Mariah Carey – Mrs Weiss in Precious
We all know Mariah is always super glam and made up, so to see her with dark hair and no make up was quite strange.
Rory McCann – The Hound in Game Of Thrones
Probably one of the most quotable characters on GOT, The Hound certainly is a memorable character. If you’ve ever wondered what he would look like without that massive scar across his face, however, take a look at Rory when he hasn’t spent 3 hours in make up to play the forbidding character.
Phyllis Logan - Mrs. Hughes in Downton Abbey
She might look strict in the period drama, but, when she’s not filming, Phyllis knows how to let her hair down, girl. She says she’s really glad that fans don’t often recognise her and that the key to pulling off Mrs Hughes’ look is “no make-up, a rather unflattering wig and letting my eyebrows grow.”
Conleth Hill - Lord Varys in Game Of Thrones
Conleth is an Irish actor whose acting skills are just as brilliant on stage as they are on screen with him being nominated for two Tony Awards. He shaves his head for the series and apparently fans struggle to recognise him when he lets it grow out while not filming.
Mayim Bialik – Amy Farrah Fowler in The Big Bang Theory
We’re so used to seeing her in bulky jerseys and glasses that we’re always surprised when Mayim shows up all glammed up on the red carpet.
Taryn Manning – Tifanny Doggett in Orange Is The New Black
The actress doesn’t have to do much to get into character, in fact, she has to stop doing a lot of her normal grooming. Taryn says she doesn’t wear any make up, doesn’t get her hair or nails done and lets her brows grow out to play her character.
Uzo Aduba – Suzanne “Cray Eyes” Warren in Orange Is The New Black
Uzo is a lot more glamourous than the woman she plays and a lot less crazy. To get into character, the show’s makeup artists apparently use black eye shadow around her eyes, fill in her eyebrows and make her skin look blotchy.
Sean Penn – Harvey Milk in Milk
The actor really committed to his performance as California’s first openly gay politician, not only did he lose weight and change his hair, but he even learnt Harvey's mannerisms and way of speaking.
Naomi Grossman – Pepper in American Horror Story
You’d be forgiven for not recognising Naomi if she walked past you in the street. The actress certainly looks nothing like her character after the three hours it takes to do her make up.
Nicole Kidman – Virginia Woolf in The Hours
Nicole had to wear a prosthetic nose, a wig and make up to alter her eye shape and skin for her role as the writer.
Cate Blanchett – Bob Dylan in I’m Not There.
Strangely, this transformation is the one that impresses me most on this list. Cate looks so much like Bob Dylan that I did a double take the first time I saw her on screen.
Tom Mison – Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow
Isn’t it amazing how a haircut and a little shave can make someone look so different yet still DAMN fine?
Emilia Clarke - Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones
The Mother of Dragons wears a wig, guys. Apparently, some fans have even asked her to take photos of them with other cast members because they didn’t recognise the Khaleesi.
Jaleel White – Steve Urkel in Family Matters
The actor is so different from his most famous character that we can hardly believe it. He doesn’t wear glasses, has a much deeper voice, and his pants thankfully do not sit under his armpits.
Meryl Streep – Magaret Thatcher in the Iron Lady
It took 2 hours and 20 minutes and a silicone mask to turn Meryl into the former British Prime Minister and we have to say they got it right.