11 actors in true-life movies who looked uncannily like the people they played
Playing a person who actually exists, or existed, is often an actor's dream, but to do it right takes more than playing dress-up. These are the times when actors either transformed their looks, morphed into their character though body language, or were just fortunate enough to really look like the person in the first place.
Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos in Monster
Theron won an Oscar for her incredible transformative performance as mentally ill serial killer Wuornos in Patty 'Wonder Woman' Jenkins' biopic. She gained 30 pounds, shaved her eyebrows, and wore prosthetic teeth to alter her appearance.
Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock in Hitchcock
Thanks to prosthetics, Hopkins is barely recognisable as the portly director, and he nails Hitch's mannerisms too in this movie about the making of Psycho.
Jennifer Lopez as Selena Quintanilla in Selena
Lopez got wide acclaim for her performance as Tejano music star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, who was massive in the Mexican-American music scene until she was shot dead by the manager of her fan club aged just 23. A sad and strange true-life tale that's little known in the UK.
Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs in Jobs
Kutcher's Jobs movie isn't as good as Michael Fassbender/Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs movie, but Kutcher undeniably looks more like the Apple magnate.
James Franco as Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist
Oh, hi Mark! Franco nailed the straggly hair and strange, anguished expression of the director of The Room, aka 'the worst movie ever made'. The film opens in December in the States and Wiseau has already seen it, saying he liked "99.9%" (and complaining about some of the lighting).
Ben Kingsley as Mohandas K Gandhi in Gandhi
It's quite the responsibility embodying one of history's greatest leaders and peacemakers, but Ben Kingsley tackled it with aplomb, bagging an Oscar for his efforts.
Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison in The Doors
Not much work needed here – the two guys just look weirdly alike.
Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan in I'm Not There
Is it weird that of all the six actors playing Bob Dylan in this experimental biopic (Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Ben Whishaw), the one who looks most like him is a woman? Well she does, so there you go.
Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose
Another transformation, another Oscar – Cotillard became the first actress to win it for a French-language role, playing the intense, troubled singer. Director Olivier Dahan reckoned Cotillard had similar eyes to Piaf. We reckon it's all about the, uh, "distinctive" eyebrows.
Geoffrey Rush as Peter Sellers in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Rush, who looks NOTHING like Sellers, dons make up and prosthetics to transform him in a role where he not only plays the actor and comedian, but also emulates Sellers' performances as other characters. That is some serious ACTING going on right there.
Johnny Depp as Whitey Bulger in Black Mass
A conspicuously vanity-free transformation for Depp, who goes semi-bald to play notorious gangster Whitey Bulger. When Depp was losing popularity for his irritating quirks in multiple Tim Burton projects, this was a beacon that reminded us why he was once the golden boy.
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