48 actors who completely transformed themselves into real-life music legends

"A Complete Unknown" chronicles Dylan's rise to fame in the '60. Because of delays due to COVID-19 and the Hollywood strikes in 2023, Timothée Chalamet ended up having five to six years — rather than a couple of months — to work on his portrayal of the singer-songwriter.

During that time, he worked with a guitar teacher named Larry Saltzman and a vocal coach named Eric Vetro. In addition to singing, guitar, and harmonica lessons, Chalamet grew out his real nails and kept speaking like Dylan on set even when cameras weren't rolling. Chalamet also told NPR that he gained 2o pounds because he was thinner than Dylan.

Angelina Jolie, who never publicly sang before starring in the 2024 film, spent seven months taking singing, voice, and Italian classes. Even while filming "Maria," Jolie had nightly singing rehearsals to prepare for the next day of shooting.

Marisa Abela worked with a dialect coach, vocal coach, movement coach, music producer, and guitar tutor to fully inhabit the character. Some of her costumes in the film contain real pieces of clothing worn by Winehouse, too.

The 2024 movie "Bob Marley: One Love" explores Marley's rise to fame, his hardships, and his performance at the One Love Peace Concert in Jamaica in 1978.

Ben-Adir worked with a guitar coach, movement coach, dialect coach, and Jamaican language coach to portray Marley. The performance scenes in the movie blend Ben-Adir and Marley's voices.  

Austin Butler landed the role over stars like Miles Teller and Harry Styles, per the LA Times.

To play Presley, the actor watched old interviews of the singer, studied the way he talked and sang, and worked with vocal and movement coaches. Butler also developed a close bond with Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley during the process of making the film. 

The "Harry Potter" star won a Critics Choice Award for his performance as the eccentric musician. And yes, Radcliffe's thick mustache in the film is completely real. 

The movie is a largely exaggerated retelling of Yankovic's life and career. 

"I watched tons of interviews, and I was constantly playing them on set just so I have the cadence of her voice and the tone in my head," Wood told E! News of her process into becoming Madonna. 

"I just sort of let her loose on set and took the foundation that I had and turned it up and made it the most unhinged, sort of stage mom Madonna that one has ever seen," Wood added.

Naomi Ackie portrayed the Grammy-winning singer at different stages of her life. As part of her preparation, she worked with a vocal coach and listened to original recordings of Houston's isolated vocal tracks.

According to Gary Busey's biography, he played the guitar, recorded the songs for the film, and lost 32 pounds to play Holly.

The film also won two Oscars, for best costume design and best makeup and hairstyling. 

Jason Mitchell's transformation into the late N.W.A rapper Eazy-E for "Straight Outta Compton" blew critics away.

A New York Times review said the actor "consistently out-acts the rest of the performers." Mitchell, who has a similarly built frame to Eazy-E, gained weight, practiced a South Los Angeles accent, and learned how to rap for the role, according to the Los Angeles Times. Corey Hawkins became Dr. Dre and O'Shea Jackson Jr. transformed into his father, Ice Cube, for the film.

English actor Tom Hiddleston transformed into the folk singer, Southern drawl and all, for "I Saw the Light." Hiddleston stayed with singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell for five weeks and was coached in Williams' mannerisms and singing style.

Jett and Stewart met before the movie was filmed so Stewart could learn about the rock star from the musician herself.

"The thing that came through to me was that it was important to her to capture it," Jett told Interview Magazine. "She really wanted to nail it, so I gave her all The Runaways music that I could find; I gave her tapes of me talking...And she really soaked it in. When we were hanging out together on set, it was like I had a mirror image. Even just sitting around, we'd do the same thing at the same time."

Chadwick Boseman spent three hours in the makeup chair for his full-body prosthetics and wig to get the looks. With the help of a vocal coach and choreographer and advice from some of Brown's surviving relatives and Mick Jagger, one of the film's producers, Boseman gave an electrifying performance.

