Not every super hottie is lucky enough to start out that way. Years of growth and the sweet blessing of puberty can make miracles happen and sometimes it’s the ‘nerds’ who end up looking jaw-droppingly, eye-poppingly good-looking. And luckily for us, some of the most dramatic nerd-to-hottie transformations happen in Hollywood, right before our eager eyes. Here are 12 nerdy actors who have turned into total hotties. Guess who’s number one on this list. Come on, guess! You know who it is! Hint: He’s responsible for a new term of this very phenomenon. *wink wink, nudge, grin*
12. Emma Watson
It may seem strange to think of Emma Watson as someone with nerdy tendencies since she’s now a super-glam gorgeous A-list actress, but remember that when she broke onto the scene in the Harry Potter movies she was the nerdy, uber-studious, academically-obsessed Hermione Granger. Taking the scholarly geek to the next level with her witching ways, Hermione was the top nerd at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, if you catch a glimpse of her on the red carpet or in ads for top endorsement deals, you can’t help but be taken aback by how lovely Emma Watson truly is, all grown and leading the way for the next generation of Hollywood women.
Broadimage/REX11. Blake McIver Ewing
Full House got even fuller when the Tanner kids friends dropped by to hang out with the San Francisco gang. One of those little buddies included Michelle Tanner’s nerdy pal Derek. Straight-talking and ultimately geeky, the kid who was played by Blake McIver Ewing is practically unrecognizable these days. Unrecognizable how? He went from super-nerd to super-hottie! Now a ripped, six-pack flashing example of sculpted hotness who acts and sings, there are no traces of nerd around Blake anymore. Not. At. All.
Source: YouTube10. Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt is another actress who got her big break in the biz by playing someone on the nerdier side of life. When she came onto the scene as girl-next-door, Sarah Reeves on “Party of Five,” she caught the attention of main character and dimpled-cutie Bailey Salinger while portraying the awkward, clumsy, eventually-goes-off-the-rails-somewhat high school student. Nowadays, Jennifer Love Hewitt is known for her tiny waist (seriously, she’s a size zero) and her stunning image. Whether playing a spiritual medium-type on Ghost Whisperer or an FBI tough-gal on Criminal Minds, Jennifer is no longer a stereotypical geek in any way, shape, or form.
Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com9. Zac Efron
Zac Efron may be stunning fans through paparazzi lenses these days with his wildly sculpted abs, but before his days as a Hollywood smokeshow, he was known more as a Hollywood nerd. Before the saving grace of puberty, Zac Efron was still an awkward looking kid who desperately needed to grow into his features. And grow into them he did, indeed. If you look back at a younger Zac, you can tell the potential is there for a good-looking man to emerge, but bodies can be as fickle as life itself and Efron is certainly lucky he ended up on the scorching end of the hottie scale.
Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection8. Jason Schwartzman
Jason Schwartzman made his name in Hollywood by playing the intensely nerdy kid over and over (and over) again. From Rushmore to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, he’s never exactly portrayed the pinnacle of cool or popularity, but that has been his road to success. However, after making his mark as a geeky kid and unabashedly admitting that he’s still a full-on nerd in real life, Jason Schwartzman has grown up to be quite the sultry hottie.
Jason Smith/Everett Collection7. Tania Raymonde
Malcolm in the Middle had more than its fair share of awkward, geeky, super-nerdy characters interacting and stumbling through their fictional lives. Among them was Cynthia Sanders, the only gal member of the Krelboynes with main character Malcolm. Cynthia was played by Tania Raymonde who tackled the role with all of her geeky zeal. In real life, Tania is still acting and has become quite hot. Full lips that she loves to show off with the perfect shade of red, eyes that pierce straight through a camera lens, and hair that is undoubtedly the envy of anyone who appreciates a gorgeous crowning glory, Tania is now far from the nerdy girl she once portrayed.
MediaPunch/REX6. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Being an adult alien from another planet attempting to pass as a human teenager might make anyone an awkward figure, but it was a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt who played the role to perfection on 3rd Rock from the Sun. Despite his geeky portrayal, Gordon-Levitt still managed to attract a legion of adoring fans and they only crushed on him harder when he grew up to be one of Hollywood’s hottest actors. Continuing to nab himself choice roles (500 Days of Summer, Looper, and The Dark Knight Rises to name just a few) and making fans swoon off-screen with his signature swoon-inducing grin, it doesn’t look like this one is going anywhere soon … and thank God for that. Amen.
Stephen Lovekin/Variety/REX5. Abigail Breslin
Abigail Breslin made her way into audiences’ hearts as the quirky beauty pageant seeker Olive in the equally quirky Little Miss Sunshine. With her geeky glasses and prominent headband, she may have been wildly endearing to audiences, but she wasn’t exactly the coolest kid on the block. That’s all changed drastically these days. Abigail is all grown up now and starring in roles in Zombieland and Ender’s Game as well as the instant hit Scream Queens and audiences can be forgiven if they failed to recognize little Olive. Gone are the geeky glasses, gone is the prominent headband, and in their place is a super-hot star ready to continue to take Hollywood by storm.
MediaPunch/REX4. Danielle Fishel
Topanga from Boy Meets World might not have been nerdy exactly, but she certainly wasn’t normal by any means. Danielle Fishel played the quirky kid with the unusual family who confidently went her own way. Her independent nature and unabashed individuality was what made her so beloved by fans of the long-running show. As the series progressed and Danielle grew up along with Topanga, she developed into a curvaceous woman that is more than just a little stunning.
REX/Broadimage3. Jeff Cohen
Jeff Cohen isn’t doing the Truffle Shuffle these days. It’s takes a certain amount of belly chub to get that going and the guy who once played Chunk from The Goonies no longer has the extra belly bulk necessary. These days, he’s all grown up and you’d never guess he’s the same guy who once wore a cheesy Hawaiian shirt and made fake barf noises in his epic role. (See here for the Truffle Shuffle in all of its belly-shakin’ glory.)
s_bukley / Shutterstock.com2. Jonathan Lipnicki
Have you seen Jonathan Lipnicki these days? What … the … heck?! He’s a prime example of what puberty and a fierce fitness routine can do for a body. The nerdy kid who had everyone falling in love with him, including Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, grew up to shed the glasses and geeky image to turn into a sculpted mass of good-looking muscle. His facial features still show signs of the signature Lipnicki look, but that’s about all that you’re likely to recognize. Gone is the little cutie, hello hot bod Lipnicki.
Rob Latour/REX1. Matthew Lewis
Did you guess who number one is correctly? How could it not have been Matthew Lewis who is now responsible for the very term that now describes the ultimate transformation from awkward nerd to total smokeshow. Harry Potter’s Neville Longbottom was adorable in his awkward geeky way, but no one could have foreseen this potential transformation. We were all so very wrong when we pegged him as a nerd and the world was shocked when the actor who played Longbottom re-emerged into the world as a grown-up, crush-worthy, drool-inducing hunk of hotness. Matthew Lewis’ epic transformation has actually spurred the invention of the term “Longbottomed” meaning “The moment you are left awestruck as a knight in shining armor turns out to of been that nobody, clumsy fumbling geek you once knew.” Or to put it another way, when the geeky guy you used to know grows up to be a super-hunk!
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