Some completely missed the mark
Despite the critical failure that this film was, Michael Chiklis was committed to his role as The Thing–a role that required over four hours to apply prosthetics.
Marion Cotillard’s portrayal as real-life French singer Édith Piaf earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress. But the film also won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. The movie’s hair designer, Jan Archibald, shaved Cotillard’s hairline back to give the actress Piaf’s high forehead.
The character of Seth Brundle is arguably one of Jeff Goldblum’s most iconic portrayals, with director David Cronenberg at the film’s helm. The movie’s makeup department earned an Academy Award for their daring prosthetics.
For his role as Sloth in ‘The Goonies,’ John Matuszak had copious amounts of latex and a mask applied, which took five hours of application every day.
John Travolta’s character of Edna Turnblad in John Waters' musical comedy required copious silicon prosthetics that would allow the actor to wear several revealing costumes. The casting of a man in the role of Edna continued the tradition of the original 1988 film, which saw drag queen Divine embody the character.
Director David Fincher’s depiction of Benjamin Button, a character who ages in reverse, earned the film a staggering 13 Academy Award nominations, with the film gaining a win for Best Makeup.
James Gunn’s adaptation of this MCU franchise included Zoe Saldana’s character Gamora, a role that required five hours of chair time to apply prosthetics and body paint.
To bring the character of Drax to life, Dave Bautista had to endure the application of 18 prosthetic pieces over the span of five hours.
The second installation in the ‘Terminator’ franchise earned the Academy Award for Best Makeup and required Arnold Schwarzenegger receive latex prosthetics that made half his face appear damaged. The actor has recalled how his daughter did not react well upon seeing him with the makeup.
The supernatural horror film, written and directed by Clive Barker, has garnered a cult following since its release. The movie’s creative team encountered many budgetary obstacles while planning the design for the character of Pinhead.
Another Schwarzenegger character, Mr. Freeze required copious makeup to bring to life, including placing an LED inside the actor’s mouth for the film’s close-up shots. This proved hazardous, as the actor’s saliva destroyed the batteries and caused acid to leak into his mouth.
Jones is famously known for television and film roles that require ample prosthetics. One such prominent role is that of the Pale Man in Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pan’s Labyrinth.’ Jones also appeared in the film as the Faun, which required an additional five hours!
For his role as Charlie in Darren Aronofsky’s drama film, Fraser had to wear a 600-pound (272-kg) body suit that took a daily toll of six hours to apply. This daunting process seemed worthwhile, however, as Fraser won the Academy Award for Best Actor and the prosthetics team won the award for Best Makeup.
Reynolds is renowned as the actor to have embodied the role of Wade Wilson in Marvel’s ‘Deadpool,’ which required the application of several silicone molds that included mutilated ears and scarred skin.
The drama film, directed by Michael Showalter, is a biographical depiction of American evangelist Tammy Faye, who was known for her extreme use of makeup, including the tattooing of her lip.
This David Lynch-directed biographical drama featuring John Hurt as Joseph Merrick was nominated for eight Academy Awards. Following the awards event, the Academy received widespread criticism due to their failure in honoring the film’s makeup effects. As such, the following year saw the creation of the Academy Award for Best Makeup, the first of which was won by another film featured on this list.
Christian Bale is no stranger when it comes to extreme body transformations that any role might demand. For the character of Dick Cheney in ‘Vice,’ the actor gained weight until he was 225 lbs (102 kg), which excludes the prosthetic makeup applied on top.
Despite Tim Curry’s reluctance in applying such elaborate makeup for his role as Darkness in Ridley Scott’s cult classic, the actor eventually agreed to have his entire body covered in prosthetics and makeup. The large, bull-like structure atop Curry’s head was made from fiberglass and was supported by a harness underneath the makeup.
Skarsgård preferred practical effects for his role as Baron Harkonnen in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the ‘Dune’ universe, even though it was daunting: the actor has spoken about his inability to go to the bathroom while wearing the character’s prosthetics and body costume.
This list would truly be incomplete without the inclusion of The Grinch! After Jim Carrey threatened to leave the production due to the toll that the prosthetics were taking on him, the team actually hired a CIA expert to teach the actor how to withstand torture.
For their separate depictions of Mystique in the ‘X-Men’ franchise, Lawrence and Romijn had to undergo hours of strenuous makeup and prosthetic applications that covered their entire bodies. This process was later streamlined to three hours after a body suit was made for Lawrence.
Although David Naughton’s character in the film is, for the most part, physically unremarkable, it is the character’s transformation into a werewolf that required the actor to sit in the makeup chair for almost half a day. The film was the first in history to win the Academy Award for Best Makeup.
Body paint and metallic gold was a staple of Velasquez’s character as Anck-Su-Namun. The actress was first fully covered in body paint, then all of the lines were painstakingly painted after.
Actor Lawrence Makoare embodied many characters during the filming of the Middle-earth franchise, but for his role as Lurtz he had to sit in the makeup chair for more than four hours.
The oldest movie on this list shows the dedication that early filmmakers had when making their beloved products. Boris Karloff spent eight hours in the makeup chair for his role as Imhotep, but luckily only half the film showed his character like this!
This movie holds the world record for the longest time applying makeup each day. A makeup artist and a team of eight assistants hand-painted tattoos onto Steiger’s body for his role as Carl in the Jack Smight-directed film.
Sources: (Static Media) (TheRichest) (HalloweenCostumes.com)
The film industry has been a trademark of entertainment for more than a century, with hundreds of films released every year around the world. But where some films use digital effects to put characters on the silver screen, there are others that prefer to use makeup and prosthetics. The biggest drawback? Bringing these characters to life can often take hours out of an actor’s day before they actually end up in front of the camera.
Intrigued? Click through this gallery to see some roles that had an exhausting amount of makeup time for the actors who brought them to life.
Breathtaking makeup transformations in movies
Could you stay in a makeup chair as long as these actors?
MOVIES Cinema
The film industry has been a trademark of entertainment for more than a century, with hundreds of films released every year around the world. But where some films use digital effects to put characters on the silver screen, there are others that prefer to use makeup and prosthetics. The biggest drawback? Bringing these characters to life can often take hours out of an actor’s day before they actually end up in front of the camera.
Intrigued? Click through this gallery to see some roles that had an exhausting amount of makeup time for the actors who brought them to life.