Emmy Rossum Says the Physical Transformation to Play Angelyne Was 'Challenging' But 'Liberating'

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Emmy Rossum is nearly unrecognizable in her latest role.

The Golden Globe nominee, 35, went through a complete physical transformation to play the eponymous billboard queen in Peacock's upcoming limited series Angelyne.

"I found it to be completely liberating to look in the mirror and not see myself at all," Rossum told The Hollywood Reporter. "At first, it's unnerving. But feeling lost gives way to this real liberation — from myself and the hang-ups that can impede a performance."

She spent four to five hours in the makeup chair each morning to achieve the transformation. In addition to sporting the platinum blonde wig, Rossum suffered blisters from the three-pound breastplate glued to her torso and tear duct issues from wearing two sets of contact lenses, as well as the heavy eye makeup.

Isabella Vosmikova/Peacock

RELATED: See Emmy Rossum as '80s Billboard Queen Angelyne in First Trailer for the Upcoming Peacock Series

"The physicality of the character was challenging. The body is heavy, yet it has to feel light and effervescent," she explained to the outlet. "But I just kept focusing on how lucky I felt. This opportunity is really every actor's dream. You raise your hand and you say, 'Hey, I'd like to play this, and this is how I envision the story.'"

Rossum previously underwent the full transformation for a meeting with the executives at Universal Studios. After making an excuse for her absence, she crashed her own appointment with such a convincing performance that some wondered if she was the real Angelyne.

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"As my acting coach likes to tell me, intensity is not something I struggle with. I wanted to give them the experience," Rossum told THR.

The Shameless alum's husband Sam Esmail — who created Mr. Robot and serves as an executive producer on Angelyne — admitted that he barely recognized his hot pink-clad wife, with whom he shares 11-month-old daughter Samantha.

RELATED VIDEO: See a First Look of Peacock's Angelyne

"When I say that there are times where I did not recognize her because she was lost in this person, I really mean it," Esmail, 44, told THR. "This is my wife I'm talking about. It's kind of eerie."

Rossum also serves as executive producer on the series, which follows Angelyne's rapid rise to fame in the early '80s. Appearing with her iconic pink Corvette on billboards around Los Angeles, she was one of the first to become famous just for being famous.

After years of mystery around Angelyne's true identity, THR revealed that she was born Renee Goldberg, the daughter of Polish Holocaust survivors who settled in Los Angeles after their voyage to the United States in 1959.

See Emmy Rossum in Angelyne, premiering Thursday, May 19 on Peacock.