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1 year ago
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You're probably no stranger to the fact that movies and TV sometimes use a little ~enhancing~ to get actors into character. But sometimes the changes are so subtle, you may not actually notice them!
NBC
We've done some digging to find examples of when your fave shows and films have used a little artistic license to subtly change the way actors look. Here are some of the best ones:
1. In The Notebook, Ryan Gosling wore brown contact lenses to change the colour of his naturally blue eyes.
New Line Cinema
This meant his eyes matched James Garner's, who was the actor playing the older version of Noah (Ryan's character). Director Nick Cassavetes said that when Gosling raised the fact that there was a difference in eye colour between him and Garner, Garner replied "Everyone knows Jim Garner's got brown eyes. Do what you want, kid."
2. Reese Witherspoon wore a wig during the final scenes of Legally Blonde.
MGM / The Weinstein Company
This was because an alternative ending was shot at the last minute, by which time Reese had already changed her hair for The Importance of Being Earnest.
3. In Silicon Valley, you might've believed that Martin Starr's beard was all his own, but there were actually hairs added to it to make it appear a little longer.
HBO / Steve Granitz / FilmMagic / Via Getty Images
Apparently, the extra hair was added for the series finale, and it involved the tricky job of trying to curl the hairs in and out so the line between where the real hair ends and the fake hair begins wasn't visible. Clever, huh?
4. In Fifty Shades of Grey, digital edits were made to Dakota Johnson's body to add in pubic hair.
Universal Pictures
The movie's director wanted go for a 'natural look'. Sam Taylor-Johnson told HuffPost Live that she'd discussed with Dakota that Anastasia "should start one way... [and go] on this journey with it, and in line with how it’s written in the book, is the journey of that."
5. To give her hair more (almost unattainable) volume, Kristen Stewart sported a hairpiece in the Twilight films.
Summit Entertainment / Andreas Rentz / Via Getty Images
Ever wondered why your hair doesn't look like Bella's beautiful bouffant locks? Well, don't feel bad! It's probably because Kristen wore "painful" extensions as well as brown contacts to change her into the Twilight heroine.
6. Speaking of hair, could you tell that Sandra Bullock was wearing a wig in parts of Miss Congeniality?
Warner Bros
She did this for the pre-makeover Gracie, which apparently only took 30 minutes to prepare versus the 2.5 hours it took to get her glam look for the pageant scenes.
7. Directors used a trick called forced perspective in the original Top Gun to make Tom Cruise appear taller.
Paramount Pictures
Kelly McGillis, who starred alongside Cruise, was 5"10 against his 5"7 frame. Thanks to some clever camera-work, it appeared the pair were the same height in their scenes together. This trickery works by putting people at slightly different distances from the camera lens, but keeping everything in focus; it's one of the techniques they used on Hagrid in the Harry Potter films!
8. If you loved Jeremy's arms in Tag, I'm sorry to burst your bubble! The actor had to have CGI arms in a scene because he'd actually broken his during filming.
Warner Bros
Renner was wearing green casts that were then edited out so that the arms could be added in... Technology is impressive.
9. You might've noticed that Meryl Streep's teeth looked a little different in Big Little Lies season two – that's because they were actually not hers.
HBO / 20th Century Studios
Apparently, this was Meryl's idea, and it was so that her character could look more like her fictional son in the first season. Now THAT'S dedication.
10. Meryl isn't alone in changing her teeth for a movie. Amongst a whole host of other changes, you might've noticed Charlize Theron also had false teeth in in Monster.
Newmarket Films / Focus Features
She also stopped exercising and used make-up to help her look like serial killer Aileen Wuornos.
11. Lena Headey used a body double for Cersei's walk of atonement in Game of Thrones.
HBO
Headey wore a beige dress while acting out the scene, and her body double (who performed nude) was an actress Rebecca Van Cleave.
12. You may not expect (I certainly didn't) that Billie Piper used a foot double during the filming of The Secret Diary of a Call Girl.
ITV2
Apparently, Billie hates her feet, calling them 'vulgar'. So she opted for a double to *ahem* step in instead.
13. Tilda Swinton did an hour-long self-tanning session every day to transform herself into her Trainwreck character, Dianna.
Universal Pictures/Mike Marsland / WireImage / Via Getty Images
She also wore a shoulder-length wig to give her longer locks. Did you know that the inspiration behind her character's look was former Vogue Paris editor, Carine Roitfeld?
14. During series six of Friends, Phoebe's hair was enhanced using extensions.
NBC / Warner Bros Pictures
This was because Lisa's hair had been cut so she could star in Analyze This, in which she sports a significantly shorter 'do.
15. If you've ever looked twice at Nicole Kidman in The Hours, and tried to work out why she looks different, it's probably because you clocked her prosthetic nose.
Paramount Pictures / Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group
The prosthetic was added to give Kidman a closer appearance to her character, Virginia Woolf. It seems like the commitment to her role paid off, as Kidman later won an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance.
16. Isla Fisher opted for a body double for her saucy scenes in The Wedding Crashers. She even used a hand double for the "crotch-feeling" scene with Vince Vaughn!
New Line Cinema
Isla had a very particular reason for her decision, telling Entertainment Weekly, "if you see a character's breast, she's no longer funny. You see her as someone sexual rather than as someone funny".
17. And finally, speaking of prosthetics, in The White Lotus, Theo James admitted to sporting a fake penis in his nude scenes.
HBO
Apparently he asked for it 'not to be distracting', but the scene ended up being a HUGE talking point among fans online.
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