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Added by drugs on 9 Jun 2010 10:42
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Extreme Body Modification

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The Machinist (2004)

The producers of the film claim that Christian Bale dropped from about 173 pounds (78,4kg) in weight down to about 110 pounds (49,8kg) in weight to make this film. They also claim that Bale actually wanted to drop down to 100 pounds, but that they would not let him go below 120 out of fear that his health could be in too much danger if he did. His diet consisted of one can of tuna and an apple per day. His 63-pound (28,5kg) weight loss is said to be a record for any actor for a movie role.



He regained the weight in time for his role in Batman Begins (2005).

The Fighter (2010)

Christian Bale spent hours of time with the real Dicky Eklund to learn how to emulate him properly. He had to lose 30 pounds (13.6kg) of weight because Eklund was a crack addict at the time.

Christian Bale also gained his weight back after The Fighter whilst training for his role in the newest Batman, here's an article of the evolution of his constantly changing body.

American Hustle (2013)

Christian Bale achieved the physical traits of his character by gaining over 40 pounds(18.1kg), getting a comb-over and slouching his posture and ended up herniating two of his disks in the process.
[he is said to have put on 43 pounds exactly which is about 19 and a half kg]
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (795 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 0
Chopper (2000)

Bana admitted to eating junk food for four weeks to put on the extra weight needed to play Chopper. He gained 30 pounds(13,6kg) for the role.
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (4 ratings) 8.8 IMDB Rating 0
0000(2012)
The 6'2 Aaron Behr dropped from 205 pounds (92,9kg) to 141 pounds (63,9kg) for the feature film 0000.

0000themovie.com

thanks frankefurtheur
Average listal rating (816 ratings) 7.8 IMDB Rating 0
The Pianist (2002)

Adrien Brody lost 14 kg (31lb) for the role of Wladyslaw Szpilman by eating a daily diet of two boiled eggs and green tea for breakfast, a little chicken for lunch, and a small piece of fish or chicken with steamed vegetables for dinner over a six week period. Initially his weight was 73 kg (161lb).
drugs's rating:
Mesrine: Part 2 - Public Enemy #1 (L'ennemi public n°1) (2008)

Vincent Cassel gained 20 kgs (44 pounds) for the role during the four months leading up to the shoot.
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (495 ratings) 4.8 IMDB Rating 0
Things Fall Apart (2011)

The 34-year-old actor plays a football player diagnosed with cancer. 50 Cent dropped from 214 pounds (97kg) to an astonishing 160 (72,5kg) with a liquid diet and three-hour-a-day treadmill walks for nine weeks. "Wow! I was starving," he admitted.
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Syriana (2005)

George Clooney gained 35 pounds (15,8kg) on a pasta-heavy diet to play CIA operative Robert Barnes. The actor also shaved his hairline for the right look.
drugs's rating:
Body of Lies (2008)

Gained 63 pounds (28,5kg) for his role in Body of Lies (2008).
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (2387 ratings) 7.6 IMDB Rating 0
The Informant! (2009)

To prepare for the role of the overweight character Mark Whitacre, Matt Damon gained over 30 pounds (13,6kg) prior to filming. He did this by eating lots of hamburgers, pizza, and dark beer, which he described in an interview as being "really, really, really fun". He dieted the weight off as soon as the shoot was complete.

Courage Under Fire (1996)

Matt Damon lost 40 pounds (18,1kg) for his role in the movie.
thanks ♥ CHANi

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Damon lost 30 pounds (13,6kg) for his role in the movie.

plus:
After a notable weight gain for Stuck on You (2003), he lost 22 pounds (9.9kg) training for The Bourne Supremacy (2004), eventually having six-pack abs.
drugs's rating:
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Benicio Del Toro gained 40 pounds (18,1kg) for his role as Dr. Gonzo and, in the commentary during the Criterion Collection version of the DVD, says to have done so by eating multiple donuts every day.
drugs's rating:
Raging Bull (1980)

Robert De Niro gained 60 pounds (27,2kg) to play the older 'Jake La Motta'.
drugs's rating:
Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Vincent D'Onofrio gained 70 pounds (31,7kg) for his role as Pvt. Pyle, breaking Robert De Niro's movie weight-gain record (60 pounds) for Raging Bull (1980). It took him seven months to put the weight on and nine months to take it off with physical training.
Average listal rating (139 ratings) 7.8 IMDB Rating 0
Silence (2016)

