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The amount of time and effort, sweat, and tears that go into making movies is impressive. Just take a look at the intricacies required in applying special effects makeup on Hollywood actors. Even characters who we think don’t need any professional makeup can take hours and hours to get ready for the set. Not to mention how much effort goes into making fantasy and sci-fi characters look believable.

To show you just how much work it takes to do Hollywood-tier makeup, we’ve collected some of the best before and after, as well as step-by-step pictures. For example, who knew that making Thorin Oakenshield look like, well, Thorin Oakenshield was a very involved process? And here we thought that putting on a wig was all it took!

Keep on scrolling, upvote your fave face transformation pics, and share them with your movie-loving friends. When you’re done, have a look at Bored Panda’s previous post about incredible pics of actors before and after applying special effects makeup.

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#1

Naomi Grossman, American Horror Story Series

Naomi Grossman, American Horror Story Series

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    #2

    Robin Williams, Mrs Doubtfire

    Robin Williams, Mrs Doubtfire

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    #3

    Eddie Murphy, Coming To America

    Eddie Murphy, Coming To America

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    The life of a Hollywood movie makeup artist is difficult and involved, even if it’s exciting and purposeful. But makeup artists aren’t one homogenous group of professionals.

    You have 4 main movie makeup artist roles. Starting with key makeup artists who design the makeup looks worn by the lead actors. In other words, they take care of the famous actors.

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    They also come up with the more complicated and intricate makeup designs and oversee other employees to make sure that there’s visual continuity and consistency in how the makeup looks throughout shooting the entire movie.

    #4

    Richard Brake, Game Of Thrones

    Richard Brake, Game Of Thrones

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    #5

    Charlize Theron, Monster

    Charlize Theron, Monster

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    #6

    Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

    Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

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    Then there are your run-of-the-mill makeup artists who are responsible for making non-lead and supporting actors look good. They’re under orders to turn the key makeup artists’ visions into reality.

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    Of course, not much would be done without makeup assistants who help organize makeup kits, do other small but necessary tasks, and lend a hand to the artists with whatever they might need. They’re the unsung heroes of every movie.

    Lastly, there are special effects makeup artists who probably have some of the coolest jobs in the movie industry. They create special makeup effects, such as prosthetics and the like.

    #7

    Richard Armitage, The Hobbit

    Richard Armitage, The Hobbit

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    #8

    Danny DeVito, Batman Returns

    Danny DeVito, Batman Returns

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    #9

    Karen Gillan, Avengers

    Karen Gillan, Avengers

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    #10

    John Rhys-Davies, Lord Of The Rings

    John Rhys-Davies, Lord Of The Rings

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    #11

    Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

    Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

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    #12

    Ron Perlman, Hellboy

    Ron Perlman, Hellboy

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    #13

    Ian Mckellen, Lord Of The Rings

    Ian Mckellen, Lord Of The Rings

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    #14

    Tim Curry, Legend

    Tim Curry, Legend

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    #15

    Bill Skarsgård, It

    Bill Skarsgård, It

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    #16

    Michael Keaton, Beetlejuice

    Michael Keaton, Beetlejuice

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    #17

    Emma Thompson, Nanny Mcphee

    Emma Thompson, Nanny Mcphee

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    #18

    Jacob Tremblay, Wonder

    Jacob Tremblay, Wonder

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    #19

    Roddy Mcdowall, Planet Of The Apes

    Roddy Mcdowall, Planet Of The Apes

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    #20

    Jim Carrey, How The Grinch Stole Christmas

    Jim Carrey, How The Grinch Stole Christmas

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    #21

    Tilda Swinton, Grand Budapest Hotel

    Tilda Swinton, Grand Budapest Hotel

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    #22

    Eddie Redmayne, The Theory Of Everything

    Eddie Redmayne, The Theory Of Everything

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    #23

    Angelina Jolie, Maleficent

    Angelina Jolie, Maleficent

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