\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>The Best Movies of 2025 According to Us: ‘Frankenstein\u2019 and More<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tSure, 2025 had plenty of incredible movies, but what about a best-of list filled with the films that\u00a0actually\u00a0kept Us talking \u2014 not just the ones making the most awards season noise? Don\u2019t get Us wrong: Frankenstein, Hamnet, One Battle After Another and the rest of the other Oscar-buzz crowd absolutely deserve their moment, but sometimes [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Jacob Elordi in \u2018Frankenstein\u2019<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s a story that\u2019s been told many times before, but Jacob Elordi somehow manages to bring a special charm to The Creature in Guillermo del Toro<\/strong>\u2019s Frankenstein<\/em>, even though most of the characters in the film view him as nothing more than a monster. It\u2019s Mia Goth<\/strong>\u2019s Lady Elizabeth Harlander who sees the innocence and curiosity beneath his appearance before she meets her tragic fate.<\/p>\n\u201cIt was 10 hours to kind of relinquish myself and become this thing that\u2019s other, which was a great relief, really,\u201d Elordi told Deadline<\/em><\/a> in October 2025 of the \u201cincredibly liberating\u201d transformation.<\/p>\nDwayne \u2018The Rock\u2019 Johnson in \u2018The Smashing Machine\u2019<\/h2>\n
Dwayne \u201cThe Rock\u201d Johnson committed to taking on the persona of Mark Kerr, sporting over a dozen prosthetics and a wig<\/a> in The Smashing Machine<\/em>. In fact, his performance in the film was so convincing, it left Us<\/em> doing a double take.<\/p>\n\u201cI just sat in front of that mirror for three to four hours and watched it all change. There were about 13 or 14 different prosthetics. Subtle, yet I think very impactful,\u201d he told Vanity Fair<\/em><\/a> in August 2025. \u201cBy the time I got to set, I was Mark Kerr and I felt it, from how he walked to how he talked and how he looked at life.\u201d<\/p>\nHis costar Emily Blunt<\/strong> was impressed by Johnson\u2019s dedication to accurately portraying the former professional fighter.<\/p>\n\u201cIt seemed to be an effortless immersion \u2014 like a full disappearance, spooky. From day one, he was elsewhere,\u201d Blunt told the outlet. \u201cHe has absorbed and borne witness to so much of what Mark has experienced that it was such a beautiful thing to watch this person let go of having to be an image, of having to be The Rock, and crack himself in half for this role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"MCDSMMA_EC026](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MCDSMMA_EC026-the-craziest-onscreen-movie-transformations-of-2025-jacob-elordi-and-more.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>\u00a9 A24 \/ Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSydney Sweeney in \u2018Christy\u2019<\/h2>\n
Sydney Sweeney<\/strong> gained over 30 pounds to play former professional boxer Christy Martin<\/strong> in the biographical sports drama Christy<\/em>, unlike anything she has ever done before.<\/p>\n\u201cI loved it,\u201d Sweeney told W Magazine<\/em><\/a> in June 2025. \u201cI came onboard to play Christy, and I had about three and a half months of training. I started eating. I weight-trained in the morning for an hour, kickboxed midday for about two hours and then weight-trained again at night for an hour.\u201d<\/p>\nEmma Stone in \u2018Bugonia\u2019<\/h2>\n
Yorgos Lanthimos<\/strong>\u2019 Bugonia<\/em> wastes no time presenting viewers with an important question \u2014 is Emma Stone<\/strong>\u2019s character, Michelle Fuller, an alien or not? She has her head shaved<\/a> within the first few minutes of the film by kidnappers Teddy (Jesse Plemons<\/strong>) and Don (Aidan Delbis<\/strong>) and smears her entire body in histamine cream for the terrifyingly brilliant performance that drops jaws.<\/p>\nStone revealed she would only buzz her hair off to play the role under one condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I knew we were gonna do this \u2026 I said to Yorgos, \u2018We\u2019re gonna have to shave your head too so that we\u2019re in solidarity.\u2019 And he\u2019s like, \u2018OK,’\u201d she said in a behind-the-scenes clip shared by People<\/em><\/a> in November 2025. \u201cIt was exciting but it wasn\u2019t as exciting as I thought it would be to shave his head. It was cool. But it felt more dramatic, my shave. I don\u2019t mean to brag, but my hair was pretty long, and his was not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"MCDBUGO_UC021](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MCDBUGO_UC021-the-craziest-onscreen-movie-transformations-of-2025-jacob-elordi-and-more.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>\u00a9Focus Features \/ Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nEthan Hawke in \u2018Blue Moon\u2019<\/h2>\n
