Kurt Russell - Guardians Of the Galaxy
If you have seen Kurt Russell in real life, you wouldn't have been able to recognize him in Guardians of the Galaxy back in 2017. Thanks to the latest technology and the trend of de-aging celebrities onscreen, we saw a younger version of Kurt!
There is a contrast difference in both the movie and reality, and you can easily spot it if you compare Kurt's photographs. We are sure the movie directors must consider graphic tools as a blessing. After all, they can manipulate it in any way they want!
Samuel L. Jackson - Captain Marvel
With the coming of digital technology, a lot of things have changed! Did you know that in films and shows, actors and actresses are de-aged using this technology? If you watch Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel and happen to see his photographs from that time, you will see notable contrasts!
After Samuel was portrayed in a much younger version of himself, people posted mixed opinions on social media about it. So, although digitally adding or remove the physical effects of aging from an actor takes massive amounts of time and resources, yet the final results may not always go down well with audiences.
Anthony Hopkins - Westworld
Celebrities do not always get to remain young in real life, but when we talk about reel life, why not? Anthony Hopkins in Westworld is the best possible example for this! Naturally, the grey-haired actor does not have black hair or wrinkle-free skin now, but his character was seen in absolute contrast!
You will most definitely commend how well the editors have worked to make the actor fit the role, showing a younger version of him. Even as new technology gets entangled with the experience of cinema, this 'anti-aging' tech will keep leaving us spellbound!
Stan Lee - Avengers: Endgame
The legendary Stan Lee and the driving force behind Marvel Comics passed away in 2018, but it was an honor seeing the creative genius himself in Avengers: Endgame in 2019. The man was in the eighties when the movie was shot, so it was quite a surprise to see a youthful Lee on-screen.
We hear that the visual effects artists found it rather challenging to apply the best in CGI technology on Mr. Lee, given the vast age difference they were trying to gap. We can't imagine the hard work that must've gone in, but the end results were nothing short of stunning.
Michael Douglas - Ant-Man And The Wasp
If you want a character to have black hair, clearer skin, or a youthful face, it is very much possible! If you wish to see the true work of this kind of technology, simply watch Ant-Man And The Wasp and see how Michael Douglas is made to look!
We hear heavy-duty VFX techniques were used to make the 70-year-old Douglas look like a 30-year-old man. This must have taken a long while to plan out and materialize. But, we have to say that the final scene looked absolutely fantastic! Isn't it?
Mark Hamill - The Mandalorian
Imagine the real-life Mark Hamill walk into the camera-shot while your television screen has The Mandolorian playing? You will likely take time to realize that it is actually Hamill himself. The Star Wars veteran looks like another person altogether thanks to the digital technology used!
Cutting-edge CGI has taken over filmmaking and will continue to remain in-use for tacking aging characters on-screen, and Hamill's youthful cameo is proof of that. The cinematographers working on The Mandalorian did such a great job with Hamill's appearance that some of us are still wondering if that really was CGI or just a stand-in.
Michelle Pfeiffer - Ant-Man And The Wasp
The movie and graphics industry were revolutionized when computer-generated imagery (also known as CGI) was used in each facet of filmography. Before we knew it, they began to use CGI, even on actors, to make them look younger or older, depending on the scenes.
Take Michelle Pfeiffer from Ant-Man and The Wasp for example. The 62-year-old actress was shown in her early 30s in the flashback scenes of the movie. Perhaps this technology made the lives of film developers simpler now that we can chuck the makeup and still make actors look young and with more perfection!
Patrick Stewart - X-Men: The Last Stand
It seems that the use of two different actors for the same character in two different timelines is a thing of the past. The technology has made it possible to make anybody look younger, even the old professor-X. We don’t suppose that there’s anybody left under the sun you cannot de-age using the CGI technology.
However, CGI can often miss the mark and make the character look ghastly rather than young. Most X-men fans pointed this out when they saw de-aged Xavier and made their disappointment known. Although, for some films and characters, de-aging works like a charm!
Carrie Fisher - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
When the movie Rogue One; A Star Wars Story saw the light of the day, the incredible Carrie Fisher was past her days of wrinkleless face, which appeared flawless nonetheless. However, the movie demanded something younger, which made the use of CGI indispensable once again.
