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Miley Cyrus' Mom Tish and Sister Brandi Seemingly Shade Her Ex-Husband Liam Hemsworth
Liam Hemsworth is throwing himself into his latest project.
The actor offered fans a glimpse at his transformation to portray Geralt of Rivera in The Witcher—a role previously played by Henry Cavill—as he stepped out on set of the Netflix series.
As part of his rugged makeover, Liam, 35, traded his usual short brown hair for long silver locks. He also sported an all-black costume including a leather jacket, studded gloves and knee-high boots.
The Hunger Games star was confirmed to take over the role in October 2022 after Henry, who played the titular character for the first three seasons of the fantasy drama, announced his exit from the series. As he reflected on his journey with the character, the 41-year-old offered words of wisdom to his successor.
“As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam’s take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men,” Henry wrote on Instagram at the time. “Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.”
Although fans were split on Netflix’s decision to recast the role, the streaming service’s head of U.S. and Canada scripted series Peter Friedlander later defended the choice to move forward with a new actor.
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“There has been a legacy of amazing, iconic characters where the actors have changed and we're hugely optimistic about this,” Friedlander told Variety that December. “We will continue to honor the IP, the fans, the storytelling, all the way through.”
The executive went on to praise Henry as “an extraordinary Geralt” before adding, “I think Liam will continue and also be an extraordinary Geralt.”
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Similarly, Michelle Yeoh, who starred in the prequel miniseries The Witcher: Blood Origin, said she was looking forward to seeing Liam’s take on the medieval monster hunter.
“I think Henry did such an amazing job,” the Oscar winner told E! News at the time. “Let's see what Liam has to bring, right? That's how it is.”
To see more stars who underwent major transformations for their performances, keep scrolling.
Instagram / Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum
The Magic Mike star's weight has fluctuated over the years, especially in 2024, as he got into character for two back-to-back movie roles.
He said on Instagram in March 2025 that he currently weighed 205 pounds—up from the 172 pounds he weighed for Roofman (pictured, right). Months before beginning production on that 2024 film, he shot the movie Josephine (pictured, left) and weighed 235 pounds for his role.
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images; Blank Archives/Getty Images
Timothée Chalamet
For his Oscar-nominated role as musician Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, the Dune actor learned how to sing and play guitar.
"I also put on 20 pounds," he said during a January 2025 episode NPR’s All Things Considered podcast, "because, believe it or not, I was thinner than the guy.”
David Fisher/Shutterstock, Universal Pictures
Cillian Murphy
To play scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, the Irish actor "had to lose quite a bit of weight," he shared. "He was very slim, almost emaciated, existed on martinis and cigarettes." His diet? According to costar Emily Blunt, "He had such a monumental undertaking.And he could only eat, like, an almond every day."
Christopher Polk/NBC; DC Comics/Warner Bros./Shutterstock
Joaquin Phoenix
For his Joker role, the Oscar winner opened up about his 52-pound weight loss, telling the Associated Press, "Once you reach the target weight, everything changes. Like so much of what's difficult is waking up every day and being obsessed over like 0.3 pounds. Right? And you really develop like a disorder."
Getty Images; Instagram
J.K. Simmons
The Spider-Man alum shocked fans when he debuted his bulging biceps, which were displayed in Justice League.
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images; Bold Films/Kobal/Shutterstock
Jake Gyllenhaal
"I'd say my mother was worried," he previously told E! News after losing 30 pounds for Nightcrawler. "I would say she just wanted me to be careful. But she also knew and knows how seriously I take what I do and she respects that."
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images; Barry Wetcher/Warner Bros/Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock
Michael B. Jordan
The Black Panther star gained nearly 30 pounds of muscle to transform into a rookie-turned-professional boxer in Creed.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images; Anne Marie Fox/Voltage/Kobal/Shutterstock
Jared Leto
The actor and musician nabbed an Oscar for his riveting role in The Dallas Buyers Club. He lost 40 pounds for the role.
Gary Gershoff/WireImage; Claire Folger/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
Chris Messina
The Mindy Project alum had to gain 40 pounds for his role in Live by Night.
Jim Smeal/WireImage, Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Renée Zellweger
The Bridget Jones's Diary actress gained weight to portray the lovable character in the franchise's first and second films.
Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock; Voltage Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
Matthew McConaughey
The Magic Mike hunk dropped 30 pounds to star in The Dallas Buyer's Club—which centered on the real-life story about a man dying from AIDS in the 1980s who treated himself with alternative remedies he smuggled into the United States from Mexico.
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic; Ibl/Shutterstock
Rooney Mara
The actress looked lean and strong for her starring role in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images; Working Title Films/Kobal/Shutterstock
Anne Hathaway
The Les Misérables star took home an Oscar for her role in the musical.
Isa Foltin/WireImage; Moviestore/Shutterstock
Christian Bale
He's no stranger to morphing for movie roles. In 2004, he lost more than 60 pounds for his role in The Machinist, and he did it again for the film The Fighter, opposite Mark Wahlberg. He also gained 40 pounds for American Hustle—and lost 70 pounds for Ford v Ferrari.
Bei/Shutterstock; Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock
Jake Gyllenhaal (Again)
The actor looked more like a god than a prince for his role in 2010's Prince of Persia. Gyllenhaal said he studied Parkour, the French art of street running, in order to bulk up for the film.
Francois Duhamel/20th Century Fox/Dreamworks/Kobal/Shutterstock
Tom Hanks
"All it is is time and discipline," the Oscar winner told Time magazine of his role in 2000's Cast Away, for which he lost over 50 pounds to play a man stranded on an uninhabited island.
Lawrence Lucier/FilmMagic; Twitter
50 Cent
The ripped rapper shocked fans with a photo of himself looking slender. He reportedly went from 214 to 160 pounds in just nine weeks to play a football player diagnosed with cancer in Things Fall Apart.
Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images; Moviestore/Shutterstock
Robert De Niro
Shaping up for movie roles is nothing new. The legendary actor earned an Oscar nom for his role as terrifying tattooed rapist Max Cady in the 1991 thriller Cape Fear.
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images; Matt Kennedy/Annapurna/Kobal/Shutterstock
Christian Bale (Again)
In order to portray former Vice President Dick Cheney in the 2018 biopic Vice, the star sported a fuller figure.
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