Glen Powell Reveals He Blacked Out in Prosthetics Filming Chad Powers

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Glen Powell almost had to call a timeout on the field.

While filming his new Hulu show, *Chad Powers*, which premieres September 30th, the actor experienced a minor health scare. He was shooting a single, unbroken take in the Atlanta heat when the incident occurred. The show follows his character, a former college quarterback, who uses fake body parts to go undercover and join a failing football team, hoping to reignite his career.

Glen explained to Francesca Amiker of TopMob News that he was practicing a football play repeatedly while wearing a helmet, wig, and mask.

The man, age 36, said the scene likely lasted around two or three minutes, during which he was running football plays down the field.

“I got to the end of it, I throw this touchdown,” he said. “I scream and I black out.”

Although he was “no longer there mentally,” Glen remained standing while he blacked out.

As he regained consciousness, he noticed a camera right in front of him, and a whole field of football players staring at him. Remarkably, he was still on his feet.

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe what happened to Glen Powell! He said he’s *never* dealt with anything like this before – some kind of scary health thing. But get this, he thinks it was all the excitement! He was just so hyped up and running on adrenaline, and basically overheated. I’m so glad he’s okay, honestly! He’s just the best.

“It was bad,” he recalled. “It was crazy.”

Fortunately, he recovered quickly and was able to keep filming, even with a lot of makeup and prosthetics. He mentioned the application process only took about an hour each day.

“We timed every day,” he said. “We got faster and faster, faster.”

Makeup is a really important element of the show, and as Glen explains, they don’t shy away from showing the raw and realistic details.

For more incredible onscreen transformations, keep reading.

The British actor famously gained over 40 pounds twice for his roles in two movies. First, he did it for his Oscar-nominated performance as a con man in the 2013 film *American Hustle*. He then gained the same amount again to portray former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in the 2018 movie *Vice*, which also earned him an Oscar nomination.

Christian Bale famously transformed his body for roles. For the 2019 film *Ford v Ferrari*, he lost 70 pounds to portray the lean race car driver Ken Miles. This wasn’t the first time he’d drastically changed his weight for a part – he also lost around 30 pounds while making the 2011 movie *The Fighter*.

For the 2020 film, makeup artist Matthew Mungle used a mold of Glenn Close’s head from the 2011 movie *Albert Nobbs* to create prosthetics – a new set of ears and a nose – to transform her into her character, Mamaw Vance, a real-life Appalachian grandmother. Close received an Oscar nomination for her performance, as reported by *Variety*.

To play Donald Trump, the actor reunited with the hair and makeup team who previously turned him into Tommy Lee for the series *Pam & Tommy*. He also gained weight to more accurately portray Trump’s build.

Stan intentionally gained about 15 pounds by following his nutritionist’s advice: he ate a lot of instant ramen with soy sauce and drank soda to make his face appear fuller.

 

I was absolutely floored by this actress’s dedication to her role! She transformed herself, losing nearly 40 pounds, to truly embody the legendary jazz singer in the 2021 movie. It was such a powerful performance, and so deservedly earned her an Oscar nomination!

It might have seemed a little extreme that he was reportedly eating just one almond a day – as his co-star Emily Blunt playfully pointed out. But the Irish actor was serious about accurately portraying the physical appearance of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the atomic bomb scientist.

Cillian Murphy, who played Oppenheimer, explained to *The New York Times* that he focused on accurately portraying the physicist’s appearance. He lost a significant amount of weight and worked closely with the costume department to achieve Oppenheimer’s very thin frame, reflecting a lifestyle fueled by martinis and cigarettes.

The acclaimed actress won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2004 for her compelling and unsettling performance as real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos.

To portray the troubled Arthur Fleck, later known as Batman’s enemy, the actor lost 52 pounds. He received the Best Actor Oscar in 2020 for this role.

Makeup artists spent three hours transforming the Best Actress winner with extensive makeup, including a famously large prosthetic nose, to make her completely unrecognizable in the 2002 film.