Naturally, as soon as the CGI came into the picture, the young Princess Leia came back to the franchise for an important scene and left us in awe yet again, as she has done many times during the course of the Star Wars film series.
Jennifer Connelly - American Pastoral
While Jennifer Connelly is someone who does not require any special effects to look younger, all thanks to her natural exquisiteness that is making her age like a fine wine, there was some editing done on her in American Pastoral. The movie took her several years back in age to run the plot forward.
However, we don’t see much difference between the computer Jennifer and the real Jennifer; they both look exactly the same, young and pretty! But points to the technology for doing such a great job on the actress.
Brad Pitt - Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The movie Curious Case of Benjamin Button saw some unreal visual effects, which are understandable considering the unique plot of the film. While Brad Pitt played the role of a man that ages backward marvelously, you’d be intrigued to know that half of the time, Brad’s head had been changed using CGI.
Well, you simply cannot expect a real actor, even someone as talented as Brad, to switch his appearances to roll with the punches of the movie. Nonetheless, the artist proved just why he is known to be the heartthrob of Hollywood.
Joe Pesci - Irishman
Irishman narrated the stories of its characters in different stages of life. While countless other films employed CGI to de-age their roles, why not Martin Scorsese have some fun? Subsequently, we saw the legends like Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and most notably Joe Pesci de-age in the movie to match with the rolling timelines.
Considering how well the movie was received amongst the fans and the critics, we can safely say it was a job well done! The perfect use of CGI in de-aging Joe Pesci proved how invaluable computer technology is to the film industry.
Paul Reubens - Pee Wee's Big Holiday
You won't believe how young Pual Reubens looks in the 2016 film Pee Wee's Big Holiday. At age 63, they successfully turned back the clock to make him look 30 years younger.
During the filmmaking process, makers had to digitally retouch his face extensively. A lot of hours were spent on making it happen, and Reubens even had to lose some weight to appear younger. In the past, they used to only rely on prosthetics, make-up, lighting, and even younger look-alikes to create a reversal in time. Now only one actor and advanced digital editing techniques are needed to turn back time.
Johnny Depp - Pirates Of The Caribbean: D*** Men Tell No Tales
Our favorite Johnny Depp, as we have mostly seen with a beard or a mustache, was absolutely different in his most popular film, The Pirates Of The Caribbean: D*** Men Tell No Tales. The actor had to be de-aged to look way younger in the movie.
No matter whether Mr. Depp plays a young or older version of the pirate, he will always be loved onscreen, but the transformation in the movie definitely makes us wonder what more Depp has to offer onscreen? Good work to the crew behind the camera for pulling such fabulous tricks so effortlessly!
Jeff Bridges - Tron: Legacy
We all, of course, remember Jeff Bridges in Tron: Legacy back in 2010! Had we not seen his real-life pictures, we would have actually believed him to have hit the reverse gear and look this young.
Tron: Legacy was a brilliant movie, and Bridges was amazing indeed, especially with all the digital transformations! The A-list had morphed into a man we could not recognize at all. There's no doubt seeing the talented leading man without his grey beard, and wrinkle-free was a lovely experience for the viewers. The experience left more than one audience member wondering what their favorite Hollywood veterans would look like made younger through CGI.
Orlando Bloom - The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The fantasy epic Lord of the Rings not only revived the genre, but it made Hollywood legends out of many of its cast members, including everyone's favorite bow-slinging elf, Legolas, brought to life with perfection by a shy young Orlando Bloom. So when the time came to shoot The Hobbit films, nearly two decades had passed since Bloom's LOTR appearance.
Since The Hobbit takes place farther back in time, production used CGI to knock a few years off of Orlando, who was in his 40's by then. The final result may have some audiences on the fence, but The Hobbit movies were a box-office success.
Sean Young - Blade Runner 2049
While acting skills matter a lot, somehow, it all boils down to how the actors look on screen. Even when they get old and grey, airbrushing and several other techniques make their skin look wrinkle-free and youthful.
Take Sean Young's movie Blade Runner 2049, for instance. She did the voiceover work, but a body double was used to map her younger face onto her body. It may be a little harsh, but technology-wise, the results were undeniably impressive. Working in the Hollywood industry comes with many perks and a few cons like this.
