Entertainment

10 Gorgeous Actresses Who Got Downright Ugly for the Big Screen (PHOTOS)

EntertainmentPublished Jul 27, 2015
By Laura Anastasia
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Actresses can spend hours having their hair and makeup done in order to get into character, but the extra time doesn't always equal extra glam. In fact, for some roles, the results of all that prep work can be drab, disgusting, or downright terrifying. And that's no easy feat for makeup artists transforming gorgeous gals like Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Aniston.

Still, embracing a character that isn't easy on the eyes can be a good thing come awards season, as Oscar winner Charlize Theron learned when she took on the lead role in Monster. Regardless of motivation, these 10 actresses aren't afraid to go blah or blech for a big role. When the movie makeup comes off, however, their real beauty shines through. 

Image via Universal Pictures

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Charlize Theron-placeholder
Charlize Theron
New Market Film Group

Charlize Theron

Theron was almost unrecognizable as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster. Her transformation included shaving her eyebrows and putting on dentures and prosthetic eyelids, not to mention packing on 30 pounds. It was worth it. Theron won an Oscar for the role.

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Charlize Theron Offscreen-placeholder
Charlize Theron Offscreen
Splash News/Splash News/Corbis

Charlize Theron Offscreen

One of Hollywood's most beautiful leading ladies, the South African star's beauty secret is skipping blowdryers when she's not headed to red carpet events to give her locks a break.

3/22
Felicity Huffman-placeholder
Felicity Huffman
film still fromTransamerica

Felicity Huffman

Huffman donned fake facial stubble, thick makeup and a dowdy wig to play transsexual Bree, who is transitioning from male to female, in Transamerica. The result is one of the most stunning transformations ever recorded on film.

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Felicity Huffman Offscreen-placeholder
Felicity Huffman Offscreen
Splash News/Splash News/Corbis

Felicity Huffman Offscreen

Despite her good looks, Huffman doesn't see herself as a knockout -- and she's fine with that. "Beauty can make you powerful in a way that isn't good for you," she has said.

More from The Stir: What 10 'Dowdy' TV Actresses Look Like in Real Life (PHOTOS)

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Jennifer Aniston-placeholder
Jennifer Aniston
Cake trailer

Jennifer Aniston

Aniston ditched her workouts, skipped makeup, and added prosthetic scars to play Claire Simmons in Cake. The dowdy results were a surprise to fans of one of America's favorite sweethearts.

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Jennifer Aniston Offscreen-placeholder
Jennifer Aniston Offscreen
Splash News/Splash News/Corbis

Jennifer Aniston Offscreen

Aniston has said that her biggest beauty regret is bleaching her eyebrows once for a magazine cover. The stunning star is widely considered one of the most loveable -- and beautiful -- women in Hollywood.

7/22
Olivia Wilde-placeholder
Olivia Wilde
@oliviawilde/Twitter

Olivia Wilde

Thanks to plenty of face and body paint, Wilde transformed into a decaying demon to play a resurrected doctor in the horror flick The Lazarus Effect.

8/22
Olivia Wilde Offscreen-placeholder
Olivia Wilde Offscreen
Photo Image Press/Splash News/Corbis

Olivia Wilde Offscreen

Wilde says the secret to her good looks is her eyebrows, and grooming them is her top beauty priority. She welcomed a son, Otis, with longtime love, Jason Sudeikis, in 2014.

More from The Stir: 5 Celebrity Couples Who Share Identical Body Parts (PHOTOS)

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Salma Hayek-placeholder
Salma Hayek
Miramax.com

Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek got hairy for her starring role in Frida, sporting a unibrow and mustache. It may not seem like those two changes would make a huge impact, but did they ever!

10/22
Salma Hayek Offscreen-placeholder
Salma Hayek Offscreen
Photo Image Press/Splash News/Corbis

Salma Hayek Offscreen

The Mexican-born beauty learned the secret to flawless skin from her grandmother: "Never wash your face in the morning," the actress has said. Her beauty and cosmetics line, Nuance, is available at drugstores nationwide.

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Mariah Carey-placeholder
Mariah Carey
Lionsgate

Mariah Carey

Carey skipped makeup and her trademark false eyelashes for her role as a dowdy welfare worker in Precious, a film that went on to win critical acclaim.

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Mariah Carey Offscreen-placeholder
Mariah Carey Offscreen
Xavier Collin/Celebrity Monitor/Splash News/Corbis

Mariah Carey Offscreen

The actress, singer, and mom of twins mixes mint extract into her gloss for naturally plump lips, though we're sure that isn't her only beauty secret. 

More from The Stir: 13 Celebs Who Totally Transformed Their Looks With Plastic Surgery (PHOTOS)

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Anne Hathaway
Universal Pictures

Anne Hathaway

An already trim Hathaway shed a whopping 25 pounds and chopped off her locks for her Oscar-winning role as Fantine in Les Miserables. The result was an emaciated, pale complexion that made fans do a double take.

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Anne Hathaway Offscreen
Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com/Corbis

Anne Hathaway Offscreen

Oscar-winning Hathaway credits her glowing skin in part to Bikram yoga and a plant-based diet. She's also been known to rock short hair with style and panache, something not all starlets can do and still look good.

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Kaley Cuoco-placeholder
Kaley Cuoco
@normancook/Instagram

Kaley Cuoco

TV screen queen Cuoco traded pretty for gritty, piling on heavy eye makeup for her turn in Burning Bodhi, due out in late 2015.

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Kaley Cuoco Offscreen
Splash News/Splash News/Corbis

Kaley Cuoco Offscreen

Cuoco says she can't live without four products: Deodorant, lip conditioner, cologne, and nasal spray. "People get congested at night!" she has said. 

More from The Stir: 5 Emmy Award-Winning Actresses Who Have Made TV Worth Watching Again (PHOTOS)

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Drew Barrymore
Fox Pictures

Drew Barrymore

Barrymore dived right into Josie Geller's dorky persona in Never Been Kissed, with bad hair, blah makeup, and over-the-top clothes -- and audiences loved her for it.

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Drew Barrymore Offscreen
Splash News/Splash News/Corbis

Drew Barrymore Offscreen

Now mom to two girls and founder of her own cosmetics line, Flower Beauty, Barrymore is all about cleansing. She washes her face three times a day. "Fall asleep with your makeup on and you'll wake up doomed," she has said.

19/22
Emma Thompson-placeholder
Emma Thompson
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang trailer

Emma Thompson

The unrecognizable Thompson played for laughs with thick eyebrows, warts, frizzy hair, and a fake nose, ears, and teeth as the titular character in Nanny McPhee.

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Emma Thompson Offscreen-placeholder
Emma Thompson Offscreen
infusny-220/INFphoto.com/Corbis

Emma Thompson Offscreen

The award-winning British actress has said Botox and plastic surgery are "psychotic," a fact that makes some fans love her even more!

More from The Stir: 8 Formerly Hot Stars Who've Ruined Their Faces With Plastic Surgery (PHOTOS)

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Rooney Mara
Columbia Pictures

Rooney Mara

Mara's severe bangs, shaved eyebrows, and multiple piercings gave the actress a harsh look as Lisbeth Salander in the film adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

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Rooney Mara Offscreen-placeholder
Rooney Mara Offscreen
Photo Image Press/Splash News/Corbis

Rooney Mara Offscreen

Her unique look and talent has made Mara a rising star in Hollywood. She credits her glowing skin to her top two beauty must-haves: eating well and always wearing sunscreen.

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