The 14 most dramatic movie makeup jobs

Prosthetic perspective: A look into movie makeup magic

Netflix recently released the whimsical trailer for its upcoming Matilda the Musical due this December. Based on both the 2011 Tony Award-winning musical and the original 1988 book by Roald Dahl, this new film marks a departure from the 1996 version starring Rhea Perlman, Mara Wilson, and Danny DeVito (who also directed). Now starring Alisha Weir in the titular role alongside the newest 007 Lashana Lynch, the new Matilda presents a more stage-inspired aesthetic to match its numerous song and dance numbers.

But in a stunning surprise, the trailer reveals near its end that its main villain, the militaristic Mrs. Trunchbull, is played by none other than beloved actress Emma Thompson. Covered from head-to-toe in a boxy body suit and squared-off jaw prosthesis, Thompson is nigh unrecognizable as the cruel headmistress. To celebrate Thompson's upcoming performance, EW has decided to stroll down memory lane and list our favorite, most dramatic makeup jobs that transformed actors into entirely new and unforgettable characters.

Christian Bale, Vice (2018)

After working with Christian Bale in The Big Short, director Adam McKay believed the Oscar-winning actor was the person capable of pulling off the role of former Vice President Dick Cheney in his biographical satire, Vice. Even though Bale hadn't really worn any prosthetic makeup in his films before, he went all in, as always, even gaining 40 pounds for the role.

Portraying perhaps the most powerful veep in American history, Bale had to sit in the makeup chair for hours each day and even shaved his head every morning for the tight fitting bald cap. Although Cheney himself hasn't had much to say about the film since its release, his daughter Liz has been quite vocal. Her least favorite part? When Bale received his Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, he thanked Satan for inspiring him to play the role.

Available on: Netflix

Lon Cheney, Phantom of the Opera (1925)

No list of dramatic makeup would be complete without "The Man of a Thousand Faces." Lon Chaney's role as Erik has been infamous for nearly a century due to the makeup techniques that Chaney himself pioneered. The makeup design was so complex, it even caused Chaney to bleed from hidden wires on his face. However, it was wildly successful, causing people to faint in the theater the first time his grotesque face was revealed on screen. While this entry does lean toward the monstrous and not the dramatic, the film comes from a time when there was little distinction between the two, and is still honored to this day.

Available on: Paramount+

Charlize Theron, Monster (2003)

In the role that changed her career trajectory, Charlize Theron portrayed real-life prostitute-turned-murderer Aileen Wuornos. Directed by Patty Jenkins, the normally always-glamorous Theron was transformed into the mottle-skinned and perpetually frowning Wuornos.

In the biopic, Theron's character meets Christina Ricci's Selby Wall before proceeding to murder seven of her clients over a 12-month time period in 1989-1990. Despite the brutal subject matter, Theron's performance of the troubled Wuornos was widely praised and earned her a sweep of Best Actress honors at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and SAG Awards. The rest is history.

Available on: Amazon Prime, Netflix

Colin Farrell, The Batman (2022)

Even people who have seen The Batman knowing full-well that Colin Farrell plays the infamous crime boss, The Penguin, still have a hard time believing it's him. Taking three to four hours in the makeup chair before shooting each day, Farrell also traded in his familiar Irish accent for that of a classic Italian New Yorker.

His performance has received wide acclaim with some calling it the best version of The Penguin that's ever appeared on screen (with no slight to Danny DeVito's shocking turn in 1992's The Batman Returns). Warner Bros. also seems to agree with that notion as a spin-off TV series based on Farrell's Penguin is already in development for HBO Max.

Available on: HBO Max

Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

In the Eyes of Tammy Faye, Jessica Chastain took on the role of Tammy Faye Bakker, wife of infamous televangelist and convicted fraudster Jim Bakker, played by Andrew Garfield. The film follows the life of Tammy Faye for over 30 years from the time she first meets Jim in 1960 to their divorce in 1992. Chastain sat in a makeup chair for at least four hours per day to alter her appearance and play the high-haired, overly dolled up Tammy Faye. Despite poor box office performance and mixed reviews, Chastain was revered for her role in the film. Not only did she win the Oscar for Best Actress for the portrayal, but Tammy Faye won for Best Hair and Makeup as well.

Available on: HBOMax

Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour (2017)

Gary Oldman is hardly the first actor to play Winston Churchill and likely won't be the last. However, after his Oscar win for Best Actor, he may remain the most memorable. The film takes place over a few weeks during the early days of Churchill as Prime Minister and culminates in his famous "We shall fight on the beaches" speech. Director Joe Wright helmed the film after his less-than-stellar movie Pan, a prequel to Peter Pan. But Oldman's many hours in the makeup chair each morning proved worth it as the film was both a box office and critical success. There's even talks of a sequel, but nothing has been set as of yet.

