When celebrity faces transform: Tom Cruise, Megan Fox and more

Tom Cruise isn’t the first celebrity to transform from a fresh-faced star to a chubby-cheeked character. This is the Hall of Fame.

Ever since Tom Cruise stepped out at a baseball game last weekend, fans have speculated whether the round-faced, chubby-cheeked look he revealed was the result of ageing or a recent assignation with a syringe.

They couldn’t figure out if the 59-year-old “Mission Impossible” star had been raiding the refrigerator — or opted for the risky business of dermal fillers to plump up his features.

Cruise’s apparently changed mug contrasts sharply with the preppy image he usually presents, complete with sculpted cheekbones and dazzling white teeth.

“What’s up with the bloated chipmunk cheeks?” one Twitter critic commented. “What he do to his face, same doctor as Wayne Newton?” another social media watchdog sniped.

Tom Cruise as his usual fresh-faced self. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Jameson)

And the contrast he exhibited at a recent baseball game. Picture: Twitter

In a similar vein, just a couple of days earlier, Madonna surprised her followers by ditching the flawless appearance she curates on Instagram. Instead, the diva looked slightly closer to her real age of 63. Her Madgesty happily posed for candid snaps without filters or other photo trickery.

“Real life vs Instagram,” one person posted along side-by-side photos of the singer, while another chimed in: “Madonna, Reality Vs the pic she posts of herself on Insta.”

The Material Girl presents her customary manicured image. Picture: Instagram

But looks more natural and closer to her age in candid photos taken on the streets of Harlem last week. Picture: BeautifulSignatureIG / SplashNews.com/Media Mode

It all goes to show that, whether purposefully or not, many Hollywood stars have dramatically changed their appearance over the years. Here, The New York Post puts eight other celebrities — whose chameleon looks have long been subject to debate — under the microscope.

Tori Spelling

Actress Tori Spelling was the quintessential all-American girl.

But now looks a lot like Khloe Kardashian.

With her mop of blond hair, trademark big eyes and beaming smile, the Californian was the epitome of the all-American girl when she shot to fame in the ’90s teen drama “Beverly Hills, 90210,” helmed by her dad, megaproducer Aaron Spelling.

She has since spoken about getting a nose job and breast augmentation while vehemently denying any more recent work.

This year, sporting impossibly long hair extensions during a glamorous photo shoot that channelled Kim or Khloe Kardashian, the 48-year-old looked sleek-cheeked and markedly younger.

“Wow Tori doesn’t look like her any more,” one fan lamented on Spelling’s Instagram post celebrating the wrap of MTV’s “Messyness” reality series with Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. “Kardashians surgeon?” another person piped up.

“It’s all contouring,” Spelling later insisted, crediting her “amazing” makeup artist.

Megan Fox

Pretty young thing Megan Fox has become a sophisticated, sexy siren. (AP Photo/Adam Rountree)

After trading her apple cheeks for a more sculpted look. Picture: Instagram

The “Transformers” actress looked like the girl next door when she made her Hollywood debut around 2007 with her rounded cheeks and natural smile. Fast-forward to 2021 and the 35-year-old resembles a whole new person with a wrinkle-free forehead, plumped-up lips, sculpted cheekbones and seemingly narrower eyes. Nevertheless, the mother of three has dismissed claims her sexy, sophisticated appearance is anything other than natural. She insists she’s never had Botox, cheek augmentations or any other kind of surgical enhancements to her face.

Fox also made it clear this week that she suffers from “deep insecurities” — and fan speculation can hurt. “Yeah, I have body dysmorphia. I have a lot of deep insecurities,” Fox said in a new joint interview with boyfriend Machine Gun Kelly in British GQ Style. “We may look at somebody and think, ‘That person’s so beautiful. Their life must be so easy.’ They most likely don’t feel that way about themselves.”

Lil’ Kim

Rapper Lil’ Kim as she was early in her career.

She’s dramatically switched up her look over the years. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

Back in the ’90s, when Lil’ Kim first appeared on the rap scene, she looked untouched and real. But the now-47-year-old couldn’t resist changing things up, sometimes by necessity. Following a violent altercation with an ex-boyfriend during which she suffered a broken nose, she had rhinoplasty in 2003. She has since admitted to getting other treatments on her nose. However, from 2016 onwards, she has showcased other dramatic changes such as paler skin, a tighter jawline and plumper cheeks which could be the result of fillers. As a result, some plastic surgery experts have become concerned about the star’s possible “addiction” to cosmetic procedures.