Colin Firth - Kingsman: The Golden Circle
2014 to 2017 isn't a long time, but even then, the sequel of Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle required its lead actors to appear younger on the big screen.
Some may think that it was either a strict exercise plan or the magic of the aesthetics team that made Colin Firth and Jeff Bridges both appear youthful, but in reality, these superstars were digitally de-aged for the film. Colin shared in an interview that when his wife saw his new look, she had a tough time recognizing him.
Sylvester Stallone - Grudge Match
Sylvester Stallone also went through the digital transformation while acting for Grudge Match. It wasn't a stunt double who appeared as a younger self of the celeb in a flashback scene, but pure magic of VFX and visual touch-ups.
It indeed makes sense because why should the filmmakers spend unnecessary hours auditioning a budding artist who might look and act similar to a particular iconic superstar when there are advanced techniques like airbrushing and more that can make a trusted actor look younger or older as per the requirement just like what they did to Stallone's character!
Temuera Johnson - Aquaman
Digitally de-aging an actor can either turn stunning or a complete flop show. Thankfully it turned out in favor of Temuera Johnson, who also underwent the virtual blade for a few flashback scenes in Aquaman where he needed to appear younger.
If you thought Johnson must have worked hard on his body to look a certain way for a couple of sequences, well, now you know his secret! Moreover, not just the actor, but even mountains, waterfalls, dinosaurs, and underwater scenic beauty was also created during the post-production process. It all appears so natural there's hardly any scope for flaws!
Nicole Kidman - Aquaman
Nicole Kidman was the first choice of the filmmakers for the role of Atlanna. Fortunately, she also loved the script and accepted the offer. Although she looks incredible throughout the film, the professional actress looked even more stunning in some flashback sequences.
Seeing her looking so flawless and radiant, one would immediately think if it's even practically possible to bring such drastic changes with cosmetics, but all thanks to 21st-century techniques, which help save everyone's time, energy, money, and efforts, especially Nicole's. The actress didn't have to sit for hours to hide fine lines with concealers, one-click on computers, and all the visible flaws were gone! How surreal!
Kenneth Branagh - Tenet
Sci-fi movies require a lot of VFX and post-production editing to add or remove objects, lighting, motion, and so on. But little did people know these techniques can even add six-pack abs, remove a piece of clothing from an actor's body, or even certain signs of aging.
When Kenneth Branagh signed up for Tenet, he knew that some scenes would take more than makeup and airbrushing. If you haven't seen this masterpiece yet, you can now try to trace those instances where you'd see a digitally de-aged version of the stunning Kenneth and see impeccable results.
Keanu Reeves - Bill and Ted Face the Music
Keanu Reeves is in his mid-50s, and even though he is remarkably fit, all those harsh lights, makeup, and long hours of shooting do result in some sign of aging no matter how well you care for your skin.
So when the iconic superstar's comedy/sci-fi film Bill and Ted Face the Music demanded the actor to look twenty years younger, he happily went under the digital transformation to achieve the desired appearance. Thanks to the technology, we got to see two handsome Keanus for the price of one! Isn't that wonderful?!
Bruce Boxleitner - Tron Legacy
The original Tron film was ahead of its time when it came out in 1982. Its sequel Legacy is no exception. The immense amount of special effects bring an incredible world to life and make for absolute cinematic magic.
One of the biggest aspects of the movie is how some of the characters are digitally de-aged. In fact, the title character of Tron, who is portrayed by actor Bruce Boxleitner appears in several flashback scenes as a young and vibrant version of himself. It's insane how far CGI has come in the last four decades!
Robert De Niro - Grudge Match
What do you do if you want to capture the magic of a boxing rivalry that has spanned decades? Well, firstly, you hire actors Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone to star in a film called Grudge Match!
Then, you go get your special effects guys to wave their magic wands and turn these two top-class entertainers into younger versions of themselves. Sure, you could hire youthful lookalikes, but would they really be able to capture the inherent attributes of these two superstars? We don't think so, and we reckon you would agree.
Martin Donovan - Ant-Man
'We all know that Marvel movies are brimming with special effects, and in the case of Ant-Man, a lot of that digital magic was needed.
