10 Extreme Celebrity Movie Diets

Not exactly his most physically alluring role, Clooney packed on 30 pounds as a government operative who heads overseas (and suffers painful torture) in the political thriller. Clooney ate bowls upon bowls of pasta for the Stephen Gaghan film, but at least had the luxury of that face-slimming beard. [Warner Bros Pictures; Guy Renard/Flickr]

The transformation undertaken by Theron for this horrifying crime drama involved a diet that would scare your nutritionist to death. Theron gained 30 pounds by eating primarily doughnuts and potato chips for the 2003 biography of prostitute-turned-murderer Aileen Wuornos. [Media 8; Tamarac Talk/Flickr]

As far as food goes, we're still not exactly sure. In fact, all we know about the usually well-sculpted frontman's diet for 'Dallas Buyer's Club' (for which he slimmed down to horrifying proportions) is that "a lot of tea" was involved. [AMGSI; Voix Marionette/Flickr]

Onscreen, he earned the name Gomer Pyle for his dopey demeanor and penchant for scarfing donuts (while the rest of his troupe was forced to run drills). Offscreen, D'Onofrio gained 70 pounds for the Stanley Kubrick picture by indulging in what has only been described as a highly "greasy" diet. [Warner Bros Pictures; Caitlin/Flickr]

There's no word yet on the diet Zellweger will employ to bring Bridget Jones back to life for a third turn (this time as a mother). But in the character's first big-screen foray in 2001, the actress gained weight with some very big breakfasts: lots of bread and butter or cream cheese, Eggs Benedict, and a whole lot of french toast. [Lionsgate; Karen Keoh/Flickr]

Catching a glimpse of an emaciated Bale in character for his 2004 drama 'The Machinist' is enough to make you lose your appetite altogether. The iconic star managed his drastic weight drop (62 pounds!) by consuming only apples and coffee, with the occasional can of tuna. [Filmax; Olle Svensson/Flickr]

Aside from upholding a terrifyingly fragmented psychological state of being in Steven Soderbergh's wonderful 2009 character study, star Damon packed on 30 pounds (and a lackluster haircut) as unreliable narrator Mark Whitacre. His diet? Steaks, Doritos, beer, and pretty much everything else he could find. [Warner Bros Pictures; soyculto/Flickr]

One of the most iconic body transformations in Hollywood history comes down to a single scene: after De Niro's impressively fit boxer character Jake LaMotta falls from glory (and hard), we catch up with him as an overweight has-been. De Niro achieved the 60-pound weight gain viewers observe at the end of the film with a varied diet, but one heavy on the sausages. [United Artists; Michela Simoncini/Flickr]

And we can't forget about our pals over in the TV biz! For the seventh season of his FX comedy 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,' star and creator McElhenney decided it would be just plain good comedy to pack on 50 pounds for his narcissistic, ignorant man-child character Mac. Although McElhenney kicked off the routine with the healthier choices of chicken breasts, rice cups, and vegetables. But eventually, the devoted performer went with a more appropriately named option: Big Macs.