History AdaptationalAttractiveness / LiveActionFilms

* ''Film/{{Parker}}'': In the novel ''Flashfire'', Leslie is a middle-aged blonde Caucasian, running towards plumpness. In the film, she is Creator/JenniferLopez.

** In a very unconventional way with [[PantheraAwesome Daimio's beast mode]]: in [[ComicBook/Hellboy the comics]] he looked like a viscerally red AnimalisticAbomination, while he looks like an average jaguar hybrid man in the movie, who is far less monstrous in comparison. Downplayed with Daimio in his normal self who retains his facial scar, but it's nowhere near as massively disfiguring as in the comics.

** ''Film/{{Shazam}}'' has the formerly creepy and diminutive Doctor Sivana played by the tall and handsome Creator/MarkStrong.

* In the original ''Manga/{{Gunnm}}'' manga, Yugo/Hugo is a teen of 15 at most, kinda scrawny and with a boyish face. In the LiveActionAdaptation ''Film/AlitaBattleAngel'', he's played by Keean Johnson, who's considerably more built and has a certain '90s heartthrob look to him, not too dissimilar from the likes of Jonathan Taylor Thomas. It's particularly evident given this version of Hugo gets a brief ShirtlessScene whereas the original didn't.

* In the original ''Manga/{{Gunnm}}'' manga, Yugo/Hugo is a teen of 15 at most, kinda scrawny and with a boyish face. In the LiveActionAdaptation ''Film/AlitaBattleAngel'', he's played by Keean Johnson, who's considerably more built and has a certain '90s heartthrob look to him, not too dissimilar from the likes of Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

* The novel ''Literature/WhiteFang'' has Beauty Smith, who's described as short and ugly and is even more so the more he abuses White Fang. In the 1991 Disney movie, though, he's played by James Remar, who's definitely a more good-looking guy than Beauty Smith in the novel.

* In Frank Herbert's novel ''Literature/{{Dune}}'', Gurney Halleck is repeatedly described as "an ugly lump of a man" with a hideously scarred face. In [[Film/{{Dune}} the 1984 film version]], he's played by future Sexiest Man Alive Creator/PatrickStewart, with no trace of scars to be found.

** A big part of Charlotte's decision to marry Mr Collins in the book is because she's not pretty enough to attract anyone else. In the BBC miniseries and the film of ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudiceAndZombies'', she's just as cute as the other girls.

** In the novel, Tris is described as average looking, with a long nose. In the film, she is played by the gorgeous Creator/ShaileneWoodley.

** The Grandmaster of the comics is blue-skinned with a large, balding head. In ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', he's played by launcher of a thousand "Daddy" memes, Creator/JeffGoldblum.

* In the Literature/StephaniePlum books by Janet Evanovich, Stephanie is supposed to be a fairly average [[{{Joisey}} Jersey girl]] with Italian and Hungarian heritage. In ''Film/OneForTheMoney'', the film adaptation of the first book in the series, she's played by Katherine Heigl, who, despite whatever else one may think of her, is generally agreed to be physically ''gorgeous''.

* In ''Film/AStudyInTerror'', the victims of UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper are all much younger (with the exception of Mary Kelly, the Ripper's victims were all their 40s) and prettier than they were in real life.

* The movie version of ''Literature/{{Beastly}}'' is a pretty {{egregious}} offender--in the book, Kyle becomes a hairy animal, much like in [[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast a certain other adaptation]] that it mimics. In the movie, he's clearly human, but with no hair, some scars and some tattoo-like markings...which means that he looks lest like a "beast" and more like a hardcore punk. Depending on one's tastes, his cursed form may be more attractive than he is normally! The makeup actually ''is'' rather elaborate (67 pieces, taking three hours to prepare each day) but it's clear that the filmmakers didn't want their YA romance star to be "ugly," even if that's the whole premise of the story.

* In ''Literature/{{Beastly}}'', the cursed Kyle is genuinely beastly [[BeastMan in the vein of Disney's Beast]]. In TheFilmOfTheBook, he's "cursed" to be...[[HollywoodHomely a punk kid with scars and tattoos]].

* While Hester Shaw in the film of ''Literature/MortalEngines'' does still have a large and nasty scar on her face, it's nowhere near as disfiguring as that of her book counterpart, who is missing one eye and most of her nose.

** Aside from the metal caps, tattoos and lack of eyebrows, ComicBook/TheJoker is played by [[OlderThanTheyLook the youthful-looking]] PrettyBoy Creator/JaredLeto. This, especially compared to the creepy old man with a botched facelift in ''Film/{{Batman}}'' and the filthy GlasgowGrin-sporting vagrant in ''Film/TheDarkKnight''.

