From prosthetics to makeup magic, these performers are truly unrecognizable on screen! Join us as we count down the actors who completely transform for their roles. You might pass these stars on the street without ever realizing they played some of TV's most memorable characters. Which transformation shocked you the most?
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00God forbid you had to work with the ugly girl your dad forced you to hire.
00:03Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at TV actors you likely wouldn't recognize if you
00:08passed them on the street, assuming they weren't in full makeup and wardrobe.
00:13You know, maybe you don't like me. It's fine. I'm in a quiet taste.
00:19Number 10, Ewan McGregor, Fargo. This Scottish actor received an Emmy nomination for his dual
00:25performance in season three of Fargo. McGregor plays brothers Emmett and Ray Stussy.
00:30Look, I'm getting engaged. Again. Don't say that. I'm sorry. I just...
00:35Although McGregor changes his accent as Emmett, the role doesn't entail much of a physical
00:40transformation. Ray is another story. Not only does he sound different, but there are few traces
00:46of McGregor behind Ray's scruffy mustache, receding hairline, and beer belly.
00:51You're the bottle and I'm the beer.
00:53Or the beer in the glass, in my case.
00:56Oh yeah, but I mean, it comes in...
00:59No, I know. Yeah.
01:01These jarring differences overshadow the subtler touches, like how Emmett has brown eyes while
01:06Ray's are blue. McGregor is so unrecognizable as Ray that we struggle to believe it's him.
01:12We have an even harder time believing somebody like Ray can land a knockout like Nikki, although
01:17it makes a little more sense knowing he's her parole officer.
01:20What the heck? There's something wrong with your chi. What's that?
01:25Like your energy flow. You're... You're all blocked up, babe.
01:30Number 9. Jaleel White
01:32Family Matters
01:33We all joke about Clark Kent's disguise when he isn't Superman. To be fair, a pair of oversized
01:40glasses can go a long way. Just look at Steve Urkel. Yes, actor Jaleel White puts on a high-pitched,
01:46nasally voice, but it wouldn't have the same impact without those geeky spectacles.
01:51Hi, Mr. Winslow. I'm Steve Urkel.
01:58White played a significant role in perfecting Urkel's look, borrowing the glasses from his
02:03father. The change is complete with a pair of suspenders and the dorky walk that White supplied
02:08the character. Audiences realized just how different Urkel is from his actor with the
02:17introduction of Stefan Urkel, who shares more in common with White. When Stefan pretends to be
02:22Steve in one episode, it feels like a meta-commentary on White's transformation.
02:27If our manny could see me now... Oh, that was awful.
02:35How ye be, Laura Lee?
02:37Number 8. Madeline Brewer
02:39The Handmaid's Tale
02:40When you meet Madeline Brewer, the first thing you'll notice is that she has two eyes. Although
02:45many handmaids blend in with each other due to their red ensembles, Janine Lindo sticks out with
02:51no right eye. Before Gilead, Janine wasn't afraid to advocate for herself.
02:56Oh, you are so lucky! So privileged!
03:04Welcome to the friggin' loony bin, right?
03:06Once she spoke out against her oppressors, Janine lost more than an eye. Brewer's transformation
03:12goes beyond a prosthetic. Much of the performance is in Brewer's body language.
03:17We can tell that this is a woman living in constant fear, torn between surviving and giving up.
03:28Fellow handmaid June inspires Janine to keep fighting. Janine may never be the same, physically
03:34or mentally, but the person she used to be is still behind the eye patch, eager to break free.
03:39I'm not a mushroom. I'm not.
03:45Okay.
03:45So you can't keep me in the dark and feed me lies and shit and expect me to just be okay with it.
03:51Number 7. Christina Ricci and Sammy Henrati
03:54Yellow Jackets
03:56The Yellow Jackets' casting directors had their work cut out for them.
04:00Not only did they have to assemble a young cast to play a high school soccer team,
04:04but they also had to find actresses to play their older counterparts.
04:08We have no trouble buying Sammy Henrati as a teenage Christina Ricci.
04:13I was so intrigued to see how quickly she can switch on and off certain things and manipulate others.
04:19Okay.
04:20She's a villainous golden retriever.
04:22Ironically though, neither actress looks anything like Misty Quigley.
04:26Misty's untamable blonde hair reflects her unpredictable nature,
04:30while thick glasses conceal something more devious within.
04:34Ricci and Henrati noticed that people treated them differently after they put their glasses and wigs on.
04:40I show up on set and immediately I'm starting to transform.
04:43I'm a completely different person.
04:46I don't like playing likable characters.
04:48I like when people behave really badly.
04:49In a way, this helped them to better understand Misty's actions.
04:54Misty has always been treated as the oddball out, influencing her to take extreme measures.
04:59Well, I'll f***ing kill you.
05:07Number 6.
05:08Naomi Grossman, American Horror Story
05:11Pepper is the first American Horror Story character to appear in more than one season.
05:16Living with microcephaly, the character is instantly recognizable to fans,
05:21yet they probably wouldn't recognize actress Naomi Grossman.
05:25Although she isn't microcephalic in real life, Grossman met people with this condition to prepare for the role.
05:31You and I have known each other a very long time.
05:39And I understand you even without words.
05:42In addition to shaving her head, Grossman would have to undergo over two hours in the makeup chair
05:47to change her ears, nose, and forehead.
05:50She also wore a pair of fake teeth, altering the way Grossman spoke,
05:54and a contact lens that made it difficult for her to see in one eye.
05:58He took one look at the shape of my head, and I was locked up for good.
06:03Let's heart works for us freaks.
06:05We get blamed for everything.
