Actors Who Made Major Body Transformations for Roles

To best represent his character’s journey, Hanks gained about 50 pounds before filming began on the acclaimed survival drama “Cast Away.”

The production was then stalled for an entire year so that he could lose all the weight he’d gained (and then some). He later told EW, “The only thing I did not give up was coffee.”

No stranger to physical transformation, McConaughey packed on 47 pounds for the crime drama “Gold.”

Loosely based on true events, it follows desperate prospector Kenny Wells (McConaughey) on a risky venture.

Scorsese’s seminal boxing drama required two separate body transformations from De Niro, who bulked up to play a young Jake LaMotta.

True to his character’s story arc, the actor then let his muscle turn to fat. He also trained with LaMotta for over a year before filming began, and even competed in three organized bouts.

Fassbender exercised regularly and ate only 900 calories a day for the biographical drama, in which he plays IRA prisoner Bobby Sands.

According to reports, the actor’s diet consisted primarily of sardines, nuts, and berries. As a result, he dropped down to a mere 127 pounds.