“Personally, I think she should seek professional help,” said celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Gary Breslow, CEO of Zwivel.com, told Page Six. “Based on these pictures alone, she’s going to end up destroying her face if she continues.”

Victoria Beckham

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham is pictured at the height of the band’s ’90s fame.

She has since become one of the world’s most famous shrinking women. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images)

The stylish wife of soccer ace David Beckham looked 100% natural when she was nicknamed “Posh Spice” during her stint with the ’90s pop group the Spice Girls. But it didn’t take long for the British beauty to shed the baby fat and reinvent herself as a supersvelte fashion icon. It’s hard to believe that the 47-year-old is the same wholesome singer who belted out hits like “Wannabe” alongside former bandmates Ginger, Baby, Sporty and Scary.

“Please no more lip fillers,” one fan moaned after her stiff-lipped appearance this week on “Good Morning America.”

Renée Zellweger

The earlier, round-faced version of Renée Zellweger.

Was later replaced by a more “Hollywood-looking” model. (Photo by Jean-Baptiste Lacroix / AFP)

It’s well known that the A-list movie star took method acting to a whole new level when she piled on 30 pounds for her role as neurotic London singleton Bridget Jones. But, in 2014, the once relatable, apple-cheeked blond almost broke the internet by revealing what appeared to be a completely re-jiggered face. She was nearly unrecognisable with narrowed eyes, taut skin and a more oval-shaped countenance. Appalled by the reaction to the change, the now 52-year-old “Judy” Oscar winner merely said she was “living a happy, more fulfilling life” and was delighted if it showed.

In a public essay, Zellweger told those who accused her of having plastic surgery: “It seems the folks who come digging around for some nefarious truth that doesn’t exist won’t get off my porch until I answer the door.”

Zac Efron

Zac Efron’s original boy-next-door image had women swooning.

He now appears to have modified his looks. Source: Supplied

The “High School Musical” heart-throb has caused pulses to race ever since the franchise first launched 2006. Fans adored his “regular guy” appearance which reminded them of their eighth-grade crush. But, in 2021, the 33-year-old morphed into an immaculately groomed, somewhat artificial-looking version of himself. Experts couldn’t help wondering whether his jutting, square-shaped jawline and higher cheekbones meant he had gone under the knife.

But Efron’s friend, Kyle Sandilands, defended his buddy saying he would “know” if that were the case. He claimed the actor’s face was already close to perfect, adding: “It’s like getting a Picasso and having a kid finger paint all over it. Why bother?”

Heidi Montag

Former “The Hills” personality Heidi Montag once looked like she belonged in a high school yearbook.

She has admitted her more mature countenance is the result of plastic surgery,

One thing you can say about the former star of the mid-2000s reality show “The Hills” is that she’s refreshingly honest. Unlike most celebrities, she has shared details of her history of plastic surgery. Once a fresh-faced girl straight out of a high school yearbook, the now 35-year-old has admitted to having a plethora of face and body-altering procedures including a brow lift, boob job, nose job, chin reduction and varying rounds of Botox. Much of the work was done at the height of her fame in 2009. Montag, who has since blamed hypercritical internet trolls for her rush to surgery, regretted the changes almost immediately.

She told the “Today” show in 2010: “I wish I could go back to the original Heidi.”

Heather Locklear

Dad and schoolboy favourite Heather Locklear was drop-dead gorgeous in her early showbiz career. Picture: Harry Langdon/Getty Images

Locklear's rollercoaster life seems to have taken a toll on the now 60-year-old.

Heather Locklear was a premier bombshell of the ’80s and ’90s, headlining prime-time soap operas such as “Dynasty” and “Melrose Place.” Posters of the stunning blond adorned the walls of many a boy’s bedroom — but her wild-child ways appear to have eventually caught up with her. She experienced much public scrutiny in 2018 after an “overdose,” followed by a rehab stint and her arrest for the alleged assault of an emergency medical technician called to her home during a domestic dispute.

But now the 60-year-old is back — and looking decidedly fresh-faced.

However different Locklear might look in 2021, her life and career appear to be on the upswing: She is reportedly engaged to longtime partner Chris Heisser and is starring in a new change-of-pace Lifetime movie, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: The Kristine Carlson Story.”

— New York Post

Originally published as When celebrity faces transform: Tom Cruise, Megan Fox and more