Actors Who Look the Part: Cillian Murphy, Bradley Cooper

A new batch of films sees actors transforming themselves into historical figures, but how much do they resemble their real-life counterparts? Keep scrolling to see actors who look exactly like the people they’re portraying on the big screen.

Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein

The Oscar winner, 48, caught flak for the prosthetic nose he donned to play the famed conductor in Maestro (out November 22). But Jaap van Zweden, the musical director of the New York Philharmonic, who gave Bradley conducting tips, was impressed. “You could see that he was watching with a very special eye,” he noted. “He wanted to get into Bernstein’s soul.”

Cillian Murphy as Robert Oppenheimer

“I love acting with my body, and Oppenheimer had a very distinct physicality and silhouette, which I wanted to get right,” the 47-year-old said of portraying the inventor of the atom bomb, adding that he dropped “quite a bit of weight” to play the title character. “He was very slim, almost emaciated, existed on martinis and cigarettes.”

Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley

The actress said it was “surreal” and “terrifying” to watch Priscilla (out November 3) with its namesake. In the flick, she plays Priscilla Presley as she was wooed by music legend Elvis Presley. Cailee needn’t have worried. “I think she felt moved by it,” said the 25-year-old. “She looked at me and she said, ‘That was a great performance.’”

Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas

But will she sing? The 48-year-old is currently filming Maria, a biopic about the opera diva, who died at 53 in 1977 and included shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis — Jackie O’s ex — among her many loves. Director Pablo Larraín (who also directed the biopic Jackie, starring Natalie Portman) recently touted Angelina’s “brilliant work and extraordinary preparation” for the role.

Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte

At 5-foot-8, the 48-year-old is a bit taller than the famed and feared 19th-century French emperor he embodies in Napoleon (out November 22), but physical resemblance wasn’t priority No. 1 for the film’s director, Ridley Scott. Noting Joaquin’s work in their previous collaboration, Gladiator, Ridley said of the actor, “He is the best player of damaged goods.”