Melissa McCarthy the latest star to be digitally 'enhanced' on a movie poster

Appearance in Hollywood, as we all know, is paramount. But that's not to say that one size fits all.

Coming side-by-side with their acting chops, some actors and actresses find themselves an additional niche in the business thanks to a larger physique.

Jonah Hill, before he slimmed down following 'Moneyball', was noted for being of larger carriage, as is Zach Galifianakis – with frequent gags about his size rattling around the 'Hangover' films.

[Bridesmaids director defends Melissa McCarthy from critic]

And though Melissa McCarthy is a supremely talented comic actress, few would question that she is certainly noted almost as much for her physical presence.

But now it looks like McCarthy is the latest in a long line of film stars to fall prey to Photoshop.

The UK poster for forthcoming police buddy comedy 'The Heat' appears to have rendered the 'Bridesmaids' star almost unrecognisable.

Given a strange soft-airbrushed effect, the plus-sized actress appears also to have been made slightly thinner in her features. Also, that neck and head have never met in real life.

“Nobody is unclear [about] what Melissa McCarthy's body size is - she's plus-sized and proud. So why have the designers of this poster done their utmost to Photoshop a good 30lbs off of McCarthy's face?” wrote entertainment blog The Shiznit, who first spotted the poster.

It's not the first time that the actress's weight has been the subject of debate.

Film critic Rex Reed came under intense and universal criticism after a bizarre personal rant in a review of 'The Identity Thief, in which he called her 'a female hippo' and 'tractor-sized'.

[Film critic defends himself over McCarthy 'hippo' jibe]

And, of course, digitally tinkering with how actresses look on posters has been going on for years.

Most famously, Keira Knightley quite clearly had her breasts enlarged in the US posters for the 2004's 'King Arthur'.

"They always pencil in my boobs,' Keira admitted. "[For 'King Arthur'] they gave me these really strange droopy t*ts. A - I don't have t*ts anyway and B - they digitally made them, and I thought, "Whoaaa!"'

"I don't mind exposing my t*ts because they're so small - people really aren't that interested!" she said.

"Those things certainly weren’t mine."

Kate Hudson's chest was also augmented for the poster for 2008's 'Fools Gold', with the actress saying that she 'aspired' to breasts of the magnitude seen in the promo material.

“Those really weren't my breasts - my boobs aren't that big,” she said. “On there they look perfect, they look great. If I ever got them done I would take them to the doctor and say, 'This is what I want them to look like'.”

Similarly, Rosie O'Donnell, appearing on a US talk show to discuss McCarthy's transformation yesterday, said that she had experienced similar alteration on a poster for 1996 film 'Beautiful Girls'.

She says when her agent contacted producer Harvey Weinstein about it, he replied: “She should thank me. She never looked better.”

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The Heat' is out on July 31.