Anne Hathaway Was 'Obsessive' About Slimming Down for 'Les Miserables' Role: 15 Stars Who Drastically Lost or Gained Weight for Roles (GALLERY)

Posted November 12, 2012, 4:19 pm   •   by Rachel Levy   •   1 comments

Anne Hathaway dropped 10 pounds before shooting her Oscar buzz-worthy role in Les Miserables – plus another 15 pounds after production started -- by sticking to two miniscule squares of dried oatmeal pastes per day.

“I had to be obsessive about it — the idea was to look near death,” Hathaway explained in the December issue of Vogue. “Looking back on the whole experience — and I don’t judge it in any way — it was definitely a little nuts. It was definitely a break with reality, but I think that’s who Fantine is.” The actress, 29, drastically slimmed down to portray Fantine, a tuberculosis-affflicted prostitute, alongside fellow stars Amanda Seyfried, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Sasha Baron Cohen, and Helena Bonham-Carter for the silver screen adaptation of the beloved stage musical.

“I was in such a state of deprivation – physical and emotional. When I got home, I couldn’t react to the chaos of the world without being overwhelmed,” Hathaway revealed. “It took me weeks till I felt like myself again.” But the short hairdo seemed to help Hathaway feel in her own skin -- she actually fell in love with her pixie ‘do and how manageable short tresses are. Hathaway gushed to the mag, “I’m turning 30, and — I hope this isn’t obnoxious to say — I feel prettier, and much more myself. I guess I just feel much more satisfied with less now.”

Fortunately for the brunette star, she had her now-hubby Adam Shulman – whom she she wed in September – by her side, to support her through the body-changing process.

Matthew McConaughey is another celeb who drastically lost weight for a role, shedding the pounds to play Ron Woodroof, a character based off a real man who was diagnosed with AIDS at the height of the HIV epidemic during the 1980s, in the upcoming The Dallas Buyer's Club.

Click through our gallery above to see other shocking slim-downs for the big screen.