Available on: Netflix

Nicole Kidman - The Hours (2002)

Nearly two decades before she sat in the makeup chair to become Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos, Nicole Kidman underwent a more subtle transformation to play Virginia Woolf in The Hours. The film, which centers around three women (one being Woolf herself) in three different time periods whose lives all intersect around the novel Mrs. Dalloway, received generous praise from both critics and moviegoers alike. The typically stunning Aussie was nearly unrecognizable as the more homely Woolf and deservedly received the Best Actress Oscar for her onscreen metamorphosis.

Available on: HBOMax

John Hurt, The Elephant Man (1980)John Hurt - The Elephant Man (1980)

David Lynch directed this dark biopic about the life of Joseph Merrick (named John in the film), a man who suffered severe physical deformities that the medical community has been unable to specifically diagnose (though everything from neurofibromatosis to Proteus syndrome has been noted).

The late, great John Hurt played the titular character whose skull was so large and heavy in real life, he could not lie down on his back without dying of asphyxiation. In the film, a doctor portrayed by Anthony Hopkins meets Merrick at a circus "freakshow" and attempts to both befriend and medically treat the pained man. Even though the film didn't win any Oscars (but was nominated for eight), the makeup transformation of Hurt into Merrick was so acclaimed that it essentially forced the Academy Awards to create an entirely new category: Best Makeup & Hairstyling.

Available on: Roku or to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video

Eric Stoltz, Mask (1985)

Not to be confused with the 1994 Jim Carrey comedy The Mask, the 1985 film Mask stars Eric Stoltz as real-life teenager Rocky Dennis, who suffered from a very rare genetic bone disorder commonly referred to as lionitis. The portrayal of the troubled teen was met with praise, with Stotlz being nominated for a Golden Globe and the makeup team winning an Oscar. Stoltz's acting in the role also greatly impressed producer Sidney Sheinbeck who, after seeing the film, got him the role of Marty McFly in the first Back to the Future film. However, things didn't go as planned for Stoltz and he was fired after six weeks of filming and replaced with Michael J Fox. Guess you can't win 'em all.

Not currently available on streaming

Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder (2008)

Sure, Robert Downey Jr. probably had the more controversial and memorable makeup job in Tropic Thunder, but Tom Cruise certainly underwent the more jaw-dropping one. Most moviegoers at the time didn't even know it was Cruise in the film until the final credits as he took no billing for the role (his name didn't appear on any movie posters, either). Even more interesting, though, was that the role of the Diet Coke-swigging producer Les Grossman was entirely conceived and developed by Cruise himself. After reading the script, he told star and director Ben Stiller that the movie needed an aspect of studio pushback. And thus, the thick forearmed character was born.

Available on: Paramount+

Stellan Skarsgård, Dune (2021)

For his big-budget adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel Dune, director Denis Villenueve had veteran Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård undergo a massive prosthetic transformation to become the story's larger-than-life villain, the 600-lb Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. Skarsgard seemingly took inspiration from Marlon Brando's portrayal of Colonel Kurtz in the classic film Apocalypse Now in bringing to life the brilliant and cunning Baron, a character that always seems to brood and calculate over every decision. The role will be reprised in the movie's sequel, currently undergoing pre-production and scheduled for an October 2023 release.

Available on: HBOMax

Tilda Swinton, Suspiria (2018)

Suspiria is director Luca Guadagnigo's loosely adapted remake of Dario Argento's 1977 horror classic. Tilda Swinton co-stars alongside Dakota Johnson and Chloe Grace Moretz as the lead choreographer of a prestigious German dance academy that turns out to be run by a coven of witches. Swinton is credited as having two roles in the film, but it's really the third, secret role that is a stunning work of makeup transformation. The elderly Dr. Klemperer is credited to a person who doesn't exist and is actually Swinton in brilliant disguise. Talk about a true work of modern-day magic.

Available on: Amazon Prime

Jared Leto, House of Gucci (2021)

Jared Leto is no stranger to both transformative and very polarizing, heavily criticized roles. But after his Oscar win in Dallas Buyers Club, some directors were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. So, it's no surprise to learn that Leto wasn't originally intended for the role of Paolo Gucci in House of Gucci, but convinced director Ridley Scott to let him play the part anyway. What came out of that passion, many viewers argue, is more of a caricature of the late Gucci designer than a true character portrayal. Hopefully, the actor's eccentricities are more well-received when he plays Andy Warhol in a to-be-announced movie written by The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire scribe Terence Winter.

Not currently available on streaming

Tom Hanks, Elvis (2022)

Even though the film has only just hit theaters, critics already have a lot to say about Tom Hanks' onscreen version of Elvis Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Although Baz Luhrmann films are most often very loosely-adapted, colorful spectacles, Hanks took this role to heart by doing a lot of research and crafting a somewhat questionable Dutch accent. Parker is the very controversial man who discovered Elvis and catapulted him to stardom, but also happily took advantage of the singer and anyone else who crossed his path. I'm sure with the early reviews, Hanks is hoping moviegoers don't be cruel and judge his performance solely by accent.

Available on: Currently in theaters