Star looks completely unrecognisable while filming new show

You’d be forgiven for thinking Shameless star Emmy Rossum had an entire face transplant for her new role.

Actress Emmy Rossum was unrecognisable in Los Angeles this week as she filmed the upcoming series Angelyne — based on the mysterious life of the self-made celebrity of the same name.

The brunette Shameless alum, 33, donned an oversized blond wig, massive chest prosthesis and a series of teeny-tiny hot pink outfits to transform into La-La Land’s local legend.

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The 33-year-old Shameless star’s resemblance to L.A. billboard diva Angelyne is uncanny. Picture: Backgrid.

Before there was Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton, Angelyne was the original “famous for being famous” starlet.

She willed herself into LA’s limelight starting in the mid-80s with a massive billboard campaign — featuring nothing more than her name and instantly recognisable image — funded by an eccentric entrepreneur.

That’s one way to get famous. Picture: John Barr/Liaison.

The posters were part of the promotion effort for a self-titled album she released in 1982. After the massive billboard campaign, she released Driven to Fantasy in 1986.

Angelyne then appeared in small parts in films such as E arth Girls Are Easy (1988), Dangerous Love (1988) and Homer and Eddie (1989).

But it was driving around Hollywood in her famous pink Corvette that made her a true local legend.

Angelyne’s striking wheels are iconic. Picture: Backgrid.

Almost as much as her enormous blonde hair. Picture: Getty Images.

Now, actress Emmy Rossum is depicting the eccentric star in a new series based around her life and unlikely rise to fame – Corvette and all.

Emmy Rossum is an absolute dead ringer for Angelyne behind the wheel. Picture: Backgrid.

Here she is strutting her stuff in an oh-so 80s get up on set. Picture: Backgrid.

A very different-looking Emmy Rossum attends the 2017 Met Gala. Picture: Getty Images.

Angelyne’s background, age and even her real name were closely guarded secrets until The Hollywood Reporter identified her in 2017 as Renee Goldberg, the daughter of Polish Holocaust survivors who immigrated to the West Coast after the war.

Angelyne’s background was exposed in a 2017 article. Picture: Backgrid.

According to Page Six, the exposé forms the basis for Rossum’s miniseries, which doesn’t yet have a debut date but will run in the US on NBC’s Peacock streaming service, launching in April.

Angelyne attending premiere of film "I Shot Andy Warhol" in 1996. Picture: Supplied.

Goldberg, now 69, is an executive producer on the project, according to THR, as are Rossum and her husband, Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced here with permission.