I’m not an actor, but I have to think that playing a real person is much more difficult that playing a fictional one.
In most cases , an actor can tap into the motivations and reactions of a character to create the way he speaks and moves.
In the case of a real person, he or she may be well-known enough that the audience for the project is familiar with the appearance and demeanor of the subject.
Makeup artists also have a tougher jobs working on biographical films. Below are a few examples of how well the makeup artist recreations can stand up to comparisons to a subjects actual appearance.
Daniel Day Lewis as Abraham Lincoln
Makeup by Lois Burwell
Sir Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock
Makeup by Howard Berger
Jennifer Lopez as Selena Quintanilla – Perez
Makeup by Jay Wejebe
Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf
Makeup by Didier Lavergne
Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo
Makeup by Judy Chin and Team
Meryl Streep as Margret Thatcher
Makeup by J. Roy Helland
Val Kilmer @ Jim Morrison
Makeup by Ron Berkeley
The Selena transformation has always been one of my favorites!
Mine too. It’s uncanny especially watching performance video.