Not only do the action sequences and size differences the characters undergo require next-level digital mastery, but the story itself calls for some of the actors to be digitally de-aged. Actor Martin Donovan's younger version is a necessary part of the plot, and it just wouldn't have been the same if the producers had just used a stand-in. The same goes for his co-stars, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer, who also got their ages cut down through CGI.
Laurence Fishburne - Ant-Man and the Wasp
Oftentimes the storyline of a film calls for the characters to appear as younger versions of themselves. Ant-Man and the Wasp is no exception to this rule. Legendary actor Laurence Fishburne is among several members of the cast whose backstories require some digital adjustment in their age and looks.
Having these stars undergo a virtual transformation allows them to keep the personal traits and nuances that make them such wonderful entertainers in the first place. No producer or director would deprive their target audience of the pleasure that comes with experiencing what some of their favorite entertainers used to look like.
Clark Gregg - Captain Marvel
Despite not being a superhero, S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Phil Coulson, played by actor Clark Gregg, has become a beloved part of the Marvel Universe. Fans were deeply saddened when this on-screen persona passed away in one of the films, but fear not, because luckily, we have prequels!
So when a younger version of Phil needed to appear in the Captain Marvel movie, it made sense to use the wonder of CGI to bring a more youthful version of the part to life. Of course, this allowed Clark to keep on providing the nuances needed to appease fans while keeping his true essence on-screen firmly in place.
Willem Dafoe - Aquaman
In the case of DC's Aquaman, plenty of special effects were required to bring the world of this superhero to life. From the detailed underwater scenes to massive battles, there was CGI galore.
Of course, a training sequence is of utmost importance in any film featuring the Hero's Journey, and in this movie, acclaimed actor Willem Dafoe is the perfect man for the job! However, his age did need a bit of an adjustment, but we know that this wasn't an issue for the wizards in the editing room handling the de-aging magic!
Scarlett Johansson - Avengers EndGame
In cinematic worlds, sticking to timelines is important. One error here could make the entire plot of all the movies fall apart. We can't have that when one of the main characters is played by the beloved Scar-Jo!
When Avengers Endgame was released in 2019, seven years after the original, the characters we know had, of course, aged. So when certain scenes called for entertainers such as Scarlett Johansson to be remastered into younger versions of themselves, the special effects team wasted no time jumping into action to make that a reality on screen.
Jeremy Renner - Avengers Endgame
Once again, we find ourselves in the presence of an Avengers star. When Jeremy Renner took on the role of Hawkeye, the actor knew he'd be in for the long haul. After all, production on this series of films spanned several years.
So as you can imagine, some flashback scenes were needed to flesh out the plot and provide throughlines from the backstory. Thus Jeremy found himself under the digital knife of the de-aging process. We know you've seen the movies, and we bet you agree that those special effects wizards did an immaculate job!
Chris Evans - Avengers Endgame
Portraying the role of Captain America in the Marvel films made actor Chris Evans one of the USA's favorite sons. So there was no question that every part of the character had to be played by him.
Chris also had the unique honor of being sprinkled with special effects magic during his entire stint in the franchise. After all, he is the first Avenger! Not only was he digitally de-aged for some scenes in Endgame, but he also played the elderly version of Cap that we saw at the end of the movie. We don't know if they waved their digital wands or used makeup in that scenario, though!
Mark Hamill - Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker
One cannot argue that when it comes to Star Wars, Mark Hamill plays one of the pivotal roles. So when the time came for Mark to reprise his role as the legendary Luke Skywalker in the Rise of Skywalker movie, it made absolute sense to keep this beloved actor in part and use digital effects to de-age his character.
Seeing someone else embody a young Luke would've been a bit much for fans to take in; that using CGI was certainly the best way to retain the inspiring sense of awe and wonder Mark had provided for this specific Jedi over the last couple of decades.
Robert Downey Jr. - Captain America: Civil War
Be it young Robert Downey Jr. or older; we have no problem at all! Some may not be happy about his Captain America Civil War appearance looking significantly younger, but it sure added more charm to the character. The magic of digital technology was definitely visible in the movie, and the audience being laymen, were quite taken aback to see younger Downey Jr suddenly take center-screen.
