11 Actresses Who Aren’t Afraid to Sacrifice Their Beauty for a Role

It’s no surprise that most of the famous female celebrities are gorgeous. But hitting the genetic lottery is one thing — what you do with those looks is another.  While it might be tempting to be seen only at your best, famous women often choose to play grittier characters because it makes them more relatable, and also ups their credibility as an actress. They just need to be brave enough to shed that airbrushed skin for the sake of the role. Here are the top A-listers who aren’t scared to drop the beauty queen act for something a little more real.

1. Julia Roberts

Roberts and her zillion-watt smile both earned a title role in “Pretty Woman,” cementing her status as one of the most beautiful women in America. But she didn’t care about being immortalized as that seductive and charming character — instead, she explored new territory with the role of KiKi in “America’s Sweethearts”, a plain Jane with glasses and bad bangs living in the shadow of her sister, who eventually transforms into a beauty. A classic case of don’t judge a book by its cover!

2. Sarah Paulson

She’s portrayed Linda Tripp with a prosthetic nose, a reckless guest with crimped hair in “American Horror Story: Hotel,” and in the latest season, a completely transformed drug addict with missing teeth who needs a lot of skincare help. It’s safe to say that Paulson is always focused on her craft rather than her looks for the roles she takes on.

3. Christina Ricci

With her flawlessly applied eye makeup and pulled back hair in “The Matrix Resurrections,” Ricci looks like the put-together queen that we always see her as, in roles and the red carpet. But when she starred in “Monster” alongside Charlize Theron, that all changed. She cut her hair off, adopted pencil thin brows, and gained weight for the role, turning her into someone practically unrecognizable.

4. Olivia Wilde

The alluring, feline-like beauty of Olivia Wilde can’t be denied. You might remember her perfect blow dry and dewy skin when she played Sabrina from “The Change Up,” but her appearance in “The Lazarus Effect” looked like more a Halloween costume than your typical hot girl. After going totally aggro and insane after taking an experimental serum, a makeup-free Wilde develops totally blacked out pupils.