Adam Driver lost fifty pounds (22,6kg) for the role; thirty before filming, and twenty during filming.
Triage (2009)

To prepare for his role, Colin Farrell shed 44 pounds (19,9kg) to achieve a skeletal-like thin appearance that surprised both reporters and close friends. To obtain this look, he reportedly lived on black coffee, Diet Coke, and tuna.
drugs's rating:
Hunger (2008)

Michael Fassbender had to go on a medically monitored crash diet to portray Bobby Sands. He lost 33 pounds (14,9kg) in order to lend credibility to his character

thanks ♥ CHANi
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (353 ratings) 6.9 IMDB Rating 0
Alex Cross (2012)

The former Lost star has a lot of eating to do ever since losing a staggering 40 pounds (18,1kg) to play a frighteningly thin and ripped tattooed serial killer in the thriller Alex Cross.
Average listal rating (1348 ratings) 8.2 IMDB Rating 0
The Lovely Bones (2009)

Mark Wahlberg replaced Ryan Gosling just days before shooting began. In preparation for the role, Gosling had gained 20 pounds (9kg) and grew out a beard. However, he vacated the role due to creative differences. Wahlberg, who had just completed shooting The Happening (2008), another production in Pennsylvania, became available just in time to accept Gosling's role.

INFO: I found so many stories about his weight gain it's hard to determine which one is most accurate but it is clear he did gain weight quite a bit at that time. Also the amount of pounds gained is not sure, as I read somewhere it was 60 lbs (that is about 27kg) which I find hard to believe but cannot be sure. I trust imdb more than gossip magazines.
drugs's rating:
Nightcrawler (2014)

Jake Gyllenhaal lost 20 pounds(9kg) for his role. This was Gyllenhaal's own idea, as he visualized Lou as a hungry coyote.
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (3102 ratings) 8 IMDB Rating 0
Cast Away (2000)

To make himself look like an average out of shape middle aged man Tom Hanks didn't exercise and allowed himself to grow pudgy. Production was then halted for a year so he could lose fifty pounds (22.6kg) and grow out his hair for his time spent on the deserted island.

Philadelphia (1993)

Tom Hanks lost 26 pounds (11,7kg) during his role for this film.

A League of Their Own (1992)

Tom Hanks gained 30 pounds (13,6kg) in preparation for his role. He attributed the weight he gained to a nearby Dairy Queen.
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (870 ratings) 8.6 IMDB Rating 0
Bronson (2008)
Tom Hardy put on 3 stone (42 lb, 19kg) to play Charlie Bronson, doing 2500 press-ups a day for five weeks.

thanks ♥ CHANi
drugs's rating:
Les Misérables (2012)
Anne Hathaway refuses to discuss how she lost 25 pounds (11,3kg) to play the dying Fantine, as she admits her methods were life threatening, and doesn't want to glamorize or promote her methods to young women. However, she has confirmed eating oatmeal paste as one of the reasons of her weight loss.
drugs's rating:
Troy (2004)

Garrett Hedlund gained 30 lbs. (13,6kg) of muscle for his role as Patroclus.

Friday Night Lights (2004)

Garrett Hedlund gained an about additional 20 lbs (9,0kg) for this movie on top of the 30 lbs that he had gained for Troy (2004). He was up to 200 lbs(90,7kg) when he'd usually been 155 (70,3kg).

Four Brothers (2005)
Hedlund had to slim back down for the role of Jack Mercer in Four Brothers.


Death Sentence (2007)
BN: "you look like you went through a lot of physical changes for the part, too. You look a lot bigger on screen."

GH: "I gained about 30 pounds (13,6kg) for the role. I spent a lot of time in the gym, which I really didn’t like, so as we got closer to the film, I would use that anger I had about working out as part of the character. I wouldn’t go to the gym, but I’d tear up the set."

thanks missasian
drugs's rating:
In The Heart Of The Sea (2015)
Hemsworth was forced to lost an enormous amount of weight in order to make it look believable - he previously confessed that his loss was a staggering 15kg, or 33lb.
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (527 ratings) 7.1 IMDB Rating 0
21 Jump Street (2012)

The 27-year-old is estimated to have lost close to 40 lbs. (18,1kg) since last December, according to the Daily Mail.

Hill, who lost the weight through diet and exercise, started his weight loss earlier this year because he 'thought it was important to be healthier,' he told the Los Angeles Times.

