Entertainment
11 TV Actors Who Look Nothing Like Their Famous Characters IRL
The experience of seeing certain actors out of costume is nothing short of momentous. Remember the first time you saw Dorota from Gossip Girl in street clothes? How about Anna from Downton Abbey in red carpet gear? Go ahead and put the entire cast of Game of Thrones on that list, because that show is WIG city. One thing's for sure: there are plenty of TV actors who don't look like their famous characters IRL. That's why seeing them at press events and on the red carpet is always sure to make you do a double take.
Whether its with the addition of a wig, some facial hair, or a visible time period-apropos make under, costumes can really alter a person's appearance to a CRAZY extent. These 11 TV stars look super different when they're out of character are living proof of that phenomenon.
Image: PBS; Getty Images
Pornstache - 'Orange is the New Black'
Just imagine what this OITNB guard and king of skeez would look like without his titular attribute?
Image: Netflix
Pablo Schreiber
The thought that Schreiber wouldn’t sport the facial hair of his infamous OITNB character is something that didn’t even occur to me. Without it though, he looks about a gajllion times more wholesome.
The Hound - 'Game of Thrones'
It’s difficult to picture what Sandor Clegane from Game of Thrones would look like with some microdermabrasion and a haircut…
Image: Helen Sloan/HBO
Rory McCann
Until you see the actual person behind the hound, Rory McCann. What a difference some modern grooming makes!
Walter White - 'Breaking Bad'
Throughout most of Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston carried most of the hair on his head in the muzzle area as Walter White.
Image: AMC
Bryan Cranston
But as Bryan Cranston, the hair distribution is just the opposite.
Mrs. Hughes - 'Downton Abbey'
As Downton Abbey’s head of house Mrs. Hughes, Phyllis Logan’s pragmatic hair and scant makeup were accurate to the period and her social status.
Image: PBS
Phyllis Logan
But present day Mrs. Hughes has some jaunty highlights and layers! Look at her!!
Melisandre - 'Game of Thrones'
Carice Van Houten plays Melisandre, the red woman, on Game of Thrones , but what would would she look like without the eponymous ginger locks?
Image: HBO
Carice Van Houten
Like this! Ah, what a difference some high-quality fake hair can make.
Leonard Hofstadter - 'The Big Bang Theory'
Johnny Galecki, who plays Leonard Hofstadter on The Big Bang Theory, looks decidedly different from his poindexter doppelgänger. Just warning you guys. This IRL change involves a She’s All That-style glasses removal.
Image: CBS
Johnny Galecki
Basically, you take off his geek-frames, give him some manly stubble, and he looks like Jon Snow’s long-lost brother. Just gonna say that his name would be Steve Snow.
Daisy Mason - 'Downton Abbey'
As Daisy Mason on Downton Abbey, Sophie McShera looks super young.
Image: PBS
Sophie McShera
But put her in some red lipstick and blow her hair out, and she looks like a bucket full of glam.
Lord Varys - 'Game of Thrones'
Could you pick Conleth Hill, the man who plays Lord Varys on GOT, out of a police lineup?
Image: Macall B. Polay/HBO
Conleth Hill
Well, throwing in some hair and a scarf definitely adds some intrigue…
Ichabod Crane - 'Sleepy Hollow'
As Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow , Tom Mison needs to be convincingly 18th century-looking. Enter: beard and wig!
Image: FOX
Tom Mison
He’s a shining example of the fact that all someone needs to do in order to fully change their face is add or subtract hair.
Dorota - 'Gossip Girl'
The idea of Gossip Girl’s Dorota out of her house uniform is nothing short of mind-boggling.
Image: The CW
Zuzanna Szadkowski
But her portrayer, Zuzanna Szadkowski, looks much more relaxed in street clothes. Also, in a departure from her character’s permanently surprised overwhelmed face, Zuzanna seems to smile more as a real person.
Sophia Petrillo - 'The Golden Girls'
Although Sophia Petrillo was the eldest of The Golden Girls crew, Estelle Getty was only in her 60s for much of the time that she played the role.
Image: NBC
Estelle Getty
The character necessitated a wig and some serious makeup, but at least she got to keep her own glasses!
Image: Alan Light/Wikimedia Commons
