15 Movie Stars Who Transformed Into the Real People They Played

Portraying real-life individuals onscreen comes with high expectations for actors. Even if they don’t look identical, some actors immerse themselves so deeply in their roles that they start resembling the person. Their talent to mimic speech, movements, and gestures brings these individuals back to life. Exceptional hair and makeup further enhance the astonishing likeness achieved.

1. Tom Hanks as Captain Richard Phillips in Captain Phillips

2. Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln

3. Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf in The Hours

4. Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark in Inside Look: The People v. O.J. Simpson — American Crime Story

5. Elle Fanning as Michelle Carter in The Girl from Plainville

6. Andre 3000 as Jimi Hendrix in Jimi: All Is By My Side

7. Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side

8. Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

9. Michael Douglas as Liberace in Behind the Candelabra

10. Adrien Brody as Salvador Dalí in Midnight in Paris

11. Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden in Inside Look: The People v. O.J. Simpson — American Crime Story

12. Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything

13. Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde

14. Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett in The Runaways

15. Sherilyn Fenn as Elizabeth Taylor in Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story

Actors need to be able to adapt to any challenge that comes their way, and playing a character whose age is completely far off from their own is a common one. For example, Leonardo DiCaprio was 28 years old when he played the part of 16-year-old Frank Abagnale in Catch Me If You Can, yet the movie still went on to become a classic.