Ethan Hawke<\/strong> was nearly unrecognizable in Blue Moon<\/em>, but he assured fans that wearing brown contacts was the reason behind his massive transformation.<\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s funny, I\u2019ve read reviews that cite the prosthetics or a bald cap or all these different things, none of which is there,\u201d he said at the 2025 Hamptons International Film Festival, adding that the contacts \u201csomehow changed my face dramatically in a way that I didn\u2019t understand or anticipate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I found the eyes had the biggest impact. And I noticed it right away with my castmates,\u201d Hawke added. \u201cThey were like \u2014 everybody treated me differently. The height, obviously, the hair, obviously, the body language, the voice. There were a lot of things that went into creating this character, but I found the eyes the most dramatic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ralph Fiennes in \u201828 Years Later\u2019<\/h2>\n
Ralph Fiennes<\/strong> is quite literally covered in blood and dirt in 28 Years Later<\/em>, and yet somehow still left Us<\/em> buzzing over his character\u2019s humanity in a seriously messed up world. The actor also appeared more muscular in the film, something that he intentionally worked on to benefit the character of Dr. Ian Kelson.<\/p>\n\u201cDr. Kelson had to look strong and agile enough to be able to survive in a world full of the infected and to look like someone that\u2019s able to build the bone temple,\u201d Fiennes\u2019 trainer Dan Avasilcai<\/strong> told British GQ<\/em><\/a> in June 2025.<\/p>\n\n![\"MCDTWYE_CO010](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MCDTWYE_CO010-the-craziest-onscreen-movie-transformations-of-2025-jacob-elordi-and-more.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Miya Mizuno \/ \u00a9 Columbia Pictures \/ courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nNicholas Hoult in \u2018Superman\u2019<\/h2>\n
Nicholas Hoult<\/strong>\u2019s villainous Lex Luthor was, dare we say \u2026 still very hot. The actor slayed the bald look for James Gunn<\/strong>\u2019s Superman<\/em>, a hairstyle choice that reminded Us<\/em> of his Mad Max: Fury Road<\/em> character, Nux.<\/p>\nAmy Madigan in \u2018Weapons\u2019<\/h2>\n
Amy Madigan<\/strong>\u2019s performance in the mystery horror Weapons<\/em> gave a whole new meaning to petrifying. When we first meet Aunt Gladys, she\u2019s already quite spine-chilling in a bright red wig and clownish makeup. It turns out, Gladys is so much more than that \u2014 she\u2019s disguising the way she actually looks with witchcraft.<\/p>\n\u201cIt was very freeing to work with everybody and create this look because you didn\u2019t have to put yourself in a contemporary box of what a woman is supposed to look like, of how you\u2019re supposed to dress,\u201d Madigan said in December 2025, per Screen Daily<\/a>. \u201cI loved how Gladys was physically. I loved her whole thing. She puts it together. That to me, workwise, was just liberation.\u201d<\/p>\nEthan Slater and Jonathan Bailey in \u2018Wicked: For Good\u2019<\/h2>\n
Ethan Slater<\/strong> and Jonathan Bailey<\/strong> tapped into new sides of their Wicked<\/em> characters in the 2025 sequel. Slater stunned the audience with his portrayal of the Tin Man following a kerfuffle with the heartbroken Nessarose (Melissa Bode<\/strong>) while Bailey made his debut as The Scarecrow, fresh off a steamy cave sex scene with Cynthia Erivo<\/strong>\u2019s Elphaba.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cIt was 10 hours to kind of relinquish myself and become this thing that\u2019s other, which was a great relief, really,\u201d Elordi told Deadline<\/em><\/a> in October 2025 of the \u201cincredibly liberating\u201d transformation.<\/p>\n Dwayne \u201cThe Rock\u201d Johnson committed to taking on the persona of Mark Kerr, sporting over a dozen prosthetics and a wig<\/a> in The Smashing Machine<\/em>. In fact, his performance in the film was so convincing, it left Us<\/em> doing a double take.<\/p>\n \u201cI just sat in front of that mirror for three to four hours and watched it all change. There were about 13 or 14 different prosthetics. Subtle, yet I think very impactful,\u201d he told Vanity Fair<\/em><\/a> in August 2025. \u201cBy the time I got to set, I was Mark Kerr and I felt it, from how he walked to how he talked and how he looked at life.\u201d<\/p>\n His costar Emily Blunt<\/strong> was impressed by Johnson\u2019s dedication to accurately portraying the former professional fighter.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seemed to be an effortless immersion \u2014 like a full disappearance, spooky. From day one, he was elsewhere,\u201d Blunt told the outlet. \u201cHe has absorbed and borne witness to so much of what Mark has experienced that it was such a beautiful thing to watch this person let go of having to be an image, of having to be The Rock, and crack himself in half for this role.\u201d<\/p>\n Sydney Sweeney<\/strong> gained over 30 pounds to play former professional boxer Christy Martin<\/strong> in the biographical sports drama Christy<\/em>, unlike anything she has ever done before.