When you’re a famous entertainment industry celebrity it gets even harder to impress people with your Halloween costume, because they expect you to be out of this world on a day to day basis. I mean, hey, sometimes they dress-up as you!

So when a celebrity does decide to show-up costumed for Halloween, the pressure is higher and the task at hand more arduous than when Hercules fought the mythical Hydra. Because his Hydra didn’t have millions of heads as the figurative hydra of fans has.

Everything must be perfect to the tiniest detail, both regarding the clothing items that make up the costume itself and the attitude of the wearer, who must project the vibe of whatever he/she costumed as. The fact that we’re talking about actors and singers who are used to the stage and shifting their image, does help, granted.

But the fact remains that it’s no easy task to have your every action, including a fun fooling around on a special night like Halloween, scrutinized by countless avid eyes.

Which makes the 5 times celebrities nailed their Halloween costume rightfully impressive. And I do mean nailed it! Credit where credit is due.

1. Ed Sheeran – Austin Powers

They’re both British. But that’s about all they have in common. To go from acclaimed pop-folk singer (Sheeran) to woman-crazed, overly-confident despite being ridiculous, time displaced hippie spy is surely no easy task. Especially when Austin Powers practically defines the term flamboyant even when not moving a muscle. But Ed pulled it off in 2014, before a show. Yes, he proceeded to play in costume.

2. Beyonce Knowles – Storm

Another popular singer, this time the transformation was towards a super-heroine, the equally popular Storm from X-men. Come to think about it, as the super-heroine of many young African-American girls and a positive storm whenever she goes on stage, it kinda fits as a metaphor. Anyway, on October 25 this year, at Ciara’s birthday party, which was Halloween themed in anticipation of the holiday, Beyonce struck everyone into amazement. With lightning that is, as Storm.

3. Guy Ritchie & Son – Heisenberg & Jesse Pinkman

While people would have expected (and probably dissed) film director Guy Ritchie to break some people’s will and/or bodies as a charismatic English mobster like those in the famous “Lock, stock and two smoking barrels” movie shot under his guidance, not many expected him to break out even badder and pull off such a good impersonation of “Breaking Bad”‘s protagonist Heisenberg and his sidekick Jesse Pinkman in 2014 at the UNICEF UK Halloween Ball, London. And with his son as Jesse, no less. His cool, casual appreciation of his colleagues’ work, the directors of the series, is also worth noting in an industry sometimes marked by petty feuds. 

4. Iggy Azalea – Cruella De Vil

Iggy Azalea cruel? Hard to say without actually hanging out with her. But she doesn’t seem like the Dalmatian torturing kind. Or a hag with a veneer of civilization. Which is why her appearance as one of Disney’s most popular villain’s (and several generations of dog loving children’s bitter nemesis) was eye-catching at Vevo’s Halloween party in 2013. She sure looks the part. Including bringing her own Dalmation along. We can only hope that looks were all there was to it and it wasn’t the last night the poor creature was seen.

5.  Rihanna – Raphael

If you think there’s an incongruity in Hawaiian born rebel Rihanna going Galapagos turtle, think again. Galapagos turtle that is. As in, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (assuming they were Galapagos turtles to begin with, which seems to be the case), to be more exact. Which Rihanna did when she showed up as Raphael, one of the four famous Ninja Turtles. And to explain why there’s no incompatibility between Rihanna and Raphael, a quote from Wikipedia describing the latter: “The team’s bad boy, Raphael wears a dark red mask and wields a pair of sai. He is physically very strong, has an aggressive nature, and seldom hesitates to throw the first punch. He is often depicted with a New York accent. His personality can be fierce and sarcastic, and oftentimes delivers deadpan humor. He is intensely loyal to his brothers and sensei.” Yup, sounds legit.

Image source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.