Samara (The Ring )
Mama Panda 8 years ago
I wonder if she gets nightmares when looking into the mirror in costume?
TheRubyFalcon 8 years ago
I bet it's not bad: When it's you in a costume, you know it's not real, and it doesn't really "get" to you.
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Black Dahlia 8 years ago
Shouldn't the left have a picture of her at the age she played Samara, rather then one of her as an adult with makeup and bleached hair?
Allana Rose 8 years ago
Wow! I guess I never even gave it a thought that this role was played by a real woman!
#31
Warwick Davis - Griphook (Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2)
#32
Michael Keaton - Betelgeuse (Beetlejuice)
#33
Glenn Close - Gutless (Hook)
Greg Nathan 2 years ago
WOW!!!! Never guessed that!!...And was 'his' voice, Glen's too???.... :O
#34
Eric Stoltz - Rocky Dennis (Mask)
DeadStillPretty 8 years ago
I actually have a form of the disease featured in this movie and trust me, it's a horrible thing to have. Post-diagnosis, I've only watched it once. All I see is myself and my friends in Rocky's place.
Jacqueline Lavanchy 8 years ago
Please do watch it ! Good story, great actors, Cher is absolutely stunning in it ! A story of empathy and love !
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#35
Anjelica Huston - Grand High Witch (The Witches)
#36
Jered Leto - Old Nemo (Mr. Nobody)
#37
Kae Alexander - Leaf (Game Of Thrones)
#38
Dustin Hoffman - Dorothy Michaels (Tootsie)
ethel 8 years ago
The "before" pictures should be their age at the same time as the "after" picture. Tootsie was 35 years ago.
BoredBirgit 8 years ago
Loved the movie and his acting, but didn't like the makeup - you always knew it was a man behind it. But it was in the 80s, much less possibilities than today.
Skink Dog 7 years ago
You can most of the time really, even "now a days". Still looks good though.
Load More Replies... Autumn 8 years ago
Is it weird that Hollywood can be able to change a guy into a girl with prosthetics and makeup?
Jace 8 years ago
No. That's what special effects and makeup are all about. And you don't even need Hollywood sometimes, depending on the person's features.
Load More Replies... #39
Nicole Kidman - Virginia Woolf (The Hours)
Luca 8 years ago
She is indeed a brilliant actress. She survived Von Trier!
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#40
Danny DeVito - Penguin (Batman Returns)
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What do you think ?
Catharina Geerts 9 months ago
Stunning! At times it's really unbelievable how the looks of a person can change
Janelle Kent 11 months ago
What about Cillian Murphy in "BREAKFAST ON PLUTO"? He makes one gorgeous woman.
Michael Smith 8 years ago
As technology encroaches, CGI renders makeup and prosthesis obsolete. More jobs lost. Even actors will not be necessary.
Black Dahlia 8 years ago
No, they will just hire Andy Serkis for every role.
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nazan fidan 8 years ago
i would wanna see the great and legendary Ben Kingsley as Fagin in Oliver Twist. That was magnificant performance of him.
Catharina Geerts 9 months ago
Stunning! At times it's really unbelievable how the looks of a person can change
Janelle Kent 11 months ago
What about Cillian Murphy in "BREAKFAST ON PLUTO"? He makes one gorgeous woman.
Michael Smith 8 years ago
As technology encroaches, CGI renders makeup and prosthesis obsolete. More jobs lost. Even actors will not be necessary.
Black Dahlia 8 years ago
No, they will just hire Andy Serkis for every role.
Load More Replies... nazan fidan 8 years ago
i would wanna see the great and legendary Ben Kingsley as Fagin in Oliver Twist. That was magnificant performance of him.
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