<\/p>\n \u201cI loved it,\u201d Sweeney told W Magazine<\/em><\/a> in June 2025. \u201cI came onboard to play Christy, and I had about three and a half months of training. I started eating. I weight-trained in the morning for an hour, kickboxed midday for about two hours and then weight-trained again at night for an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n Yorgos Lanthimos<\/strong>\u2019 Bugonia<\/em> wastes no time presenting viewers with an important question \u2014 is Emma Stone<\/strong>\u2019s character, Michelle Fuller, an alien or not? She has her head shaved<\/a> within the first few minutes of the film by kidnappers Teddy (Jesse Plemons<\/strong>) and Don (Aidan Delbis<\/strong>) and smears her entire body in histamine cream for the terrifyingly brilliant performance that drops jaws.<\/p>\n Stone revealed she would only buzz her hair off to play the role under one condition.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I knew we were gonna do this \u2026 I said to Yorgos, \u2018We\u2019re gonna have to shave your head too so that we\u2019re in solidarity.\u2019 And he\u2019s like, \u2018OK,’\u201d she said in a behind-the-scenes clip shared by People<\/em><\/a> in November 2025. \u201cIt was exciting but it wasn\u2019t as exciting as I thought it would be to shave his head. It was cool. But it felt more dramatic, my shave. I don\u2019t mean to brag, but my hair was pretty long, and his was not.\u201d<\/p>\n Ethan Hawke<\/strong> was nearly unrecognizable in Blue Moon<\/em>, but he assured fans that wearing brown contacts was the reason behind his massive transformation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s funny, I\u2019ve read reviews that cite the prosthetics or a bald cap or all these different things, none of which is there,\u201d he said at the 2025 Hamptons International Film Festival, adding that the contacts \u201csomehow changed my face dramatically in a way that I didn\u2019t understand or anticipate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I found the eyes had the biggest impact. And I noticed it right away with my castmates,\u201d Hawke added. \u201cThey were like \u2014 everybody treated me differently. The height, obviously, the hair, obviously, the body language, the voice. There were a lot of things that went into creating this character, but I found the eyes the most dramatic.\u201d<\/p>\n Ralph Fiennes<\/strong> is quite literally covered in blood and dirt in 28 Years Later<\/em>, and yet somehow still left Us<\/em> buzzing over his character\u2019s humanity in a seriously messed up world. The actor also appeared more muscular in the film, something that he intentionally worked on to benefit the character of Dr. Ian Kelson.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Kelson had to look strong and agile enough to be able to survive in a world full of the infected and to look like someone that\u2019s able to build the bone temple,\u201d Fiennes\u2019 trainer Dan Avasilcai<\/strong> told British GQ<\/em><\/a> in June 2025.<\/p>\n Nicholas Hoult<\/strong>\u2019s villainous Lex Luthor was, dare we say \u2026 still very hot. The actor slayed the bald look for James Gunn<\/strong>\u2019s Superman<\/em>, a hairstyle choice that reminded Us<\/em> of his Mad Max: Fury Road<\/em> character, Nux.<\/p>\n Amy Madigan<\/strong>\u2019s performance in the mystery horror Weapons<\/em> gave a whole new meaning to petrifying. When we first meet Aunt Gladys, she\u2019s already quite spine-chilling in a bright red wig and clownish makeup. It turns out, Gladys is so much more than that \u2014 she\u2019s disguising the way she actually looks with witchcraft.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very freeing to work with everybody and create this look because you didn\u2019t have to put yourself in a contemporary box of what a woman is supposed to look like, of how you\u2019re supposed to dress,\u201d Madigan said in December 2025, per Screen Daily<\/a>. \u201cI loved how Gladys was physically. I loved her whole thing. She puts it together. That to me, workwise, was just liberation.\u201d<\/p>\n Ethan Slater<\/strong> and Jonathan Bailey<\/strong> tapped into new sides of their Wicked<\/em> characters in the 2025 sequel. Slater stunned the audience with his portrayal of the Tin Man following a kerfuffle with the heartbroken Nessarose (Melissa Bode<\/strong>) while Bailey made his debut as The Scarecrow, fresh off a steamy cave sex scene with Cynthia Erivo<\/strong>\u2019s Elphaba.<\/p>\nDwayne \u2018The Rock\u2019 Johnson in \u2018The Smashing Machine\u2019<\/h2>\n
<\/div>Sydney Sweeney in \u2018Christy\u2019<\/h2>\n
Emma Stone in \u2018Bugonia\u2019<\/h2>\n
<\/div>Ethan Hawke in \u2018Blue Moon\u2019<\/h2>\n
Ralph Fiennes in \u201828 Years Later\u2019<\/h2>\n
<\/div>Nicholas Hoult in \u2018Superman\u2019<\/h2>\n
Amy Madigan in \u2018Weapons\u2019<\/h2>\n
Ethan Slater and Jonathan Bailey in \u2018Wicked: For Good\u2019<\/h2>\n