Robert Downey Jr.

After years of going through personal troubles, Robert Downey Jr. returned to the spotlight with his hit comeback role in 2008’s Iron Man, which eventually started the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But in that same year, another film the actor starred in was also released – just a few months after the Marvel hit reached cinemas. That film is Tropic Thunder, an action-comedy film that also poses as satire regarding the film industry’s antics. In this film, Downey Jr. portrayed Kirk Lazarus, an Australian method actor who’s so committed to the roles he takes that he made investments to alter his appearance for one of them. Aside from this performance, Downey Jr. showed more of his talents in the Sherlock Holmes films, where he portrayed the titular detective who solves crimes through unorthodox means.

Colin Farrell

To be told by one of your favorite actors that you are among the best in your generation is surely motivation enough for you to keep on improving with every film project you get. After starring in films like the crime-comedy Seven Psychopaths, the horror-comedy Fright Night, and the sci-fi action film Total Recall, Farrell currently received an acting credit for the next Batman film where he will portray one of the caped crusader’s villains, The Penguin. However, this role required Farrell to cover his face with prosthetic makeup, making him barely recognizable even among his fellow cast members when he was in costume on set. Jeffrey Wright, who is set to portray Commissioner Gordon, once passed Farrell, who had already put on the makeup and costume, and asked him unknowingly if he has seen Farrell anywhere.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry is an actress most notable for her acting credit as Storm in the X-Men movies. But aside from dying her hair white, Berry also went through a series of transformations to make herself look different – and that’s all for one movie! For the 2012 sci-fi film Cloud Atlas, Berry portrayed six different characters, including a doctor named Dr. Ovid. When she was in costume as the doctor from the year 2144, Berry was barely recognizable that even her daughter got shocked and wondered why there was a man who somehow sounded like her mother. Another film that has increased her popularity is John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, where she took on the role of Sofia, a former assassin who can still hold her own in a fight – along with her dogs as a backup.

Kumail Nanjiani

Kumail Nanjiani is an actor who has become popular in recent years due to his role in 2010’s Life as We Know It, 2017’s The Big Sick, 2019’s Stuber, and in the comedy series Silicon Valley. However, in more recent news, Kumail Nanjiani announced that he will be taking part in Marvel’s upcoming film The Eternals as Kingo Sunen. With this being his first time performing as a superhero, Nanjiani, and with a little help from Marvel, made investments to get a personal trainer and nutritionist to help him get in shape for the character. He spent almost a year training and building muscles for the role. He even reportedly followed a strict diet to maintain his physique – an experience that the actor says he is very proud to have experienced.

Jared Leto

Whether it be his musical career or acting career, one can say that Jared Leto is undoubtedly going places – especially with the latter. When he isn’t on tour rocking stages with his band 30 Seconds to Mars, Jared Leto is an actor who loves to take the internalizing process to another degree. For the procedure, Leto doesn’t only change his looks, he also remains in character while the cameras aren’t filming. Indeed, some have found his behavior strange on set because of his refusal to break character. Leto is also famous for having gone through extreme weight changes for a role, to the point that a few production crew members even feared he was endangering his health. This dedication of his was seen in the films Chapter 27 and Dallas Buyers Club.

Will Smith

Will Smith is one of the actors in the film industry that can manage to make whatever character he portrays as likable as possible. Initially gaining fame from his acting credit in the popular TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will Smith eventually went on to star in blockbuster films like the Bad Boys movies, 1996’s Independence Day, and the Men in Black films. However, with his performance in 2006’s Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith got the opportunity to show everyone that he is more than just a witty and charismatic action star. In Pursuit of Happyness, Smith portrayed Chris Gardner, a stockbroker struggling through life’s hurdles while trying to find a home for his son to sleep in – all while trying to find a company that will hire him.

Ben Mendelsohn

To take part in two franchises that have become a big part of people’s lives can be considered a dream come true. But for Ben Mendelsohn, this childhood dream became a reality when he received an acting credit for playing Director Krennic in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He eventually starred in Marvel’s Captain Marvel as both Keller and Talos, the latter role he reprised for a cameo in Spider-man: Far From Home. In Captain Marvel, Mendelsohn portrayed a shapeshifting alien named Talos, who assumed Keller’s appearance–Keller was the boss of Nick Fury, who was portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson. For his two performances, Mendelsohn went for a strict persona with an American accent as Keller and used his native Australian accent when he put on the alien getup to play Talos.

Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller is an actor well-known for his roles in films like The Night at the Museum, Zoolander, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and Tropic Thunder. For his performance in The Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, it seems that the actor challenged himself by performing two characters at the same time. Aside from portraying the museum guard Larry Daley, Ben Stiller also acted as Laaa, the caveman. For his performance as Laaa, Stiller had to be more physically comedic, especially since the character can only speak in grunts, leaving Stiller to rely on actions and gestures. Throughout the films he has starred in, Ben Stiller has shown that he has more tricks up his acting sleeve, just waiting to be revealed.

Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey is one of the most well-known actors in the film industry, especially for his slapstick performances. Some of his most notable performances include acting credits for films like Ace Ventura, Dumb and Dumber, and The Mask. For his role as the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the massive amount of makeup and prosthetics that the actor wore thankfully didn’t affect his mastery over his facial expressions – the Grinch’s iconic smile was Jim Carrey’s doing. Jim Carrey also starred in serious roles that showcased his acting skills, like in 1998’s The Truman Show and 1999’s Man on the Moon. And in 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog, Carrey showed that he still possesses his signature comedic energy as the mad scientist Dr. Robotnik.

Bill Murray

Bill Murray is an actor well-known for his comedic performances in films. Indeed, the man is a legend. For his performance in 1991’s What About Bob?, as well as the original Ghostbusters movies, Murray showed audiences that he is more than just a one-trick wonder. For his acting credit as Bob Wiley, Murray carried a more happy-go-lucky character who was scared to explore the world. In contrast to this was his performance as Peter Venkman, who’s a sarcastic ghost-hunter who makes witty remarks during serious moments. Recently, Bill Murray also played a fictionalized version of himself in the Zombieland films – where he also, rather amusingly, went out of his way to talk about his “amazing and character-driven” performance as Garfield in the Garfield movies.