iVillage

Extreme Makeover! Dramatic Celebrity Weight Transformations for the Big Screen

From bulking up to withering away, stars will do anything for their craft -- we highlight the most pronounced changes they've gone through in the name of entertainment (26 Photos)

Donna Kaufman on Feb 15, 2013 at 10:05AM

chime in now

Single View
View All

1 of 26

Extreme Makeover! Dramatic Celebrity Weight Transformations for the Big Screen

Universal Pictures; BIG Australia/Flynetpictures.com

Hugh Jackman in 'Les Miserables'

To prep for the role of the tortured protagonist in Les Miserables, Hugh Jackman tortured himseld in real life. For part of filming, a typical day comprised a three-hour workout at dawn, followed by a 12-hour work day -- not to mention 36-hour stretches of starvation at a time. It certainly wasn't pleasant, but Jackman later said that "the headaches, dizziness, and the grumpiness" were "a relatively small price to pay" for the role of a lifetime. To tackle Jean Valjean's musical numbers, the Oscar nominee also had to transform himself into a stronger singer -- which he accomplished by singing at the top of his lungs while doing weight-lifting and cardio at the gym!