Cameron Diaz Was Shocked by Jonah Hill’s Transformation in ‘Outcome’

Jonah Hill rocked a very different look in his new movie Outcome, one that even left his co-stars speechless.

Hill co-wrote and directed the dark comedy, which follows a beloved Hollywood star Reef Hawk (played by Keanu Reeves) who learns that someone is blackmailing him with a bizarre video from his past. He goes on a journey to make amends with anyone he could have wronged in an attempt to find the blackmailer, with help from his best friends (Cameron Diaz and Matt Bomer) and crisis lawyer Ira (Hill).

To play Ira, Hill shaved his head and sported a bushy gray beard, which his fellow actors weren’t aware of until they were on set. At the film’s New York premiere on Monday — with Hill, Reeves, Diaz and Bomer all doing red carpet interviews in a group rather than traditional one-on-ones — Diaz noted that because she doesn’t have any scenes with Hill’s character she was thrown “when I showed up and he approached me as the director” with the new look and while still in costume as Ira.

“I looked at him and I was like, ‘Is this…?’ And he’s like, ‘It’s Ira.’ And I was like, ‘Oh God,’” she continued. “The gray beard and the bald head, it was outrageous, and I could not have imagined how outrageous it was until I saw a cut of the movie. And then it all made sense.”

Hill offered more insight into the transformation “Whenever I’m playing a character I just find lots of references, a lot from docs and reality TV and books, photography books,” he said. “Ira’s look came pretty quickly. Because I wrote it, I have the luxury of living with the character for a pretty long time before anyone else is even invited in.”

Hill revealed that originally he was not going to play the character and intended to just write and direct the film but was convinced to take on the role by casting director Ellen Lewis. “I was like, ‘What about this person, what about this person?’ And she’s like, ‘You’re doing it, Jonah,’” Hill joked. “I was like, ‘OK I’ll let someone great tell me to do it, I won’t assume I’m the best person for the job.’”

Outcome starts streaming Friday on Apple TV.