{"id":15477,"date":"2020-09-17T12:36:51","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T19:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/?p=15477"},"modified":"2020-09-18T13:07:44","modified_gmt":"2020-09-18T20:07:44","slug":"extreme-celebrity-transformations-for-a-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/extreme-celebrity-transformations-for-a-role\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Times Celebrities Had Colin Farrell In &#8216;The Batman&#8217;-Like Transformations For A Role"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When the trailer for <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.atomtickets.com\/movies\/the-batman\/287183\">The Batman<\/a><\/em> first dropped late last month, the most pressing matter was to get a look at Robert Pattinson\u2019s portrayal of the iconic Caped Crusader. Though the trailer teased what looks like a very new and exciting take on the franchise, what left the most impact, at least for me, was a brief image of <a href=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/colin-farrell-grew-up-with-adam-west-tim-burton-batman\/\">Colin Farrell in his role as the Penguin<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Batman - &#039;Vengeance&#039; Teaser Trailer\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/E7llz7V1rcs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I  wasn&#8217;t the only one. Fans across the internet were blown away by Farrell&#8217;s complete transformation. Can you blame them? This is what he normally looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/colin_farrell_2017___getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15479\" srcset=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/colin_farrell_2017___getty.jpg 800w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/colin_farrell_2017___getty-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And this is what he looks like in <em>The Batman<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It&#39;s been 18 hours and my brain is still having trouble accepting the fact this is Colin Farrell. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TheBatman?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#TheBatman<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JRoD75ecx2\">pic.twitter.com\/JRoD75ecx2<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Alisha Grauso (@AlishaGrauso) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlishaGrauso\/status\/1297606090113216512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 23, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Farrell initially seemed like an odd choice to play the Penguin since he doesn\u2019t quite match the appearance of the comic book character, but he is virtually unrecognizable in this trailer. It\u2019s hard to discern exactly what the transformation process was for Farrell, with such limited screen time, but we can look to films in the past to get an idea of what goes into this sort of change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seeing Farrell\u2019s metamorphosis calls to mind other actors who have similarly transformed for iconic roles. While some actors choose to take on major dietary changes and extreme workout regimens, other transformations can be largely attributed to make up and prosthetics. Here are five times actors have undergone major transformations for a role that have stuck with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Emma Stone and Steve Carell in &#8216;Battle of the Sexes&#8217;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"539\" src=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/stone-carell-battle.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/stone-carell-battle.jpg 900w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/stone-carell-battle-480x287.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Battle of the Sexes<\/em> is based on real events, dramatizing a famous tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in the early 1970s that was billed as &#8220;The Battle of the Sexes.\u201d Riggs, an aging professional tennis player, made the claim that even though he was past his prime, he could still win against any of the professional women\u2019s tennis players currently competing and challenged some notable players to a match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>King agreed to the match in an effort to bring attention to the movement that sought to give female tennis players equal compensation to their male counterparts, while Riggs pursued the match largely as an opportunity to indulge in his gambling addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the two lead characters are both based on real-life people, Emma Stone and Steve Carell both had a template to work with, but a tough one to fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The changes feel subtle. There\u2019s no major prosthetic or CGI enhancement in this, but dramatic wigs in tandem with Stone\u2019s upgraded workout regimen to help her gain muscle, the results are pretty dramatic. (Stone&#8217;s trainer for the movie, Jason Walsh, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/881311\/how-emma-stone-gained-15-pounds-for-battle-of-the-sexes\">said Stone worked out five times a week<\/a> in order to gain 15 lbs of muscle.) Both actors look quite different and do a good job of replicating the looks of the real-world people they\u2019re portraying. They\u2019re still identifiable as themselves, but it&#8217;s impressive how much of a difference the changes make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Tilda Swinton in &#8216;Okja&#8217;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"539\" src=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/tilda.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15481\" srcset=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/tilda.jpg 900w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/tilda-480x287.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the first transformations that came immediately to mind was Tilda Swinton in <em>Okja<\/em>, where she plays a pair of twins, Lucy and Nancy Mirando, who control a company growing genetically modified super pigs. The film\u2019s story focuses on Mija, a young girl who hopes to protect Okja, the super pig she raised, from Mirando Corporation and the machinations of the Mirando twins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Swinton&#8217;s roles in Okja are especially impressive because it appears that the bulk of her aesthetic transformation is the result of hair and styling and doesn\u2019t appear to involve major prosthetic additions or complicated makeup. Despite this, she still seems completely distinct from her actor self. Not to mention, she plays two characters in <em>Okja<\/em> &#8211; double the transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Okja<\/em> isn&#8217;t the only example of characters that have required a full transformation from Swinton; she&#8217;s had nearly as many distinct looks as she has had roles. Her turn as Minister Mason in <em>Snowpiercer<\/em>, another of Bong Joon Ho\u2019s films, is similarly impressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Jemaine Clement in &#8216;Men In Black 3&#8217;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"539\" src=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/clement.