'I've never taken it to that extreme': Adam Driver discusses 50lb weight loss for new film Silence... but shows off bulkier frame in VERY shocking new snaps

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He looks nearly unrecognisable as an extraordinarily thin Christian missionary in forthcoming Martin Scorsese film Silence.

And Adam Driver has revealed that the movie was the first time he has had to go to such lengths in the name of visual storytelling. 

'I don’t think I’ve ever taken it to the extreme before,' he tells the latest edition of Interview magazine about his 50lb weight loss. 'It’s an interesting thing. You’re so hungry and so tired at some points that there’s nothing you can do - you’re not adding anything on top of what you’re doing.'

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Shocking: Adam Driver poses on a toilet in one striking snap for the new edition of Interview magazine

'[Scorsese] asked us to lose weight,' he adds about the movie which sees him star alongside Andrew Garfield as a missionary who travels by boat to Japan to locate mentor Liam Neeson at a time when Christianity was outlawed.

'When the movie begins, the characters have been traveling for two years, from Portugal to Macau, sailed around Africa. 

'There’s disease and shortage of food. They’re already kind of depleted when they get to Macau before their last leg to Japan.  

Cuts like a razor blade: One shot featured Adam holding what appeared to be a razor to his eyeball 

Thin: Adam shown with an extremely slim frame in the new trailer for Silence 

Submerged: The actor is shot underwater in another arty picture 

Scorsese needed his actors to fully commit to weight loss for the role to appear realistic.

'When we come in, the stakes are already so high, and then we continue to lose weight. He wanted to see that physically,' says Adam.

'He asked us to lose a lot of weight. I didn’t know how much that was going to be. And, I can’t control what’s happening in scenes, but I could control when I ate food.' 

However, since the film - which was shot in the first part of last year - Adam has put on some considerable bulk and showed off his muscles in a set of arty new pictures for the publication.  

Muscle: Adam appeared to have packed on the pounds since shooting the movie last year 

Arty: The Star Wars actor is seen draped over a filthy sink in another shot 

Bathroom stint: Adam appeared shirtless in many of the arty snaps 

In one snap, he is seen sitting semi-clothed on a toilet, while another shows him appearing to hold a razor blaze up to his eyeball.

Seemingly shot in a filthy bathroom, the black and white shots feature the actor submerged underwater in a bath, cleaning his teeth and shaving his armpit.

In the interview with director Noah Baumbach, he discusses working with Scorsese, how he tackles roles and appearing in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Nice and clean: One rather striking snapshot shows Adam putting toothpaste on his toothbrush from a great height. 

 Doing it right: Adam is something of a perfectionist, preferring to do take after take on a film set

Combing through: Adam's striking dark looks helped him make his mark as villain Kylo Ren on Star Wars

'Scorsese hires you for your ideas and wants you to take ownership of it. It’s really inspiring to work with someone who’s accomplished so much and is the tip of the pyramid and is still turning to you and wants your ideas and opinions.'

In terms of tacking intense roles such as Silence, Adam is something of a perfectionist, preferring to do take after take on a film set.  

'Oftentimes I leave a set and there are so many different ways to have played a scene that I think of later, when I’m more relaxed and not distracted, I go through a mourning period, like, “Oh, God, we’ll never get to go back and do it again.” 

Bathroom hygiene:  The actor cleans his teeth rather thoroughly in one snap 

Cutting it fine: Another shot shows off the star's bicep to the full as he shaves his armpit 

Diverse roles: Adam has gone from the mass appeal of Star Wars to the intensity of Silence

Mirror mirror: Adam has embraced his role as Star Wars villain Kylo Ren 

Famous for his role in TV dramedy Girls, Adam became a mainstream star with his take on arch villain Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year.

It's something the star has embraced - taking great pleasure at seeing children dressed as his character at Halloween.     

'I was dropping my wife off outside our building and I saw this mom holding a lightsaber - like, my lightsaber - and scarily accurate, like life-size,' he recalled. 

'And she was handling it like she’s handled it a million times. She was juggling four kids who were all running in different directions, and she had three different bags and this lightsaber. Suddenly, the things that are great about this job came into full focus.'

Brushing it aside: Adam admitted that, like many actors, he sometimes suffers from insecurity on set and looks to his director for approval

Mean and moody: Adam wrapped up in a robe while wearing a sombre expression

Despite his success, Adam admits that, like many actors, he sometimes suffers from insecurity on set and looks to his director for approval.

'I start distrusting everybody because you’re insecure. So I start to rebel against what’s happening, to kind of shock my system a bit,' he said. 

'Not rebel like I don’t show up on time or I show up drunk or something. It’s just a way to take ownership of it for myself.'

On the cover: Adam is busy promoting his new Martin  Scorsese film Silence