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe what Tom Hanks did for his role! He completely transformed himself – lost a massive 35 pounds and *shaved his head* to play this lawyer battling HIV and fighting his old firm. It was heartbreaking and brilliant, and he deserved every bit of that Best Actor Oscar in ’94! And it wasn’t a one-time thing, you know? He did that same kind of dedication, completely changing his body, for *Cast Away* too – seriously, that man commits to his roles like no other! It’s just… amazing.

The actress famously gained weight for her role in *Bridget Jones’s Diary*, but she didn’t need to change her body at all to play Judy Garland in the 2019 film *Judy*. She won her first Oscar for the performance, and the incredible transformation was all thanks to the work of the makeup and costume teams.

Renée developed a strong connection with Jany Temime, the costume designer for the film, who also designed the costumes for the *Harry Potter* movies, Vulture reported. Temime said, “It felt like this was Renée’s passion project. She truly immersed herself in becoming Judy.”

Renée Zellweger explained that the costumes for the film were tailored to mimic Judy Garland’s specific stance. This meant the dresses only fit properly when Zellweger held herself in the same way, and sometimes she couldn’t even zip them up.

Margot Robbie transformed herself for her role as Tonya Harding in the 2017 film about the skater’s infamous scandal. Unlike her glamorous part in *The Wolf of Wall Street*, Robbie used prosthetics, braces, and wigs to portray Harding and her career downfall.

In 2014, Matthew McConaughey won the Best Actor award for his dedicated performance as an electrician living with HIV/AIDS.

Heath Ledger won an Academy Award in 2008, after his death, for his unforgettable and captivating portrayal of The Joker in the second Batman film directed by Christopher Nolan. His interpretation of the famous villain was a significant departure from previous on-screen versions.

Makeup artist John Caglione Jr. wondered to IGN what would happen if the character didn’t bother with his appearance. ‘What if he slept in his makeup, this psychopath?’ Caglione asked. ‘If he didn’t refresh it for two or three weeks? He never changes his clothes, and those little, realistic details were really important.’

He explained that when you picture clown makeup, it’s usually very precise and uses strong, defined lines. But this makeup was completely different – it was meant to be the opposite of that careful, detailed look.

The Academy Award-winning actress completely transformed her look to portray Brandon Teena, a real-life transgender man, in a 1999 film. She did so again in a 2004 movie directed by Clint Eastwood that went on to win Best Picture.

To transform into Winston Churchill for the role, the actor-who was nominated for Best Actor in 2018-spent over four hours each day getting makeup applied, and even wore a tight-fitting bodysuit similar to a Victorian corset.

To win Best Actress at the 2011 Oscars, the actress lost 20 pounds and dedicated up to 16 hours a day to preparing for her challenging role as a ballerina struggling with mental illness.

Jared Leto, known for his transformative roles, fully committed to portraying a transgender woman living with HIV for his Oscar-winning performance in 2014. He lost 40 pounds and remained in character only while filming.

I’d transformed my body for roles before, but this one felt different,” Jared Leto explained to TopMob News in 2013. “I think the character really required that level of dedication. It wasn’t just about the physical change, but how it impacted everything – my posture, my voice, my entire being, and my emotions. It made me feel incredibly vulnerable and insecure.

I was absolutely blown away by Brie Larson’s performance! To prepare for her role as a mother escaping captivity with her son, Jacob Tremblay, in that 2015 film, she completely transformed herself. She actually gained 15 pounds of muscle, but it went way beyond physical changes. She really immersed herself in the role – she limited her own exposure to the outside world and even restricted things like Vitamin D in her diet, changing how she ate to truly understand what her character had gone through. It was such a dedicated and powerful performance, and you could really feel the impact of her commitment.

Rooney Mara received a Best Actress nomination at the 2012 Oscars for her role in the thriller. To fully become the character Lisbeth Salander, she went to great lengths, including getting multiple piercings, bleaching her eyebrows, and cutting her hair.

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2025-09-26 16:21