Vanessa Paradis in Cafe De Flore

Vanessa Paradis in Cafe De Flore

Screen siren, Vanessa Paradis usually looks stunning, but in her recent film Cafe De Flore - which is out on DVD, Blu-ray and to Download from 17 September - she ditches her glamorous persona and takes on a more ‘plain Jane’ look for the film.

To celebrate the release we take a look at other well known beauties stripped of all their allure to portray characters in TV and film...

Vanessa Paradis: Cafe De Flore

With an unfamiliar crop of short dark hair and light make-up, Paradis exudes a powerful mix of maternal tenderness and ferocity as she battles prejudice against her boy Laurent.

Mariah Carey: Precious

Carey, who had to put weight on for the role, looks almost unrecognizable, sporting an unflattering blouse and jacket with scruffy brown hair, a very different look from her usual airbrushed and alluring look.

Cameron Diaz: Being John Malkovich

Audiences watching Being John Malkovich were hard pushed to recognise sex-kitten Cameron Diaz as a bizarre puppeteer's wife, beneath this permed wig, brown contact-lenses, and vile flannel tracksuit.

Charlize Theron: Monster

Theron's performance as Aileen Wuornos, a mentally ill woman who had an antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder, transformed the actress. For the role, Theron gained 30 pounds and wore prosthetic teeth.

Anne Hathaway: The Princess Diaries

We all love the classic teen makeover scene - where the school nerd turns from the typical glasses wearing, thick haired, unfashionably dressed girl into a beautiful swan.

So it is no surprise that Hathaway had to get ugly for her breakout role.

Renee Zellweger: Bridget Jones’ Diary

Zellweger put on 30 pounds to play the lovable Bridget Jones, not once but twice, for the sequel.

With her frumpy jumpers and famous big knickers, she won the heart of not only the dashing Mark Darcy but the public - his famous quote ‘I like you just the way you are’ proved that big is beautiful.

Drew Barrymore: Never Been Kissed

Cover Girl Drew Barrymore has pulled off an array of looks over the years including that of Josie Geller an unfashionable journalist who is sent to go back to high school in Never Been Kissed.

Dressed down in frumpy jumpers, braces and with thick and wild hair she proves that you don’t have to be beautiful to be kissed.

Nicole Kidman: The Hours

Nicole Kidman got all the hype for her prosthetic nose when playing Virginia Woolfe.

Nicole apparently was not sure about the nose when she first saw herself in make-up, however after getting used to it, she used it as a disguise from the Paparazzi during her divorce to Tom Cruise!

Gwenyth Paltrow: Shallow Hal

Beginning with a body cast of Paltrow, the make-up effects team took three months to perfect the heavy makeup and construct her form-fitting suit, which actually weighed only about 25 pounds.

Cafe De Flore is released on DVD 17th September