Digital trickery and young or old aside, Downey Jr. will always manage to look great and win our hearts as usual. Given the MCU's continued roster of films in production, we may just see Robert's cameo again sometime soon.
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Terminator: Genisys
Back in the '60s, a different colored wig or a look-alike was the only quick-fix solution when directors wanted their stars to look younger. But ever since technology has advanced, it's become easier for celebs like Arnold Schwarzenegger to maintain their charm on the silver screen.
Arnie wasn't in his best shape when he filmed for Terminator: Genisys, but thanks to the tech team, the legendary superstar appeared in his impressive form. Buffed up or not, we love Arnold, but we also understand that these nuances help directors to create award-winning films.
Ian McKellen X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men: The Last Stand saw quite many de-aged actors for the sake of a flashback scene. Oh yes, we’re speaking of the opening scene when the young Xavier and Magneto were seen in their youthful forms.
Needless to say, Ian McKellen was de-aged using the remarkable services of the CGI. Although the use of technology during the movie was not particularly appreciated by the fans, especially the admirers of Magneto, CGI has been proven to be indispensable to some directors, bar Christopher Nolan. He is a different sauce altogether.
Will Smith - Gemini Man
Will Smith stole the show in the movie Gemini Man when the actor decided to take double portfolios for the film, one of playing his present self and the other his younger version. While the artist himself did a remarkable job, CGI too had an enormous part to play in how the movie panned out.
The computer effects enabled us to see the same Will Smith in two different timelines with wild authenticity to it. By authentic, we don’t mean there were actually two actors, but two versions of him that seemed too real! CGI is indeed the future of cinema!
Robert De Niro - Irishman
When Martin Scorsese’s blockbuster film Irishman hit the screens, the fans of Robert De Niro waited in anticipation for another masterclass in moviemaking. And they were not disappointed.
From direction to dramatics, to the use of CGI in de-aging De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, everything screamed perfection, which made the story-telling part of the movie all the more compelling. The smooth skin and bold, youthful features of the on-screen young De Niro made us fall in love with Scorsese yet again. The film now ranks in the top charts of the Mafia films.
Henry Cavill - Justice League
Well, shooting for two big-ticket productions simultaneously is hard. Ask Henry Cavill, who had it tough when he had to rush back and forth between the sets of Mission Impossible: Fallout and Justice League!
For Fallout, Cavill’s character was required to have a mustache, while that wasn’t the case for Justice League. After intense discussions, the production companies finally came to an agreement, and it was decided that his facial hair would be digitally removed. Thank heavens for technology, or else we would have seen Superman flying around with a mustache!
Chris Evans - Captain America
We know that Chris Evans is a unique star! What we didn't know is that he moves around quite differently, making it difficult for any body-double to replicate his actions? This posed a challenge while shooting scenes where the younger Steve Rogers appeared.
So, the CGI team had to cut down Evans's body size instead of hiring a boyish lookalike. It was a tedious process since the post-production team had to add a background to each and every frame. At least, they can find solace in the fact that the hard work paid off!
Jeremy Renner - Tag
Jeremey Renner has played action-packed roles in Bourne Legacy and Avengers, but of all the films, he required a green costume for Tag. But why did a comedy film require extensive CG alterations?
Apparently, our Hawkeye broke his hands just three days after the film’s shooting began. This called for digital alterations to hide his casts on both arms. While it does sound a bit dangerous, the commitment shown by him is commendable in this case. Spoiler alert - Renner’s digitally rendered hand might be evident in a scene or two in the film!
Several Stars - Glee
When there’s technology at your disposal, achieving perfection becomes a cakewalk. Take Glee for example!
Given that many performers in the ensemble were teenagers, pimples and other skin inconsistencies were a common sight on the sets. As a consequence, the entire cast was subjected to some kind of retouching on the editing table. A technique created at Method Studios was used for this purpose, and it did work out well for the show. It is slightly disheartening to know that the soap’s stars were not as perfect as they seemed!
Jessica Alba - Machete
Oh, the things CGI can do! It is widely believed that Jessica Alba went completely bare for the shower scene in Machete. In reality, there was an entire computer graphics team whose primary job was to edit out her clothes!
