Period Actors Films Eslpod Movies Wear Change Casting

Many actors have changed their appearance dramatically for a "role" (acting part). Some lose a lot of weight, while others "buff up" (make their muscles larger). Some wear "prosthetics," such as false noses, teeth, and hair. But what if the role "calls for" (requires) a more "fundamental" (basic or deep) change than an actor can't achieve? That's the problem "casting directors" (people who select actors for parts in TV shows and movies) have when casting for "period movies" (movies set in the past).

At the 2012 Academy Awards, which are awards given out to the best films each year, two period films were "nominated" (eligible to win): Lincoln and Les Miserable. Both films were period movies and called for period "authenticity" (realness; seeming true).

In the film Lincoln, the "lead" or main actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, looks and sounds like the American image of President Lincoln. To achieve this, he wore make-up, hair pieces, and period clothing. He even used clothing and make-up to "cover up" (hide) "tattoos" (permanent ink writing or drawings under the skin) on his hands and arms. However, there was one thing he could not hide, even with make-up: his "pierced ears" (holes in his earlobes used to wear earrings).

Les Miserable "posed" (provided) a major challenge to casting directors. The story, based on a Victor Hugo novel, takes place in 19th century France and many scenes involve "street urchins" (poor young children living on the streets) and "waifs" (homeless and helpless people, usually girls and young women). With better "nutrition" (more and better food for the body), "dentistry" (healthcare for teeth and the mouth), "fitness regimens" (exercise habits), and even "plastic surgery" (medical procedures to change the way one looks), finding actors who looked "starved" (thin from hunger) and "neglected" (not cared for) was difficult. One of the lead actors, Anne Hathaway, played a starving woman in the film. She lost 25 pounds (11 kilograms) to play the role, but in one scene, she shakes out her long, shiny, healthy hair that may be more appropriate in a shampoo commercial.