* While Hester Shaw in the film of ''Literature/MortalEngines'' does still have a large and nasty scar on her face, it's nowhere near as disfiguring as that of her book counterpart, who is missing one eye and most of her nose.

** Curt's actor looks messy and skinny but he's not on the level of Curt in the book. In the book Curt has long, MessyHair, is emaciated, and looks like crap most of the time.

* ''Film/{{Parker}}'': In the novel ''Flashfire'', Leslie is a middle-aged blonde Caucasian, running towards plumpness. In the film, she is Creator/JenniferLopez.

** In the comics, Erik Killmonger is a hulking ScaryBlackMan with an almost cartoonish physique. In the ''Film/BlackPanther'' movie, he's played by Creator/MichaelBJordan, who is far slimmer and has a much more attractive face.

* Julian Sands played the Phantom in ''Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' (1998) with ''his regular face'' (though then again, that adaptation ''did'' include him having sex with rats, a condition many people would find ''more'' repulsive than a disfigured face, so this one may even out).

* In the Annie Proulx short story ''Film/BrokebackMountain'', the two protagonists are described to be ordinary-looking, even unattractive. In the movie adaptation they're played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Creator/HeathLedger.

* In the novel of ''Little Children'', the character Ronnie bears very little physical resemblance to Jackie Earle Haley, being an overweight, balding chain-smoker who wears glasses. While Haley is no George Clooney, he brought a far more sympathetic interpretation to the character than what was probably intended. Sarah Peirce was also described as being not very pretty in the book. In the movie they worked over time to make Creator/KateWinslet seem frumpy but their best efforts made her look HollywoodHomely.

* Ben Whishaw plays Grenouille in the film adaptation of Patrick Süskind's ''Literature/{{Perfume}}.'' While in both the novel and the film, he's filthy, malnourished and disfigured by scars from the tannery, in the novel he's described as ugly even before receiving these maladies.

* The play ''Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune'' originally starred Creator/KathyBates and Kenneth Welsh, and was revived with Stanley Tucci and Edie Falco. The 1991 film version, ''Frankie and Johnny'', starred Creator/AlPacino and Creator/MichellePfeiffer. Yes, that's right, a young Michelle Pfeiffer in a role originated by Kathy Bates.

* ''Film/ITonya'' has slender 5'6" Creator/MargotRobbie [[http://people.com/movies/margot-robbie-cant-contain-her-excitement-as-tonya-harding-joins-her-at-i-tonya-premiere/ playing curvaceous 5'1" Tonya Harding]].

* Inverted somewhat in ''Film/TheIronLady'' - the biopic of UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher. While not ugly, the stern-faced Margaret Thatcher was, to say the least, no Creator/MerylStreep, and the movie won ''two'' awards for makeup and hair in making Meryl Streep look anything like Margaret Thatcher (on a really, really good day).

* In ''Film/QuizShow'', [[http://galusaustralis.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/stempel.jpg John Turturro]] plays [[http://www.incredibletvandmovies.com/stempelz.jpeg Herb Stempel]] and [[http://www.monologuedb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/ralph-fiennes-charles-van-doren-quiz-show-150x150.jpg Ralph Fiennes]] plays [[http://oldlifemagazines.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/c/v/cv102659.jpg Charles Van Doren]].

* Film/BonnieAndClyde were played by Faye Dunaway and Creator/WarrenBeatty, both much prettier than the RealLife originals.

* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', hobbits are generally portly, but with the exception of Sean Astin, who is already stocky and gained some weight for the role of Sam, the producers hired slender actors for the Fellowship hobbits. Director Peter Jackson didn't want the characters to look like midgets by being overly stocky. Frodo in the books is described as "stout," and, while he's supposed to look younger than his actual age (fifty), teenage Creator/ElijahWood is definitely stretching it. Then again, hobbits do age more slowly than humans. Hobbits in the books are also said to look friendly, not handsome or beautiful, which cannot be said for the Fellowship hobbits.
** The trend continues in ''Film/TheHobbit''; Bilbo probably wouldn't even count as HollywoodPudgy, though he at least has an early-middle-aged look about him. Goes back and forth with the dwarfs as they tend to be on the broad side but are usually more wide than they are heavy (except [[{{Acrofatic}} Bombur]]), and have various facial prosthetic such as bulbous noses, oversized jowls, etc; then there's [[ThoseTwoGuys Fíli and Kíli]] as well as [[BadassInCharge Thorin]], who not only is easily the most handsome dwarf, but also has his [[AdaptationalAngstUpgrade driving motivation changed]] from [[GoldFever reclaiming the lost gold and treasure from Erebor]] to reclaiming a proper homeland for his scattered, wandering people. Interestingly, Fíli, Kíli, and Thorin are agreed as being the most attractive dwarves [[spoiler:and they are the three that die. [[KillTheCutie There's no way that's a coincidence]]]].