10 of the most eye-catching celebrity transformations of 2020

From Tom Hanks's self-proclaimed 'horrible' haircut to Demi Lovato's avant-garde crop, plenty of stars shook up their look in the past 12 months

Tom Hanks, Demi Lovato and Hugh Grant all shook up their looks with different 'dos in 2020. Instagram, YouTube

It's been a year filled with change for many, whether professional, emotional or financial.

However, there has also been the physical, as evidenced by a host of stars across the world.

Whether bold new haircuts, boredom-inspired dye jobs or even sacrifices made for new roles, here are the most notable celebrity transformations of 2020.

1. Tom Hanks

The most recent Hollywood makeover comes courtesy of the Oscar winner, who this week debuted a new 'do while appearing on The Graham Norton Show.

Hanks is currently in Australia filming Baz Luhrmann's upcoming biopic about Elvis Presley, in which he plays the crooner's manager Colonel Tom Parker.

"Let me show you the horrible haircut I have to have in order to portray Tom Parker," the Forrest Gump actor told Norton during a Zoom interview, as he took off his baseball cap for a brief second. "Check out this horrible ... Do you see that? Look at that thing?"

He then showcased a newly bald scalp, before quickly popping his hat back on. "I just scared the children. I want to apologise," he joked.

The biopic is set to hit cinemas in November.

2. Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato had long dark hair at the E! People's Choice Awards on November 20. Getty Images

The American singer and actress chose to see out 2020 with a dramatic chop, cutting off her signature, long waves and taking things much, much lighter.

The Sorry Not Sorry star unveiled a golden blonde pixie cut on Instagram in November, which features shaved sides.

The makeover was widely applauded by fans, with Lovato's celebrity pals also sharing their praise.

"Gorge," commented actress Kerry Washington, while Bring it On star Gabrielle Union added: "So good!"

3. Hugh Grant

Hugh Grant in a scene from 'Death to 2020'. Alex Zalben / Twitter

The Four Weddings and a Funeral actor has long been recognisable for his floppy locks, but stunned viewers as he sported thin, white strands in Charlie Brooker's Netflix mockumentary Death to 2020.

In the satirical film, which hit the streaming platform last month, Grant plays history professor Tennyson Foss, complete with tortoiseshell glasses and a cropped hairdo.

It was a turnaround from his salt-and-pepper locks as Jonathan Fraser in The Undoing, the HBO miniseries which released its finale in November.

4. Madonna

She's the queen of reinvention, so it comes as little surprise that the Papa Don't Preach singer would shake up her look at some point in 2020. Though she's dabbled with darker hues, the singer hasn't strayed far from her blonde locks in some time ... until October, when she revealed candy-pink strands on Instagram.

5. Joe Jonas

Also experimenting with the box dyes this year was the Jonas Brothers singer, and husband of Games of Thrones star Sophie Turner, who swapped his longer hair for a buzzcut in May. He has since proceeded to colour it in a range of hues, from bleach blonde to the most recent tint, hot pink.

6. Prince Harry and Meghan

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stepped back from the royal family last year. AP

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven't experienced much of a physical evolution this year, that is true. However, after announcing their intent to step back as senior members of the British royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan have transformed themselves into a savvy power couple, inking exclusive deals with Netflix and Spotify as part of their new non-profit organisation, Archewell, as well as becoming bonafide California residents.

7. Rebel Wilson

In January 2020, the Australian actress declared the next 12 months would be a "year of health", vowing to "avoid sugar and junk food". One year on and the Bridesmaid star has stuck to her vow, revealing she has lost almost 30 kilograms.

"It's not like I want to lose weight and get to around a certain number," Wilson told The Sun earlier this year about her new fitness approach. "It's more than that, it's about dealing mentally with why I was overeating and I had a job where I was paid a lot of money to be bigger at times, which kind of can mess with your head a bit."

8. Miley Cyrus

Like Madonna, the singer is also no stranger to a makeover, sparking a rise in the popularity of pixie cuts after embracing a platinum crop back in 2012. In the past year, however, the Wrecking Ball star has attempted to revive an '80s favourite – the mullet. Cyrus has stuck to the "party in the back" hairdo for most of 2020, joking last month that it was the only cut her mother knew.

"All my mom can do is a mullet, so I had one option and I needed it," Cyrus said in an interview, revealing she took the plunge while hair salons were closed earlier in the year.

"I think there's something genetic where it just naturally grows shorter up top and longer in the back," she joked about her family's penchant for the distinctive cut, also worn by her singer dad, Billy Ray. "That's just kind of a natural shape that our hair grows in."

9. Jim Parsons

As Sheldon Cooper in long-running sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Parsons had a very distinct look: a tidy, run-of-the-mill short back and sides, and a wardrobe full of slogan tees. But the man behind the science prodigy is a little more experimental, breaking away from Sheldon's safe cut with some new blonde highlights, debuted on Instagram in November.

10. Adele

The British singer might not have released any new music since 2015, but she made headlines this year after debuting her weight loss on social media.

The usually reclusive star posted a picture for her Instagram followers on her 32nd birthday in May, as she wore a puff-sleeved black dress.

Adele also joked about her changing frame in October as she hosted sketch show Saturday Night Live.

"I know I look really, really different since you last saw me," the Rolling in the Deep singer said. "But actually, because of all the Covid restrictions and travel bans, I had to travel light and I could only bring half of me," she joked. "And this is the half I chose."

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