The film industry has been an iconic part of the entertainment industry for more than a century, with hundreds of films released around the world every year.
However, some films choose to use digital special effects to bring the characters to life on screen, while others prefer to use makeup and prosthetics.
What are the biggest drawbacks?
It often takes hours of the actors' time to bring these characters to life before they actually face the camera.
Interested? Check out the characters that took a lot of makeup time for the actors to create.
In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Lawrence Macaore - 4.5 hours - Actor Lawrence Macaore played many roles during the filming of the Middle-earth film series, but for his role Lurtz, he had to sit in a dressing chair for more than four hours.
In Fantastic Four (2005), Michael Chicklis - 4.5 hours - Despite the film's failure on reviews, Michael Chickles threw himself fully into the role of "things" he played - a role that required more than four hours to fit a prosthesis.
In La Vie en Roses (2007), Marion Cotillard - 5 hours - Marion Cotillard plays the real-life French singer Edith Piaf, which earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress. But the film also won an Oscar for best makeup and hairstyle. The film's hairstylist, Jane Archibald, shaved Cotillard's hairline back and gave actress Piaf a high forehead.
In "The Fly Man" (1986), Jeff Goldblum - 5 hours - The role of Seth Brendel is arguably one of Jeff Goldblum's most iconic roles, with director David Cronenberg at the helm. The film's makeup department won an Oscar for their bold prostheses.
In The Goonies (1985), John Matuzak - 5 hours - For his Sloth role in The Seven Treasures, John Matuzzak had to apply a lot of latex and put on a mask every 0 days, which required five hours of makeup.
In Hairspray (2007), John Travolta - 5 hours - John Travolta plays the role of Edna Turnbride in John Waters' musical comedy, which requires a large number of silicone prostheses that allow the actor to wear several revealing costumes. The male role of Edna continues the tradition of the original 1988 film, in which drag queen Divine plays the role.
In The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Brad Pitt - 5 hours - director David Fincher's portrayal of Benjamin Button, who ages in reverse, earned the film a staggering 13 Academy Award nominations and won for Best Makeup.
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. (2014), Zoe Saldana - 5 hours - James Gunn's MCU film series includes the role of Gamora played by Zoe Saldana, a character who needs five hours of chair time to fit the prosthesis and body paint.
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. (2014), Dave Battista - 5 hours - In order to bring the character of Drax to life, Dave Battista had to endure the installation of 18 prostheses for five hours.
In "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1984), Arnold Schwarzenegger - 5 hours - The second film in the "Terminator" series won the Oscar for Best Makeup and asked Arnold Schwarzenegger to receive a latex prosthesis that made half of his face look damaged. The actor recalled that his daughter did not react well after seeing him put on makeup.
In Hellraiser (1987), Doug Bradley - 5 to 6 hours - This supernatural horror film, directed by Cliff Barker, has gained cult status since its release. The film's creative team ran into a number of budget hurdles when planning the design of the character's flathead tacks.
In "Batman and Robin" (1997), Arnold Schwarzenegger - 6 hours - Another character played by Schwarzenegger, Mr. Freezing, requires a lot of makeup to present, including placing an LED light in the actor's mouth for a close-up shot of the film. This proved to be dangerous as the actor's saliva damaged the battery and caused acid to flow into his mouth.
In Pan's Labyrinth (2006), Doug Jones - 6 hours - Jones is best known for his roles in television and film that require a lot of prostheses. One of them was his pale character in Guillermo del Toro's The Labyrinth of Pan. Jones also played the Faun in the movie, which takes an extra five hours!
In The Whale (2022), Brandon Fraser - 6 hours - In order for him to play the role of Charlie in Darren Aronofsky's drama, Fraser had to put on a 600-pound (272 kg) prosthetic gown, which took six hours a day to fit. However, the arduous process seemed well worth it, as Fraser won the Oscar for Best Actor, while the prosthetic team won Best Makeup.
In Deadpool (2016), Ryan Reynolds - 7 hours - Reynolds is best known for playing the role of Wade Wilson in Marvel's Deadpool, which requires the installation of several silicone molds including mutilated ears and scarred skin.
In "The Eyes of Tammy Fay" (2021), Jessica Chastain - 7.5 hours - The drama film directed by Michael Scholt is a biographical portrayal of the American evangelist Tammy Fay, known for her extreme use of cosmetics, including lip tattoos.
In The Elephant Man (1980), John Hurt - 7 to 8 hours - This biographical drama film directed by David Lynch features Joseph Merrick, played by John Hurt, and received eight Academy Award nominations. In the aftermath of the awards event, the Academy was widely criticized for failing to recognize the film's makeup effects. Thus, the following year the Oscar for Best Makeup was established, and the first film to win the award was also on this list.
In The Mummy (1932), Boris Karloff - 8 hours - The oldest film on this list shows the dedication of early filmmakers in making their beloved works. Boris Karloff spent eight hours in a dressing chair in order to play the role of Immortamp, but luckily only half the time the film showed his role!
In Vice-President (2018), Christian Bale - 8 hours - Christian Bale is no stranger to the extreme physical transformation that any character may require. Playing the role of Dick Cheney in "The Vice," the actor gained weight to 225 pounds (102 kilograms), not counting the prosthetic makeup fitted above.
In The Dark Lord (1985), Tim Kercurry - 8 hours - Although Tim Kercurry was hesitant to play the intricate makeup of a dark character in Ridley Scott's cult classic, the actor eventually agreed to cover his whole body under prostheses and makeup. The large, bull-like structure on Kecuri's head is made of fiberglass and supported by a strap underneath makeup.
In Dune: Part II (2024), Stellan Skarsgård - 8 hours - Skarsgård, when playing the role of Baron Harkonnen in Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of the Dune universe, prefers practical effects, albeit daunting: the actor talks about his inability to go to the toilet while wearing the character's prosthetic and body costumes.
In "Grinch Grinch (2000"), Jim Carrey - 8.5 hours - This list would really be incomplete if the Grinch were not included! As Jim Carrey threatened to leave the production because of the damage the prosthesis had done him, the team actually hired a CIA expert to teach the actor how to endure the torture.
In the X-Men series, Jennifer Lawrence and Rebecca Romene - 8 to 9 hours - In the X-Men series, Lawrence and Romene respectively play the role of the mystery woman, who has to go through hours of painstaking makeup and prosthetic fitting that covers their entire body. Later, when a body suit was made for Lawrence, the process was reduced to three hours.
In "American Werewolves in London" (1981), David Norton - 10 hours - Although David Norton's character in the film is physically unremarkable for the most part, the process of the character's transformation into a werewolf requires the actor to sit in a makeup chair for almost half a day. The film is the first ever film to win an Oscar for Best Makeup.
In The Mummy (1999), Patricia Velasquez - 13 hours - Body painting and metallic gold are the main features of the Anker Sue Namu character played by Velasquez. The actress was first painted all over her body, and then all the lines were carefully drawn.
In The Illustrator (1969), Rod Steigel - 20 hours - The film holds the world record for the longest amount of time spent wearing makeup per day. Makeup artists and eight assistants hand-painted tattoos for Stagell's role as Carl in the film directed by Jack Smart.
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