It is always interesting to look at the stunning actresses from the other side: without the usual makeup, luxurious hairstyles, and incredibly gorgeous dresses and accessories that make them shine at red carpet events. Of course, makeup artists and stylists deliberately make actresses “unattractive” in movies about “ugly ducklings.” However, such manipulations always end with their amazing transformations.
1. Never Been Kissed (1999)
High school years are a very polarizing experience. Some love it; others hate it, but none of us feel like going through it ever again. Unfortunately, sometimes your boss sends you on a covert mission to a high school. That’s pretty much the premise of Never Been Kissed: a reporter named Josie, who had her fair share of struggles going through high school her first time, has to blend in with the teens by donning her old geek persona with a bad perm. As the story unfolds, Josie, once deemed ugly, gains confidence and even wins the title of Prom Queen, marking the culmination of her transformation.
2. She’s All That (1999)
Can a popular high schooler turn even the most hopeless girl into a prom queen? Well, a bet is a bet, and Zack’s target is a socially awkward girl named Laney Boggs. After a captivating makeover scene, Zack comes to the realization that Laney might be the one, as she slowly descends the stairs. Then, of course, she nearly falls on her face. The whole movie is full of iconic, quintessential 90s rom-com moments like that.
3. Pretty Woman (1990)
Does it seem plausible that Pretty Woman was attempting to convey the notion that Julia Roberts has an unattractive variation? To be fair, they did a pretty bang-up job with the wig and the skanky outfit, so she definitely doesn’t look her best.
4. The Princess Diaries (2001)
Anne Hathaway is known for drastically changing her appearance in the movies. In The Princess Diary, for example, she starts out as a geeky teenager named Mia who suddenly learns she is actually a princess of Genovia. After going through “princess lessons” and a glamorous makeover, we finally see her real, unblemished beauty.
5. Miss Congeniality (2000)
Miss Congeniality is still one of the most baffling casting choices in the history of cinema. Whoever thought they could make Sandra Bullock look unattractive without some heavy makeup and prosthetics was a crazy person. Either way, according to the plot, Gracie needed to turn from an “ugly” cop to Miss United States material in order to investigate a bomb threat at the beauty pageant. Undoubtedly, the tomboyish Gracie underwent a complete transformation into a “supermodel” and successfully completed the task.
6. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)
In most movie makeovers, it’s difficult to believe that the person, in this case Linda Cardellini, is not hot as lava. But thanks to movie magic, we’re supposed to believe Linda looks awful as Velma. Then Daphne steps in and does a little makeover. It ends up being so good that Velma transforms into a sizzling-hot, catsuit-wearing international woman of mystery.
7. Batman Returns (1992)
With how attractive Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman was in Batman Returns, people often forget how Selina Kyle starts in that movie. We meet this frazzled, nerdy office assistant to Christopher Walken’s d-bag character, who’s also constantly getting bullied by her mother. It’s only after Selina gets pushed out of the window by her evil boss and is brought back to life by a hoard of magical alley cats that she finds her new supervillain identity.