The Puerto Rican actor was met with some backlash because of her heritage. Lopez perfected the late singer's dialect and studied performance footage of the music sensation for the 1997 film.

"This is someone who's fresh in the public's mind, so you need to do your homework on this gig," Lopez told Entertainment Weekly.

To play a younger version of the Beach Boys founder Wilson in "Love & Mercy," Paul Dano learned how to play piano and bass.

Wilson told the Chicago Tribune, "He looked a little bit like me at age 24. But the way he portrayed me producing records — you know? — was very factual, accurate, stimulating."

Dano received a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor. John Cusack plays an older Wilson in the film.

He won the Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics' Choice Award for best actor for his portrayal in the 2004 film. To embody the blind pianist, he had to lose nearly 30 pounds and had his eyes glued shut every day.

Marion Cotillard won numerous awards, including the Oscar for best actress. She wasn't initially considered for the role. But when she met with director Olivier Dahan, he was transfixed by her eyes and how they reminded him of a photo of a teenage Piaf.

Joaquin Phoenix sang all of the songs in the 2005 film, mimicking Cash's signature voice.

"Music is always part of how John communicates what he's feeling and seeing," Phoenix told ABC News. "And that couldn't be faked."

Based on a biography written by Lennon's half-sister Julia Baird, the 2009 film told the story of Lennon's adolescence. It covered his relationship with his aunt, Mimi Smith, and his mother, Julia Lennon, as well as the formation of his first band, the Quarrymen, which would evolve into the Beatles.

Angela Bassett prepared for her audition for the 1993 film with the film's choreographer, and after performing "Proud Mary," she got the role. Laurence Fishburne, who played Ike Turner, also earned an Oscar nomination.

Cheadle was first linked to the biopic about Davis in 2006 when Davis, who died in 1991, was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Afterward, Davis' nephew announced Cheadle would play his uncle in a film of his life. Cheadle eventually cowrote a script, signed on to direct, and portrayed the jazz musician in "Miles Ahead."

(Cheadle also portrayed Sammy Davis Jr. in 1998's "The Rat Pack," for which he won a Golden Globe.)

Portraying the "Empress of Blues" "left this mark on me," Queen Latifah told NPR. The singer was praised for her role in the 2015 HBO film "Bessie," which won an Emmy for outstanding television movie.

He reprised the role of Biggie Smalls in "All Eyez on Me," a biopic about Tupac Shakur released in 2017.

Biggie's mother Voletta Wallace was a producer on "Notorious." And according to MTV News, she helped pick Woolard to play her son.

"He came in the room, and I said, 'That's my son,'" Wallace told the outlet.

Valli's life as the front man of The Four Seasons has been documented on Broadway since 2005. Young won a Tony Award for his portrayal. Clint Eastwood brought the story to the big screen in 2014.

To land the role of Morrison in the 1991 film, Kilmer made his own eight-minute video highlighting his singing abilities and changing his looks to match Morrison to send to director Oliver Stone. Once cast, he dieted for months and spent six months rehearsing songs. He also trained with Paul Rothchild, who produced all but one of The Doors' albums. Surviving band members were not thrilled with the film.

Before the movie aired, Russell reportedly told the Los Angeles Times: "I know one thing, there's no in-between. It's either really going to be great or really horrible, just stinking."

It was a success. The film helped shoot Russell's career forward.

"I said, if I'm going to do this, I'm going out in flames. I'm controlling this airplane," Russell told GQ in 2016. "I'm taking it down, or I'm going to break through the clouds my way. And when I did that, that's when I had an epiphany moment, saying, 'Kurt, where have you been your whole life? Wake the f--k up. This is what you're supposed to do.'"

Zoe Saldaña's skin was darkened and the filmmakers added prosthetics to make her appear more like Simone.

In response to the casting choice and backlash, Simone's daughter told Time, "It's unfortunate that Zoe Saldaña is being attacked so viciously when she is someone who is part of a larger picture. It's clear she brought her best to this project, but unfortunately she's being attacked when she's not responsible for any of the writing or the lies."

