23 Celebrities Who Look Like A Totally Different Person In Their Roles, All Thanks To Makeup Artists

I honestly just can't get over how creepy bald Austin Butler looks in Dune: Part Two.

Yes, it's true. I love movie magic. And it's astounding to me when an actor goes into a project and becomes a totally different person on screen.

Vanity Fair / youtube.com

A lot of this is all thanks to the extremely talented makeup, hair, and prosthetic teams, of course. 

So, here are some of the wildest (and my favorite) celeb TV/movie/music video transformations:

1. First, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha in Dune: Part Two (2023):

Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images / Warner Bros.

The artists who made this happen: Donald Mowat served as the head of the makeup, hair, and prosthetics department for Dune and Dune: Part Two, and worked alongside his handpicked team. 

2. Karen Gillan as Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and the MCU (2014-present):

Karwai Tang / WireImage / Marvel / Everett

The artists who made this happen: David White served as the special makeup effects designer for the first Guardians movie, and he worked alongside a team of about 50 stylists and artists. 

3. Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003):

Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images / Newmarket / Everett

The artists who made this happen: Toni G worked as Charlize's makeup artist and Yoichi Art Sakamoto made her prosthetic teeth. 

4. Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour (2017):

David M. Benett/Dave Benett / Getty Images for Apple / Focus Features / Everett

The artist who made this happen: Kazuhiro Tsuji came out of retirement just to work on the transformation in this movie.  

5. Christian Bale as Dick Cheney in Vice (2018):

Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images / Annapurna / Everett

The artist who made this happen: Greg Cannom earned an Oscar nomination for his work with Christian Bale. 

6. Emma Thompson as Nanny McPhee in Nanny McPhee (2005):

Dave Hogan / Getty Images / Universal / Everett

The artists who made this happen: Peter Swords King worked as the movie's hair and makeup designer, and he worked alongside his team of artists and stylists.  

7. Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan in I'm Not There (2007):

Jon Kopaloff / FilmMagic / TWC / Everett

The artists who made this happen: Peter Swords King and Rick Findlater worked as the makeup and hair designers along with a team of artists and stylists. 

8. Donald Glover as Teddy Perkins in Atlanta Season 2, Episode 6, "Teddy Perkins" (2018):

Theo Wargo / Getty Images / FX

The artists who made this happen: Denise Tunnell served as the show's makeup department head along with Stephen Prouty as the special effects makeup artist, and their team of artists and stylists. 

9. Tilda Swinton as Dianna in Trainwreck (2015):

Chris Saucedo / Getty Images for SXSW / Universal Everett

The artist who made this happen: Kyra Panchenko served as the movie's makeup department head and worked alongside a team of stylists and artists. 

10. John Travolta as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (2007):

Jeff Vespa / WireImage / New Line Cinema / Everett

The artists who made this happen: Tony Gardner served as the film's makeup effects designer and special effects makeup artist, along with an SFX team from Alterian for this transformation. Yolanda Toussieng was John's personal hairstylist. 

11. Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008):

Sean Gallup / Getty Images / Warner Bros. / Everett

The artist who made this happen: John Caglione Jr. served as Heath's personal makeup artist for this film. 

12. Jared Leto as Paolo Gucci in House of Gucci (2021):

Momodu Mansaray / Getty Images / MGM / Everett

The artists who made this happen: Göran Lundström, AnnaCarin Lock, and Federica Castelli were the prosthetic artists who worked directly with Jared on this transformation. 

13. Eddie Murphy as Saul in Coming to America (1988):

George Rose / Getty Images / Paramount

The artists who made this happen: Bernadine M. Anderson served as head makeup artist for this movie and worked alongside a team of stylists and artists. 

14. Lily James as Pamela Anderson in Pam & Tommy (2022):

Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images / Hulu / Everett

The artist who made this happen: Abby Lyle was Lily's personal prosthetic makeup artist for the series. 

15. Taylor Swift as Tyler Swift in "The Man" music video (2019):

Jon Kopaloff / WireImage / Republic /  youtube.com

The artist who made this happen: Bill Corso served as the music video's makeup designer, who'd previously worked with Taylor on the "Look What You Made Me Do" video.  

16. Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull (1980):

Ira Wyman/Sygma via Getty Images / United Artists / Everett

The artist who made this happen: Michael Westmore served as the movie's makeup creator, and he sculpted a replica of Jake LaMotta's nose for Robert to wear in the movie. 

17. Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp in Impeachment: American Crime Story (2021):

Steven Simione / FilmMagic / FX / Everett

The artists who made this happen: Robin Beauchesne served as the series' makeup department head along with her team of stylists and artists. Yoichi Art Sakamoto made her prosthetic teeth.

18. Glenn Close as Gutless in Hook (1991):

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images / TriStar Pictures

The artists who made this happen: Christina Smith served as the film's makeup supervisor, and she worked alongside a team of artists and stylists. 

19. Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993):

Bob Riha, Jr. / Getty Images / 20th Century Fox

The artists who made this happen: Ve Neill served as the film's key makeup artist and worked with a team from Cannom Creations to make Robin's transformation happen. 

20. Jake Epstein as Alphonso Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy Season 3 (2022):

Jon Kopaloff / WireImage / Netflix

The artists who made this happen: Zane Knisely serves as the series' prosthetic supervisor and worked alongside a team of stylists and artists. 

21. Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things Season 4 (2022):

Tommaso Boddi / WireImage / Netflix

The artists who made this happen: Barrie Gower and Duncan Jarman serve as the series' makeup effects department heads and worked alongside a huge team of stylists and artists for Jamie's transformation. 

22. David Harbour as Hellboy in Hellboy (2019):

Gabe Ginsberg / WireImage / Summit / Everett

The artist who made this happen: Joel Harlow served as the film's special character and makeup designer, and he worked with a team of stylists and artists for David's transformation. 

23. And finally, Jim Carrey as the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000):

SGranitz / WireImage / Universal / Everett

The artists who made this happen: Angelina Avellone served as the movie's makeup department head and worked alongside stylists, artists, and a team from Cinovation Studios for Jim's transformation.