This is an archived article and the information in the story may be outdated. Please check the time stamp on the story to see when it was updated last.
All actors change their appearances to fit different roles and characters, though some transformations are more drastic than others. Take Joaquin Phoenix for example: the 46-year-old actor was recently spotted on set for an upcoming movie, and he was nearly unrecognizable to fans.
Phoenix was seen shirtless on set, though his physique was not as toned as it typically is. The actor appears to have gained weight and even looked way older than his age, seen with gray and thinning hair. We couldn’t believe this transformation at a first glance.
He is currently working on Disappointment Blvd., the latest movie by American filmmaker Ari Aster. According to the films IMDb synopsis, it is “a decades-spanning portrait of one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time.”
Few other details have been revealed about the new movie - so there's no way to know why Phoenix had to go through such a dramatic transformation for his role.
The actor stars alongside Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Parker Posey and more A-list stars.
Aster's previous two movies, Hereditary and Midsommar, are both psychological horror films. It isn't clear yet whether Disappointment Blvd. will fit into this category as well.
This isn't the first time Joaquin Phoenix has had to change his appearance in a major way for a role. He had to lose 52 pounds to play the Joker in 2019.
He told Entertainment Tonight of his weight loss transformation for that role, "It was something that I've done before and I swore when I did it before that I'd never do it again. It seemed like it was very important for the character and I think it ended up affecting me in ways that I hadn't anticipated."
