Actors will sometimes go through months of preparation for a role, which can involve dramatically changing one’s appearance. Months of preparation doesn’t earn them any extra money, but it can pay off with an Oscar or bigger and better roles down the line. When you think about actress transformations, the first one that comes to mind is Linda Hamilton the Terminator series. In the 1984 film, Sarah Conner was a simple damsel in distress. But we were all impressed when we saw her in Terminator 2.
While Linda Hamilton’s career may have been based on her relationship with Terminator direction James Cameron, make no mistake about it. She was an absolute star when she got ready for her role in Terminator 2. Let’s face it. The real machine in this movie was in fact Linda Hamilton. Remember the first Terminator? She was just a poor ol’ diner waitress who you kind of felt bad for. But remember how famous she was during the promotions of T2? Clearly years of sitting in a mental hospital got to her character. Hamilton was by far the most famous female on the planet for having gotten ripped for this role. Funny, she’s not really famous anymore. Should have stayed married to James Cameron.
Um, let me tell you a little secret. When Linda Hamilton divorced James Cameron, she got a $50 million settlement. She doesn’t need to work, or be famous. But now that we’ve reminded you of the most obvious actress transformation, read about five more at TVOM. One actress even made the list twice.