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15482\" srcset=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/clement.jpg 900w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/clement-480x287.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In the third installment of the <em>Men In Black<\/em> franchise, audiences saw Will Smith resume his iconic role of Agent J, a member of a secret government agency that defends the planet from aliens. Boris the Animal, an extra-terrestrial fugitive played by Jemaine Clement travels, back in time to prevent the events that lead to his initial capture, and J must follow him to the past to prevent him from changing the timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a huge <em>Flight of the Conchords<\/em> fan, and just a fan of Jemaine Clement in general, his role in the third <em>Men In Black<\/em> movie was the primary reason I went to see it. I spent most of my time in the theater trying to get a glimpse of Jemaine hidden under his Boris the Animal costume but struggled to see any resemblance at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0kwpKAbhPWI\" data-rel=\"lightbox-video-0\">an interview with Fandom<\/a> regarding the process of applying the makeup and prosthetics, Clement mentioned that \u201cthe first time they put the makeup on it took eight hours\u201d adding that they \u201cgradually got it down to four hours\u201d as filming went on. His look can be attributed to a combination of makeup, prosthetics, and a bit of CGI. In the end, the eight-hour days look like they paid off after seeing how he was transformed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Zoe Saldana in &#8216;Avatar&#8217;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"539\" src=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/saldana.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15483\" srcset=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/saldana.jpg 900w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/saldana-480x287.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Zoe Saldana has played two notable extra-terrestrial characters in her career as Gamora in <em>Guardians of the Galaxy<\/em> and Neytiri in <em>Avatar<\/em>. Both required dramatic transformations to give her an otherworldly aesthetic, but it\u2019s her transformation for <em>Avatar<\/em> that blurs the line of whether or not it\u2019s even still her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Avatar<\/em> follows a group of human space explorers in their quest to colonize a foreign planet they\u2019ve named Pandora and to harvest a rare mineral called unobtainium which is characteristically, difficult to obtain. In an effort to interact with and learn from the natives of the planet, the Na\u2019vi, they build genetically engineered bodies that resemble those of the Na\u2019vi. Saldana plays Neytiri, the daughter of two Na\u2019vi leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her role in <em>Avatar <\/em>may feel like a cheat, as her character is done entirely with the use of motion capture and CGI. It could certainly be argued that Saldana is playing an animated character and that she isn\u2019t really physically in the movie. But the extensive use of motion capture, which utilizes her motions, her facial expressions, and her acting performance to create the final image, helps make a case that this counts as an aesthetic transformation and thus justifies a spot on the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Christian Bale in &#8216;Vice&#8217;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"539\" src=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/bale.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/bale.jpg 900w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/bale-480x287.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As impressive as all the superhero and alien cosmetics are, for me, no transformation is more impressive than when an actor can completely shapeshift into another human character. It&#8217;s even more impressive for me when the character being emulated is a real person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Christian Bale is no stranger to transforming to fit a role. We\u2019ve seen the actor take on extreme weight loss for his role in <em>The Machinist<\/em> and we\u2019ve seen him gain weight before for films like <em>American Hustle<\/em> or pack on pure, massive muscle for roles like Batman. But his greatest transformation has to be in 2018&#8217;s <em>Vice<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bale portrays former Vice President Dick Cheney both in his younger years and during the Bush administration. When I think Dick Cheney look-a-likes, Christian Bale doesn\u2019t even grace the Top 5 for me. But after all the movie magic, Bale really does bear a striking resemblance to the former VP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This transformation is extremely similar to Farrell&#8217;s for <em>The Batman<\/em>. Farrell\u2019s Penguin is a supervillain, but, much like Bale with <em>Vice<\/em>, Farrell&#8217;s transformation isn\u2019t one that\u2019s otherworldly or supernatural but into a completely different human being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though we\u2019ll only know the full extent of Farrell\u2019s transformation once more of the film is revealed, considering all the impressive things Hollywood is doing with makeup and CGI, it\u2019s exciting to wonder how <em>The Batman<\/em> will use these tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Batman<\/em> is in theaters on October 1, 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.atomtickets.com\/movies\/the-batman\/287183\">Add <em>The Batman<\/em> to Your Watchlist for updates.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the trailer for The Batman first dropped late last month, the most pressing matter was to get a look at Robert Pattinson\u2019s portrayal of the iconic Caped Crusader. Though the trailer teased what looks like a very new and exciting take on the franchise, what left the most impact, at least for me, was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":15487,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[40,37],"class_list":["post-15477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial","tag-featuredpage","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15477"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15488,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15477\/revisions\/15488"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}