But she also said she was against the making of the film.

"The project has been tainted from the very beginning," she said. "Clearly, it is not the truth about my mother's life and everyone now knows that. This is not how you want your loved ones remembered."

Quaid practiced piano and took singing lessons for about three to five hours a day in order to learn how to imitate Lewis' piano skills. Though Lewis wasn't a big fan of the film according to AMC, Lewis said Quaid "really pulled it off."

She earned her fourth Oscar nomination for the role.

Meryl Streep wanted to play Cline, but later said, "When I saw ['Sweet Dreams'] ... I couldn't imagine doing it as well or even coming close to what Jessica did because she was so amazing in it."

Goldman beat out Daniel Day Lewis for the part and initially turned down the chance to play Vicious. But after accepting the role, he started to lose weight to mimic Vicious' skeletal body. GQ reported that the actor wasn't eating enough and collapsed in his car, too weak to move.

He told Playboy that he didn't like himself in the film.

"I don't think I played Sid Vicious very well," he said.

About playing the role, Joe Mantegna said, "My goal wasn't to mimic him. It was to capture him."

Lynn had chosen Spacek to play her based on a photo she saw of the actor. To prepare for the role, Spacek traveled with Lynn for a year to study how she spoke and sang. Spacek did all her own singing in the movie.

The biopic about the teen musician earned a Golden Globe nomination. Los Lobos singer David Hidalgo lent his vocals to the film, while Phillips lip-synced the words. A guitar instructor was also on set to coach him on strumming the guitar.

Ross, a famous musician in her own right, played Holiday in this 1972 biographical movie based on Holiday's autobiography of the same name. The movie was nominated for five Oscars, including best actress in a leading role. 

The biopic was told from the perspective of Lavoe's wife Puchi, who was played by Jennifer Lopez. The movie was controversial for focusing on Lavoe's drug addiction and death from AIDS, which he contracted through sharing needles. 

Trumpeter Ben Promane helped Hawke grasp basic trumpet skills and taught him how to look like he played the trumpet with his front tooth missing, like Baker. The 2015 movie was more drama than biopic though. 

The 2013 film was based on the memoir "Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace," written by Scott Thorson, Liberace's lover later in life. Matt Damon plays Thorson in the movie. Michael Douglas didn't actually play the piano for the film. 

Aside from Guthrie and his first wife Mary, most of the people and events portrayed in the 1976 film are fictional. The movie earned six Oscar nominations, including best picture, and won for music and cinematography. 

Rami Malek played the musician in the 2018 movie "Bohemian Rhapsody," named after Queen's hit song. The film followed 15 years of Mercury's life — from the band's beginnings to six years before his death. Malek won an Oscar, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for his portrayal. 

The 2019 biopic "Judy" centered on the "Wizard of Oz" actor's final concerts in London before her death at 47. 

Zellweger won a best actress Oscar for her portrayal.

The Elton John biopic "Rocketman" followed John's rise to musical acclaim starting from childhood and his early partnership with Bernie Taupin. Jamie Bell, Gemma Jones, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Richard Madden also starred in the movie.

"When I saw Taron, I was not looking at him — I was looking at me. And when I was hearing the voice, I was hearing me, but it wasn't me," he told Indie Wire. "Everything about it was extraordinary."

The Netflix movie was a biopic about how rock band Mötley Crüe formed and rose to fame. 

"The Dirt" was adapted from the autobiographical book "The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band," authored by Mötley Crüe and Neil Strauss. 

Rights to the book were first bought in 2006, but the film moved around to various studios until Netflix bought the rights in 2017. 

"The Dirt" was released on Netflix in 2020.

In November 2019, Netflix shared a first look at the actor transforming into Quintanilla for "Selena: The Series." The show debuted on the streaming service on December 4, 2020, and the second and final part was released on the streamer on May 4, 2021.

"Respect" hit theaters in 2021 and the actor previously said that the late singer specifically asked Hudson to portray her.