Andy Serkis

Most actors in this list are known for changing their presence in different films and performing as either a hero or villain. On the other hand, Andy Serkis pioneered a new type of acting in the film industry called “performance capture.” This new type of acting lets actors lend not only their voice but also their movements to animated characters while allowing them to perform with other cast members on set. Serkis’ most notable performances are for his acting credit as Smeagol and Gollum from the Lord of the Rings movies, King Kong from the film with the same name, and Caesar from the new Planet of the Apes movies. Thanks to Serkis’ commitment, he helped open a new door of possibilities for the film industry.

Warwick Davis

Warwick Davis is one of those actors that you’d often miss when you see a film because he is usually covered with prosthetic makeup. One such example would be for the Harry Potter films, where Davis not only portrays one but two characters. For most of the film series, Davis portrayed the charms master Professor Filius Flitwick and Griphook, who helped Harry Potter and his friends later on as the story progressed. Other roles that Warwick Davis has an acting credit for include the titular characters for the Willow and Leprechaun films, Wicket the Ewok from the Star Wars films, and as a fictional version of himself in the TV series Life’s Too Short. Even when life seems to be rough for him, Warwick Davis sure knows how to make the most of what is given to him.

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks has made quite a name for himself in the film industry thanks to his acting credits in films like Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, and for lending his voice to one of Disney’s iconic characters, Sheriff Woody in the Toy Story films. But one of his most notable performances was in the movie Castaway. Hanks gained a few pounds at the beginning of filming for him to look like a middle-aged man and then lost 55 pounds and grew out his hair afterward for the scenes where his character gets stranded on an island. And thanks to his determination and commitment to bringing out the best in his performance, Tom Hanks won a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Chris Pratt

Chris Pratt is an actor well-known for his role in the TV series Parks and Recreation and for being a member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy. But before getting acting credit for playing Marvel’s Star-Lord, Pratt got help from a personal trainer and nutritionist during the six months of preparation for the role. He lost 60 pounds at the end of the process. Be it chubby or buff, Pratt sure knows how to give a comedic performance when the story requires it. Other films that he’s been involved with include The Lego Movie, the Jurassic World movies, Passengers, Zero Dark Thirty, and Magnificent Seven. Pratt surely proved that becoming buff and ripped takes a lot of time and commitment.

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt is known to be among the most influential celebrities in Hollywood to the degree that he can star in any film role that he chooses. One of the films he took part in recent years was for a cameo in the movie Deadpool 2, where his character, The Vanisher, was invisible for most of his screen time and only showed his face for two seconds. Other films in Brad Pitt’s career include his breakthrough role as a vampire in 1994’s horror film Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, the 2001 heist film Oceans Eleven, 2004’s epic Troy, and 2008’s romantic fantasy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. As long as Brad Pitt stars in movies that he has a passion for, then it isn’t wrong to expect nothing short of a remarkable performance.

Daniel Radcliffe

After bidding farewell to Hogwarts, Daniel Radcliffe went on to star in bizarre roles like in 2013’s Horns, 2016’s  Swiss Army Man, and 2019’s Guns Akimbo. In Horns, Radcliffe played Ignatius Perrish, a man who discovers he possesses supernatural abilities and plans to utilize them to solve a case. In Swiss Army Man, Radcliffe’s acting credit was portraying a dead person that the main character, Hank Thompson, later meets and realizes can be used as a human Swiss Army knife. For Guns Akimbo, Radcliffe took on the role of Miles Lee Harris, a programmer who needs to fight through his way out of an underground fight club while having guns stuck to his hands. In a way, the new films that Daniel Radcliffe took on after Harry Potter still had magic in them, albeit in a twisted way.

Ben Kingsley

Ben Kingsley is an actor whose acting skills became more polished as his career progressed. With a career spanning over five decades, Ben Kingsley has earned awards and nominations thanks to his performance in films throughout the years. With acting credits for roles that include the historical figure Mohandas Gandhi in the 1982 biopic Gandhi and the fictional “villain” Mandarin for Marvel’s Iron Man 3, Ben Kingsley has portrayed various roles throughout his career. Thanks to his calm – which he can quickly convert to menacing – presence, Kingsley can blend into any performance, whether it is that of a hero or a villain. Other films Kingsley starred in include the historical drama The Physician, the satire-comedy The Dictator, the sci-fi-action Ender’s Game, the psychological-thriller Shutter Island, the adventure-drama Hugo, and the iconic classic Schindler’s List.

Daniel Craig

Although he has starred in other films like Layer Cake and Lara Croft: The Tomb Raider, Daniel Craig made a more prominent name for himself when he took on the 007 persona, debuting with Casino Royale. But more recently, Craig has shown moviegoers that he still has more tricks up his sleeve with his acting credit in the films Logan Lucky and Knives Out. Logan Lucky is a heist-comedy film where Craig stars as Joe Bang, a convict well-known for breaking open safe vaults. For Knives Out, Craig starred as Benoit Blanc, a world-famous private detective assigned to a difficult case. For these roles, not only did Craig change his overall persona, but he even went out of his way and spoke with a Southern American accent – an accent that is countries away from his actual voice!

Ewan McGregor

Ewan McGregor is an actor who is well-known for becoming a part of many people’s lives thanks to his acting credit as the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels. Aside from the rumors that are spreading about McGregor reprising his role in an untitled Star Wars series, McGregor also starred in other films, including 2001’s Moulin Rouge!, 2010’s The Ghost Writer, 2018’s Christopher Robin, and 2019’s Doctor Sleep. Outside of films, McGregor also starred in the third season of the TV series Fargo, where he took on the role of brothers Ray and Emmit. McGregor had to develop a Minnesota accent and put on different sets of wigs and makeup for both roles. As a result, neither brother bear any resemblance to the actor as far as looks are concerned – a job well done for McGregor and his makeup team.

Sandra Bullock

Hollywood’s sweetheart, Sandra Bullock, has developed quite a film career under her belt, first gaining fame with the 1994 action-thriller Speed. Bullock eventually showed more of her acting skills through her character Grace Hart in 2000’s comedy Miss Congeniality, where she portrayed a cop who takes on a disguise later in the story. Another role that brought the actress to even greater fame was her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy, a loving mother who helps a homeless boy get back on his feet in 2009’s biographical drama The Blind Side. As a result of her excellent performance in the film, Bullock won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. She eventually starred in other films, like the famous 2013 sci-fi-thriller Gravity and 2018’s horror-thriller Bird Box. Bullock truly deserves credit for these iconic roles.