Stars who lost and gained weight for roles
Celebrities are known for dropping the pounds. Some have tried crazy diets; others have even gone on TV shows to get their figures back. But a few have packed on the pounds or lost ridiculous amounts of weight in the name of their art. From 50 Cent to Robert De Niro, check out a few celebrity shape shifters.
50 Cent
Jaws dropped when pics surfaced of formerly 214-pound 50 Cent looking gaunt. The rapper was known for his buff bod (see photos). To play a cancer patient in "Things Fall Apart," how much did the rapper-actor lose? He reportedly transformed in nine weeks by doing this. See which other movies 50 has starred in or has in the works.
Will Smith
After bulking up for "Ali" (trailer), the usually 205-pound Smith altered his workout regimen to get a "more sunken-in look" to star in 2009's "Seven Pounds." He lost more than the film's title -- how much? Check out his other films.
Matt Damon
Though chunky in 2009's "The Informant" (pics), 155-pound Damon was emaciated for "Courage Under Fire" (clips) in 1996. The actor later regretted the crash diet -- he ran 12 miles daily and ate only this -- because the weight loss hurt his health. Check out his other films.
Daniel Day-Lewis
Day-Lewis dropped this much to embody an Irishman wrongly accused of terrorism in 1993's "In the Name of the Father," reportedly on this kind of diet. "It's just part of the actor's job," he says. Check out his other films.
Beyoncé
Apparently, the producers of "Dreamgirls" weren't "ready for this jelly" (see: "Bootylicious" video). The curvy singer-actress lost this much for her 2006 role, with a controversial cleanse. Check out her other films.
Christian Bale
On this strange diet, Bale plunged from 184 pounds to 20 pounds below what his nutritionist advised. Total loss? The drop was to play an insomniac in 2004's "The Machinist." Bale then gained 100 pounds to play a beefy Batman. Check out his other films.
Adrien Brody
For his Oscar-winning turn in "The Pianist," Brody's instructions were to "lose as much weight as you possibly can." Remember this Oscar moment? He started at 160 pounds and lost this much. How? Check out his other films.
Tom Hanks
With a medically supervised diet and exercise, the Oscar threat has lost double digits for two films: 1993's "Philadelphia" and 2000's "Castaway." In the first, he shed 30 pounds to play an AIDS patient. He then lost even more to get stranded on an island. Check out his other films.
Colin Farrell
The actor credits his addictive personality for trimming his 5-foot-10 frame with a low-low-calorie diet (his menu). Farrell got super-skinny, losing this much, to play a war journalist in 2009's "Triage." Check out his other films.
Robert De Niro
Hollywood's quintessential shape shifter, De Niro went from boxer to blob while filming 1980's "Raging Bull" (trailer). His total gain? Director Martin Scorsese stopped filming for months so De Niro could chow down on Italian food. Check out his other films.
Renée Zellweger
Zellweger shot from size 6 to size 14, gaining this much weight, to play Bridget Jones in two movies (video), in 2001 and 2004. For the first, she pigged out on junk food; for the second, she followed a nutritionist. Now she may be doing it again. In between, she got pin-thin for "Chicago." Check out her other films.
Charlize Theron
To play a serial killer in 2003's "Monster" (clips), Theron traded the red carpet and her model's body for dive bars and a chunky build. How much did she gain? Theron attributed her "Monster" meatiness to stopping exercising and a favorite fried snack. Check out her other films.
Russell Crowe
This is one technique Crowe employs for dramatic gains. He added this much in 1999 to play a tobacco exec in "The Insider," then got ripped for "Gladiator" in 2000. Only to pack on a huge amount for 2008's "Body of Lies." Check out his other films.
Celebrities are known for dropping the pounds. Some have tried crazy diets; others have even gone on TV shows to get their figures back. But a few have packed on the pounds or lost ridiculous amounts of weight in the name of their art. From 50 Cent to Robert De Niro, check out a few celebrity shape shifters.
50 Cent
Jaws dropped when pics surfaced of formerly 214-pound 50 Cent looking gaunt. The rapper was known for his buff bod (see photos). To play a cancer patient in "Things Fall Apart," how much did the rapper-actor lose? He reportedly transformed in nine weeks by doing this. See which other movies 50 has starred in or has in the works.
Will Smith
After bulking up for "Ali" (trailer), the usually 205-pound Smith altered his workout regimen to get a "more sunken-in look" to star in 2009's "Seven Pounds." He lost more than the film's title -- how much? Check out his other films.
Matt Damon
Though chunky in 2009's "The Informant" (pics), 155-pound Damon was emaciated for "Courage Under Fire" (clips) in 1996. The actor later regretted the crash diet -- he ran 12 miles daily and ate only this -- because the weight loss hurt his health. Check out his other films.
Daniel Day-Lewis
Day-Lewis dropped this much to embody an Irishman wrongly accused of terrorism in 1993's "In the Name of the Father," reportedly on this kind of diet. "It's just part of the actor's job," he says. Check out his other films.
Beyoncé
Apparently, the producers of "Dreamgirls" weren't "ready for this jelly" (see: "Bootylicious" video). The curvy singer-actress lost this much for her 2006 role, with a controversial cleanse. Check out her other films.
Christian Bale
On this strange diet, Bale plunged from 184 pounds to 20 pounds below what his nutritionist advised. Total loss? The drop was to play an insomniac in 2004's "The Machinist." Bale then gained 100 pounds to play a beefy Batman. Check out his other films.
Adrien Brody
For his Oscar-winning turn in "The Pianist," Brody's instructions were to "lose as much weight as you possibly can." Remember this Oscar moment? He started at 160 pounds and lost this much. How? Check out his other films.
Tom Hanks
With a medically supervised diet and exercise, the Oscar threat has lost double digits for two films: 1993's "Philadelphia" and 2000's "Castaway." In the first, he shed 30 pounds to play an AIDS patient. He then lost even more to get stranded on an island. Check out his other films.
Colin Farrell
The actor credits his addictive personality for trimming his 5-foot-10 frame with a low-low-calorie diet (his menu). Farrell got super-skinny, losing this much, to play a war journalist in 2009's "Triage." Check out his other films.
Robert De Niro
Hollywood's quintessential shape shifter, De Niro went from boxer to blob while filming 1980's "Raging Bull" (trailer). His total gain? Director Martin Scorsese stopped filming for months so De Niro could chow down on Italian food. Check out his other films.
Renée Zellweger
Zellweger shot from size 6 to size 14, gaining this much weight, to play Bridget Jones in two movies (video), in 2001 and 2004. For the first, she pigged out on junk food; for the second, she followed a nutritionist. Now she may be doing it again. In between, she got pin-thin for "Chicago." Check out her other films.
Charlize Theron
To play a serial killer in 2003's "Monster" (clips), Theron traded the red carpet and her model's body for dive bars and a chunky build. How much did she gain? Theron attributed her "Monster" meatiness to stopping exercising and a favorite fried snack. Check out her other films.
Russell Crowe
This is one technique Crowe employs for dramatic gains. He added this much in 1999 to play a tobacco exec in "The Insider," then got ripped for "Gladiator" in 2000. Only to pack on a huge amount for 2008's "Body of Lies." Check out his other films.
