updated: 28/11/2006
When it comes to portraying a character having their head shaved on-screen, it’s hard to fake: the role usually comes with a heavy price. Most transformations shown here were for real – Patricia Arquette in Human Nature is the exception
It’s not that unusual for an actress to appear bald with a bald-cap but a surprising number of actresses have undergone a transformation that goes beyond makeup and had their head shaved bald to portray a hairless character.
A select few have agreed to have their transformation shown on-screen: sometimes for that extra bit of authenticity; sometimes for the money; sometimes for the publicity. Very few have agreed to shave off their own hair on-screen (usually as part of a cathartic transformation for their character) – when you think about it you realise that it is quite astounding that any actress agreed.