Whether it’s a comedy, a biopic, a family drama or a horror film an actress may need to appear to be pregnant.
Sometimes, if the actress is only seen fully clothed the effect may be achieved by special costuming – a pregnancy fat-suit – but if she needs to display a bare midriff the requirement becomes more complex but while needing to be custom made from a bodycast and to have a skin texture it may still be possible for it to be fitted like a corset with the edges hidden by clothing. But where the actress appears naked – eg Thandie Newton in Beloved and Virginie Ledoyen in Saint Ange – then the effect has to be achievec by a large and complex prosthetic makeup.