06:06Grossman didn't know what she was getting into when she auditioned.
06:09She didn't even know she was auditioning for Pepper.
06:11If you were a cast member of this cult sci-fi series,
06:18chances are you were either a puppet or hidden under layers of makeup.
06:23For Gigi Edgley, it was the latter.
06:25I'm so lucky I had this, like, this, this, she, she gave me so much, you know,
06:32I would sit in the chair and be like, hurry up, put her on, put her on.
06:35As Chiana, this Australian actress first encountered the Moya crew in season one.
06:40Part of the Nibari species, Chiana was supposed to die after one episode,
06:45but got upgraded to a regular by season two.
06:48Who are you speaking to?
06:50Is that a cum?
06:53Easy, easy girl.
06:55I didn't know you cared.
06:56This meant Edgley would spend more hours in the makeup chair,
07:00about three and a half daily,
07:02disappearing behind that white hair, bulging contact lenses, and gray skin.
07:06Edgley didn't want Chiana to come across as a human wearing alien makeup.
07:11I, um, I don't respect authority.
07:14I do what I want when I want to do it.
07:17She sought to play up the creature angle,
07:19creating an even greater divide between the actress and character.
07:24Number 4.
07:25America Ferreira, Ugly Betty
07:27America Ferreira wasn't a complete unknown when she landed the role in Ugly Betty.
07:32For many audiences, though, Betty Suarez was their introduction to Ferreira.
07:40Oh. My. God.
07:42It wasn't until Ferreira started picking up awards for her acclaimed performance
07:46that more people saw her without the red glasses, uncamped hair, and braces,
07:51the latter of which often caused the actress to drool.
07:55The makeup and wardrobe department went the extra mile to make Ferreira appear ugly.
07:59The results were admittedly more adorkable than ugly,
08:03which we think was always the intention.
08:06Hi, I'm a really big fan of yours.
08:08That travel layout you did with the tiki torches.
08:11Wow, that was, that was really gorgeous.
08:16However, you'd describe Betty's looks, she's a far cry from Ferreira.
08:21Even as Betty tweaks her appearance throughout the series,
08:24she shares only a marginal resemblance to the actress who brought her to life.
08:28It's a, um, Black and Latina organization of bloggers,
08:32and they would like to award Betty Suarez for the best new blog.
08:36Number 3. Emma Darcy, House of the Dragon.
08:39You know my oath reaches beyond our personal ambitions.
08:46A song of ice and fire.
08:48It was jarring when we first saw Emilia Clarke without her Khaleesi wig.
08:52Of all the actors who played Targaryen,
08:54Emma Darcy might be the hardest to recognize outside of hair, makeup, and costume.
09:00Part of that's because Darcy regularly changes their appearance.
09:04When Darcy attends an event, you rarely know what to expect.
09:07One night, Darcy might sport a brunette look.
09:10The next, they'll rock blue hair and eye makeup.
09:13I think the vibe is like, uh, child piano prodigy.
09:19Um, and, and, and maybe the recital's not gone well.
09:22Bleach blonde and bright red are just some of the other hair colors that Darcy has adopted.
09:28Whenever they're in character as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, though,
09:31Darcy embraces the Targaryen look with platinum blonde hair,
09:34pale skin, and an intense glare that practically breathes fire through the eyes.
09:39You like me?
09:43Number 2. Colin Farrell, The Penguin
09:46Although Colin Farrell debuted as Oswald Cobb in the Batman movie,
09:50the Penguin miniseries is where the character gets fleshed out.
09:54You can make it sound so simple.
09:57But it's my guys doing all the heavy lifting.
09:59You know, revenge don't come easy.
10:01Speaking of flesh, we see a lot more of Oz in this show.
10:05Not just his body, but his soul, or what few shreds remain as he rises through the ranks.
10:11Can you imagine to be remembered like that?
10:15Revered.
10:17What is this?
10:19Farrell and company take what's traditionally an over-the-top comic book villain,
10:23crafting a Penguin who could seemingly exist in the real world.
10:26Think Tony Soprano, but with even worse mother issues.
10:30Open your eyes.
10:31Aswald, it's too much.
10:36Farrell may have sounded like an unconventional choice for the role,
10:40yet the outcome is a testament to his towering performance and the god-tier makeup.
10:45If you look deep into Oz's eyes, maybe you'll find a hint of Farrell, but nowhere else.
10:51Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel
10:54and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
10:57You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
11:01If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
11:07Number 1.
11:08Donald Glover, Atlanta
11:10No, we aren't talking about Ern Marks,
11:13the protagonist that Donald Glover regularly played on Atlanta.
11:16We're talking about another Glover character who only appeared on the show once,
11:22but took on a life of his own.
11:24In the market for a new piano, Lakeith Stanfield's Darius meets the reclusive Teddy Perkins.
11:32How long have you played?
11:33Imagine if Michael Jackson and baby Jane Hudson had a child.
11:37The product would be Mr. Perkins,
11:39a deeply unsettling individual whose artificial face provides a gateway into his disturbed mind.
11:45Congratulations.
11:48But for what?
11:49I choose you.
11:55The episode's credits read,
11:57Teddy Perkins as himself.
11:58In reality, it was Glover who proved so convincing
12:02that even some other people on set didn't know it was him.
12:05Glover didn't just transform.
12:07He actually made us believe Teddy Perkins was real.
12:10It's a very hard thing.
12:11Which actor do you think looks nothing like their character?
12:20Let us know in the comments.
12:21And I'm like fully in it, like staring at people, grunting, growling, pacing.
12:28Do you agree with our picks?
12:29Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
12:31And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
12:41We'll see you next time.