According to numerous media reports, the actress made it clear that she won’t do any scenes that were too-revealing owing to her catholic upbringing. Respecting her decision, director Robert Rodriguez decided to opt for digital reinforcements. While it did make matters tough for the film’s cinematographer Jimmy Lindsey, he eventually pulled it off.
Claire Danes and Morena Baccarin - Homeland
Little did the post-production team of Homeland knew that they’ll have so much work to do! At different points during the show’s filming, Claire Danes and Morena Baccarin were pregnant. So, their bellies had to be hidden digitally.
Danes was nearly eight months into her pregnancy when she saw herself chained to a pipe for a scene in which she was kidnapped. Besides, she had to be on the set as early as 4 AM many a time. We are pretty sure that her bouts of morning sickness were hard to endure!
Nicolas Cage - Ghost Rider
A lot of hard work went into getting Nicolas Cage’s shirtless scene in Ghost Rider right. For starters, he had to spend nearly five hours in the gym every day to get those chiseled abs. Moreover, he had a huge tattoo on the arm, whereas the protagonist of the film wasn’t supposed to have any.
So, the CGI unit of the film had to remove the tattoo in all instances. Eventually, they also did some retouching on his abs to make them look more ripped than in reality. So, that’s two jobs for the price of one!
Tobey Maguire - Fear and Loathing
Those who have seen Fear and Loathing know that Tobey Maguire had an extended cameo in the film. Filmmaker Terry Gilliam asked the actor to go bald for the role, but the Spider-Man star asked for a $15,000 remuneration to lose his hair.
We don’t know what transpired between them, but the end result was Maguire playing a hitchhiker with a terrible haircut. A bald cap and subsequent editing gave the actor a wispy look, so it is safe to say that everything ended well. In hindsight, Gilliam could have just paid the money instead of going through all this trouble!
Kevin Costner - Waterworld
Kevin Costner’s 1995 film might have failed to make a mark in the box office, but there was a lot of work that went behind the magnum opus. With delays and a storm wrecking the film's sets, the production costs went as high as $175 million. Besides, the post-apocalyptic film required extensive computer graphics to make things look realistic.
The team managed to give Costner gills to play a mutant, but they ended up looking horrendous. So, the post-production team went back to the editing board and managed to change them just in time.
Olivia Wilde - The Change-Up
While technology has made life easier in all aspects, it has also enabled Hollywood to come up with all these otherworldly movies that have us at the edge of our seats. CGI has made it possible to add or remove things and people from films, and in The Change-Up it was no different.
In the 2011 blockbuster, Olivia Wilde is totally undressed in one scene, and it's pretty realistic. However, the star admitted that the image of her being bare was done in post-production, and during filming, there were no weird takes. The power of tech!
Lena Headey - Game of Thrones
If you have watched the critically acclaimed series Game of Thrones, this scene will most likely ring a bell. Remember when Lena Headey, who plays Cersei Lannister had to do an undressed walk of atonement in the city as a punishment in the season five finale?
Well, we can tell you that Lena didn't bear it all for the camera. Instead, they used a body double who did the walk, and then they replaced her with the star. As many fans online noticed that it wasn't Lena's body, the show's producers confirmed the stunt!
Daryl Hannah - Splash
We all know that Disney prides itself on being a child-friendly network, so any show of indecent exposure will most likely not find its way to the screen. When filming Splash, the mermaid film starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah, there's a scene where Hannah, the mermaid, kisses Hank on the beach before she returns to the ocean.
The film's original cut had an issue though, Hannah's bottom was visible in that particular scene, and it didn't sit well with the Disney+ executives. As such, they decided to add some CGI and extend her hair, a move that worked to a point, as many fans noticed the anomaly.
Judi Dench - Cats
CGI can be a powerful tool when used correctly, but sometimes, the ideas don't turn out entirely as they were projected. Released in 2019, Cats was a film many looked forward to but ended up being disappointed, with the production receiving bad reviews for its poorly done CGI job.
In a star-studded cast that included Judi Dench, James Corden, Taylor Swift, and Idris Elba, the crossover between cats and humans backfired massively, and it was full of avoidable errors. While it brought it some modest income, the film showed us that maybe we should stick to using CGI only when it's necessary.