'It's not fun,' he said of his efforts. 'I wouldn't say it's the most fun endeavor I've ever took on in my life—but its important. And I'm enjoying it. If I eat something unhealthy now, I kind of feel a little weird and my body hurts.'

Besides striving to get healthier, Hill may have shed the weight for his new role in the upcoming film '21 Jump Street,' co-starring Channing Tatum.
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (541 ratings) 7.8 IMDB Rating 0
Into The Wild (2007)

Emile Hirsch lost 40 pounds (18,1kg) to play his role.
drugs's rating:
Capote (2005)

For the 2005 movie Capote, Philip Seymour Hoffman lost 40 pounds (18.1 kg) for the role of Truman Capote.
drugs's rating:
Winnie (2011)

Jennifer Hudson has been sticking to a weight loss program that has brought her 56 pounds (25,4kg) lighter. Jennifer revealed she shed the pounds to play South Africa’s Winnie Mandela for the upcoming film Winnie.

Dreamgirls (2006)
Jennifer Hudson gained twenty pounds (9,0kg) to play the role of Effie White.
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (2140 ratings) 8.2 IMDB Rating 0
Les Misérables (2012)

Hugh Jackman lost considerable weight and went 36 hours without water, causing him to lose water weight around around his eyes and cheeks, giving him the gaunt appearance of a prisoner. He also grew a real scraggly beard for scenes of Valjean as a prisoner, though mercifully they were shot first in production and he could shave and return to his usual weight for scenes playing Valjean as a wealthy man.
drugs's rating:
Pain & Gain (2013)

Dwayne Johnson bulked up to nearly 300 pounds (136kg) for his role in this movie.
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (699 ratings) 6.8 IMDB Rating 0
Alexander (2004)

Val Kilmer gained over 50 pounds (22,6kg) and stopped working out for the plump role of Philip.
drugs's rating:
Dreamgirls (2006)

To play the super-svelte Deena Jones - modeled on naturally thin Diana Ross – for the film "Dreamgirls," Knowles lost 20 pounds (9,0kg), an idea that, she told reporters at the Cannes Film Festival premiere, was her own.

"At the beginning [of filming], I was my normal weight," she said. "I actually gained a little bit, but then I lost 20 pounds when I went from young Deena to old Deena. I wanted it to be something more than just make-up and hair. I wanted to see the change."
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (400 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 0
The Road Within (2014)

Zoe Kravitz weighed just 90 pounds (40 kg) at the time of filming for "The Road Within," having lost 20 pounds (9 kg) for the part. But she revealed that like her character in that movie, she too had struggled with anorexia in her real life.
Average listal rating (1446 ratings) 7.9 IMDB Rating 0
Troy (2004)

Had to gain 15 lbs (6,8kg) for Troy because director Wolfgang Petersen wanted her to appear rounder. She has since lost the weight.
drugs's rating:
New Moon (2009)
After months of speculation and rumors, director Chris Weitz and the novel's author, Stephenie Meyer, confirmed on her official website that Taylor Lautner would be reprising his role as Jacob Black. It was doubted as the filmmakers feared he would not be able to become fit enough in time. However, he was given the go-ahead after gaining 26 pounds (11,7kg) of muscle.

thanks jllvalentine
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (1231 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 0
Chapter 27 (2007)

Jared Leto gained 67 pounds (30,3kg) for the role. At times he was confined to a wheelchair due to so much added weight.

thanks dan

Requiem For A Dream (2000)

Jared Leto lost 25 lbs (11,3kg) and befriended real heroin junkies from Brooklyn to prepare for his role as Harry Goldfarb.

thanks kaionstrife

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Jared Leto lost 30 pounds (13,6kg) for his role.
drugs's rating:
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Matthew McConaughey survived on just Diet Coke, egg whites and a piece of chicken a day to play AIDS patient Ron Woodroof in the 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club. The normally beefy actor lost 47 pounds (21,3kg) for his role. Newspapers said he was "terribly gaunt" and "wasting away to skin and bones."
drugs's rating:
Trainspotting (1996)

To play the skinny heroin-addicted Renton, Ewan McGregor was placed on a simple diet consisting of no alcohol or dairy products in order to lose weight. It only took him two months to reach Renton's desired size.
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (1774 ratings) 8.1 IMDB Rating 0
Silence (2016)

Liam Neeson lost twenty pounds (9kg) for his role.
drugs's rating:
American History X (1998)

To portray a skinhead in the movie "American History X," Norton put on 35 pounds (15,8kg) of muscle on his normally slender frame.

