Ask Javier Bardem: A bad haircut adds acting cred, and Williams went for it in Wendy and Lucy. The only thing of beauty onscreen was the gorgeous Pacific Northwest.
Would she have nabbed an Oscar for The Hours without that fake schnoz? All we know is, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore, her small-nosed costars, weren’t recognized for their roles.
Moving out of 90210, she won one Oscar playing a girl passing for a guy (Boys Don’t Cry) and another as a girl butch enough to climb into the ring (Million Dollar Baby).
As the title character in Monster, she gained 30 pounds, wore fake teeth and acted her temporarily ample butt off, earning just about every award short of the Nobel Peace Prize.
As if a dorky hairstyle and wardrobe weren’t unflattering enough, Mad Men put Moss in a fat suit to simulate Peggy Olson’s unplanned pregnancy in the show’s first season.
Enough with adorable. As Little Edie in Grey Gardens, Barrymore used a fat suit and makeup that aged her from 18 to 58 to make the world notice her serious acting chops.
There’s something about casting a blond beauty as a frizzy-haired pet-storeclerk (in Being John Malkovich) that attracts critical praise—and a Golden Globe nom.
Mary Evans/SINGLE CELL / PROPAGANDA/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection
America Ferrera - before
Her “Bettification” for Ugly Betty meant wearing braces, an unruly wig and bushy brows. The extreme makeunder helped her win a Golden Globe and an Emmy.
To transform this diva into a dowdy social worker for Precious, under-eye bags and dreary hair were just a start. The filmmakers perfected the look with one final detail: a mustache.
The superstar didn’t need wrinkle-enhancing makeup and the ugliest bonnet on the planet to snag an Oscar nom as Doubt’s crabby head nun. But Lord knows they didn’t hurt.