Wesley Snipes - Blade: Trinity
Misunderstandings between the cast on the set of a film aren't anything strange, people are bound to have a difference in opinion, and it's human. However, sometimes, the dispute might threaten the entire production, as the team on Blade: Trinity would find out.
The film's star, Wesley Snipes, and director David Goyer didn't see eye to eye on several issues, which led to Goyer filming Snipes' scenes using stand-ins. So nasty was their feud that when the director needed Snipes to open his eyes for the shot at the climactic end of the film, the actor refused, leading to the 'open eyes' being added in post-production!
Guy Henry & Ingvild Deila - Rogue One
If you're an avid fan of the Star Wars franchise, then you probably know who Princess Leia Organa and Grand Moff Tarkin are. The two characters, played by the late Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher, were needed for the Rogue One film, so since Cushing wasn't around anymore, the producers chose to do some CGI magic.
To get the closest perfect shot of Tarkin, Guy Henry was chosen to play the part, and because Fisher didn't sound anything like she did in 1977, the filmmakers picked Ingvild Deila. That move was a great success, as the film grossed over $1 billion in the box-office!
Kristian Nairn - Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones is known for many things, its incredible storyline, and cliffhangers that would leave viewers yearning for more. The show is also famous for its bareness, and CGI has played a massive role in making some of those scenes possible.
Kristian Nairn plays Hodor, who in season one gets undressed in a scene, revealing a bit too much. The actor confirmed that this was all done by the special effects department who created prosthetics for him which were so good that his co-stars were in awe, and the rest of the work was done in editing.
Scarlett Johansson - Ghost in the Shell
Many directors strive to make sure their movie adaptations are as accurate as possible to the original works. However, that could come at a cost, as the Ghost in the Shell producers would find out.
When Scarlett Johansson was cast as the lead actress to play Motoko Kusanagi, many fans were elated as they felt she would fit the part. The move, however, drew sharp criticisms when it was revealed that the filmmakers thought of using CGI to make the actors look more ‘Asian.' After massive warranted backlash, the film went on as planned without technology's intended use and performed modestly in the box-office.
Oliver Reed – Gladiator
Sometimes CGI is used to give the film the proper ending it deserved, and Gladiator is the perfect example of this. While Russell Crowe was the star in the movie, another person whose impact cannot go unnoticed is Oliver Reed.
Sadly, Reed passed on before the filming was complete, and the producers had to make a decision to either re-shoot all of his scenes with a different actor or use special effects. They chose the latter, and the decision paid off, as the result was so realistic, you wouldn't notice the difference between the real Reed and the CGI one. Special effects to the rescue, once again!
Gal Gadot - Wonder Woman
The makers of Wonder Woman realized that changing the plot to show Diana Prince as a pregnant woman would be a tad bit difficult! Hence, they covered up Gal Gadot’s pregnancy in the best manner possible.
While Gadot got in shape for the role with regular gym sessions and horse riding lessons, hiding her five-month-old baby bump was no mean task. So, the CGI artists added a triangle section to her costume and changed her figure in post-production. The job was well done since we could have never guessed about her pregnancy while watching the film!
Dwayne Johnson - Central Intelligence
What Dwayne Johnson looked like in Central Intelligence is nothing like his appearance in real life. A swollen face, curly hair, and extra mass? That is certainly not Mr. Johnson in reality. If you are wondering how this magically bizarre transformation happened, it was the work of CGI.
Actors do go through weight gain and loss, but such crazy changes do not happen drastically. Only if we could use this technology in real life and roam around as our younger slimmer selves, how lovely would that be. Then again, it only happens in movies!
Nancy Marchand - The Sopranos
If you have watched the television drama series The Sopranos, you know who Nancy Marchand is. The actress brilliantly portrays Livia Soprano, the not-so-loving mom to Tony Soprano, a role that made her a fan favorite.
Despite her fantastic performance, Marchand wasn't in tip-top shape when filming the first two seasons, as she was ailing from lung cancer, and she sadly passed on before season three could begin. As she was one of the main characters, the producers chose to give her a proper sendoff, using CGI to create one last scene between her and her son Tony.