Blurring Art and Reality: The Actors Who Have Endured Nightmarish Transformations to Morph into Big-Screen Versions of Real-Life Characters

Ashton Kutcher played the role of Steve Jobs, Apple Inc. founder, in the film Jobs. The flick delved into the late CEO's humble beginnings in the 1970s until he created the first iPod and launched the company.

During the 2013 film's premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Kutcher opened up about playing the role of the digital entrepreneur.

He said: "It was kind of like throwing myself into this gauntlet of, I know, massive amounts of criticism", expressing how terrifying it was to play the real-life tech icon less than two years after his death.

Kutcher added that he studied Jobs' mannerisms by watching "hundreds of hours of footage" and listening to his past speeches. He also followed the late CEO's fruitarian diet, which led Kutcher to be hospitalized two days before shooting started.

Director Steven Spielberg knew Daniel Day-Lewis was the perfect actor to play Abraham Lincoln's role in the film Lincoln due to his physical features.

The filmmaker said: "That was his hair, his beard, he had very light makeup on his face. And we added the mole, of course. I don't know how much. But he was as lean as I've ever seen him."

Denzel Washington was tapped to portray African-American activist Malcolm X in the 1992 film. Although he did a great job in the movie, he admitted to feeling worried about being the best person for the role.

He told The New York Times: "I remember feeling two ways: Like this was heavy, mean stuff and also like this was helping me get some things off my chest. There was something invigorating about being able to say things you felt. I remember thinking what it must have felt like to be so free to be able to say anything. It must have made for tension."

The controversy surrounding the movie made Washington and Spike Lee grow more concerned for their safety.

The Theory of Everything wowed Stephen Hawking's fans by tapping Eddie Redmayne to play the role of the physicist. The lead star, who won a Tony for Red, underwent a massive transformation for the flick.

He told Variety, referring to being compared to Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Hawking in a 2004 BBC TV movie: "I totally see why people are (comparing us), because of the subject matter; we both play geniuses. But I won’t be engaged in that. I think he’s the most beautiful actor. I’ve long admired his work, and continue to do so. I hope there’s room for both our films."

Johnny Depp transformed into James "Whitey" Bulger, the infamous crime boss who was killed by his fellow inmates in 2018 while serving his two life sentences for 11 murders, in the film Black Mass.

Depp said: "It would have been easy to dive into this thing as if it were just simply a gangster film. Present the people, warts and all, and then allow their personality, their way of life, to reveal themselves."

While fans loved the Pirates of the Caribbean star's acting, the ex-con was reportedly not a fan of the portrayal.

Bulger's defense attorney, Hank Brennan, issued a statement to People saying Depp might have missed the mark.

The lawyer said: "Hollywood greed is behind the rush to portray my client, and the movie missed the real scourge created in my client’s case, the real menace to Boston during that time and in other mob cases around the country – the federal government’s complicity in each and every one of those murders with the top echelon informant program.

"Hollywood greed is behind the rush to portray my client, and the movie missed the real scourge created in my client’s case, the real menace to Boston during that time and in other mob cases around the country – the federal government’s complicity in each and every one of those murders with the top echelon informant program."

Martin Scorsese-directed film The Wolf of Wall Street saw Leonardo DiCaprio transform into financial criminal and former stockbroker Jordan Belfort.

While working on the film, DiCaprio received help from Belfort who taught him how to behave while on drugs.

Belfort told The New York Post: "I showed him what it looks and feels like when you are high on quaaludes. I... started crawling around. We were both on the floor, drooling. His father walked into the room and asked us what the f--- we were doing."

Matthew McConaughey underwent an extreme physical transformation to play the role of Ron Woodroof in the film Dallas Buyers Club. He maintained a diet that only included vegetables, fish, tapioca, and egg whites and managed to lose 50 pounds in five months.

McConaughey said: "It was my responsibility. If I looked how I look now and played Ron Woodroof from 'Dallas Buyers Club', you are out of the movie the first frame."

The Iron Lady explored the life of Margaret Thatcher, and the film also helped Meryl Streep get her 17th Oscar nomination and third win.

Streep said: "The prospect of exploring the swathe cut through history by this remarkable woman is a daunting and exciting challenge. I am trying to approach the role with as much zeal, fervor and attention to detail as the real Lady Thatcher possesses — I can only hope my stamina will begin to approach her own!"

Michelle Williams transformed into real-life Marilyn Monroe in the film My Week with Marilyn, which explored the s-- symbol's life in the 1950s. Despite gaining several accolades, she said taking on the late star's role was a challenge for her.

Williams recalled: "As soon as I finished the script, I knew that I wanted to do it, and then I spent six months trying to talk myself out of it. But I always knew that I never really had a choice. I've started to believe that you get the piece of material that you were ready for."

She learned how Monroe walked and talked, and she perfectly created her screen persona afterward.

Starring as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in Jackie, Natalie Portman received praise for her heartwarming portrayal of the former First Lady after facing tragedies in life. To prepare for the role, Portman mastered Onassis' voice and demeanor.

The actress told Deadline: "I worked with this great dialect coach, her name's Tanya Blumstein. Every day, we would work for several hours just listening to the tapes and watching the White House tour. I had it on my iPhone and I would listen to it while I was running, cooking, or anytime I didn't have to be in dialogue with anyone else. It's a very specific accent."

Rami Malek made efforts to portray Queen's late frontman Freddie Mercury in the hit biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. Among the preparations was working with choreographer Polly Bennett.

Malek said: "I was almost choreographing my own pieces. What we needed was spontaneity. If I ever tried to just mimic his move, it would play false and everything Freddie did was in the moment."

He also wore false teeth to look and sound more like Mercury, and he reportedly found himself covering his mouth just like what the We Will Rock You singer did during his interviews.

Although playing Mercury's role was the hardest work Malek had ever done, he said everything he did to portray the character paid off.

First Man presented Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong and delved into the astronaut's life before the historic Apollo 11 moon landing.

Gosling said of his real-life character: "I don’t think Neil viewed himself as an American hero, quite the opposite. Neil was someone who was extremely humble, as were many of these astronauts…the way we made the film was to honor the way Neil viewed himself."