He has said he upped his protein intake to gain muscle. In an interview with Total Film, he said he spent about two and a half months getting into shape because he felt the character called for it.

"I think he's a character who's armored himself against the pain he's experienced in his life with his rage," he said. "I wanted him to have physically manifested that sort of armoring as well. When you talk to those kids, that's what those tattoos and muscles are all about. In a lot of ways, it's about creating a shield or a psychic empowerment device to deal with the feeling of being marginal and insecure."
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (2053 ratings) 8.4 IMDB Rating 0
Sid & Nancy (1986)

Oldman lost weight to play the emaciated Vicious by eating nothing but "steamed fish and lots of melon," but was briefly hospitalized when he lost too much weight.
drugs's rating:
Joker (2019)

Joaquin Phoenix said about the 24 kg (52 pounds) weight loss: "Once you reach the target weight, everything changes. Like so much of what's difficult is waking up every day and being obsessed over like 0.3 pounds. Right? And you really develop like a disorder. I mean, it's wild. But I think the interesting thing for me is what I had expected and anticipated with the weight loss was these feelings of dissatisfaction, hunger, a certain kind of vulnerability and a weakness. But what I didn't anticipate was this feeling of kind of fluidity that I felt physically. I felt like I could move my body in ways that I hadn't been able to before. And I think that really lent itself to some of the physical movement that started to emerge as an important part of the character."
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Black Swan (2010)

Natalie Portman lost 20 pounds (9,0kg) to look more like a ballerina.
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (306 ratings) 8.1 IMDB Rating 0
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

James Gunn stated that Chris Pratt's audition was so good, he was prepared to offer him the role even if Pratt did not lose weight or get in shape in time. Gunn joked that he was willing to CGI a six pack on Pratt's body. However, Pratt asked Gunn to give him 6 months to lose 50 pounds and he ended up losing 60 pounds (27,2kg).
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (2306 ratings) 7.8 IMDB Rating 0
Ali (2001)

Will Smith trained for six hours a day in order to get himself a genuine boxer’s body, and put on a staggering 35lb (15.8kg) in order to get in line with Muhammad Ali’s 220lb (99.7kg).
drugs's rating:
Cop Land (1997)
Stallone gained 40 pounds (18,1kg) to add realism to his portrayal of the police officer. He also was only paid SAG minimum wages. By the time that reshoots were required, he had lost the weight again.

thanks Todd Hageman
drugs's rating:
Average listal rating (1021 ratings) 7.6 IMDB Rating 0
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Although she was naturally athletic from high school, she totally changed physically to play Maggie in Million Dollar Baby (2004). She gained nearly 20 pounds (9,0kg) of muscle due to the workouts, becoming so buff that her former clothes are still too small for her.
drugs's rating:
+ Christina Ricci

Monster (2003)


Charlize Theron gained 30 pounds (13,6kg) for her role in the film. And Christina Ricci gained about 10 pounds (4,5kg) for her role in the film.

thanks dan
drugs's rating:
The Book Of Eli (2010)

Denzel Washington shed about 50 pounds (22.6kg) in preparation for the role.
drugs's rating:
The Sixth Sense (1999)

According to M. Night Shyamalan, Donnie Wahlberg lost 43 pounds (19,5kg) for the role.
Pain & Gain (2013)

For his role as a body builder, Mark Wahlberg bulked up to 212 pounds (96,1kg).
drugs's rating:
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PolarCowamongusmichealohfarahbearMuzuimjkalaskychaoalexxx
Here's some serious dedication. I'm trying to include only the really drastic weight losses and gains.

They are in alphabetical order.

Most of the information is from The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

UPDATE 13.3.2015
Philip Seymour Hoffman

UPDATE 2014, added:
Denzel Washington
Christian Bale's newest weight gain in American Hustle

UPDATE 1.12.2013
Ryan Gosling

UPDATE 15.7.2011, added:
Jonah Hill

UPDATE 22.2.2012, added:
Gary Oldman
Will Smith
Adrien Brody

UPDATE 17.3.2016, added:
Jake Gyllenhaal
Chris Hemsworth
Chris Pratt
Matthew Fox
Matthew McConaughey

UPDATE 2017, added:
Anne Hathaway
Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club
Hugh Jackman
Dwayne Johnson
Mark Wahlberg
Adam Driver
Liam Neeson

UPDATE 2019, added:
Joaquin Phoenix
Zoe Kravitz

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