Plenty of Hollywood stars are quite short — under 5ft5in, that is — but it’s hard to tell in front of the camera because they are styled to look statuesque.

Platform heels, finely tailored clothing and slender frames help deceive the eye into thinking they have height when they hit the spotlight at events.

On screen they may look larger than life as well, as the camera shoots them in certain ways. 

It doesn’t hurt that many of their male costars are low on height too — some actors like Tom Cruise are well under 6ft tall.

And it is not just the Kardashians — Kim and Kourtney Kardashian are both around 5ft1in tall — as many other luminaries like Reese Witherspoon, Eva Longoria and Lady Gaga all measure at just 5ft1in.

One big-name actress is even a surprising 4ft11in.

Here is a look at the pretty but petite ladies ruling the red carpets. 

JADA PINKETT SMITH

HEIGHT: 4ft11in

Jada Pinkett is a mighty star, but she is on the shorter side. She is under five feet tall at 4ft11in; seen with Will Smith in 2022

Jackie Chan (L) Jaden Smith (L) Jada (R) Will Smith (R) attends Norwegian premiere of The Karate Kid in 2010 in Fredrikstad

Jada Pinkett Smith and son Jaden at Louis Vuitton show in SK

Jada Pinkett is a mighty star, but she is on the shorter side when compared to leggy ladies like Brooke Shields (6ft tall) and Uma Thurman (5ft11in tall).

Pinkett is under five feet tall.

In an Instagram post from 2021 she asked, ‘Why am I always the shortest one in any pic???’ when posing with husband Will Smith and son Jaden Smith.

There is a stark contrast.

Will is 6ft2in while her son Jaden is 6ft tall. Pinkett is a cute 4ft11in.

On red carpets she makes sure to wear platform heels for an extra eight inches of height, and it seems to work well.

Jada always looks like a show stopper when stepping out.

REESE WITHERSPOON

HEIGHT: 5ft1in

She is a huge force in Hollywood thanks to movies like Legally Blonde, Wild and Four Christmases. This star has also appeared on series like Friends and Big Little Lies. And she has produced several top streamer series like The Morning Show with Jennifer Aniston. But Reese Witherspoon is smaller than one would expect. Seen with her daughter Ava in January

When she stood next to Selena Gomez at the SAG awards this year, she looked petite

Reese Witherspoon stuns in red hot dress at the 2024 SAG Awards

She is a huge force in Hollywood thanks to movies like Legally Blonde, Wild and Four Christmases.

This blonde star has also appeared on series like Friends and Big Little Lies.

And she has produced several top streamer series like The Morning Show with Jennifer Aniston.

But Reese Witherspoon is smaller than one would expect.

Selena Gomez towered over her at the recent SAG awards, if that is any indication.

Witherspoon has battled her way to the A-list just fine despite producers calling her out for being on the smaller side.

‘When I first came here [to LA], all I heard was, “No, not right – not tall enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough,”‘ she once told DailyMail.com.

‘But I didn’t really care about their opinions. I’m stubborn.’

MADONNA

HEIGHT: 5ft3in

Good things come in small packages. That can be said for Madonna who is 5ft3in but is considered one of the biggest stars in the world for the past 40 years

When she poses with others, like her kids, it is noticeable how petite this Material Girl is

Good things come in small packages.

That can be said for Madonna who is 5ft3in but is considered one of the biggest stars in the world for the past 40 years thanks to hits such as Borderline, Like A Virgin, Music and Frozen.

This 65-year-old Rebel Heart pop icon does not seem short when she is on stage probably because she is in great shape and wears platform heels.

Also her first husband Sean Penn is 5ft8in so she didn’t look diminutive next to him.

But when she poses with others, like her six kids, it is noticeable how petite this Material Girl is.

KIM KARDASHIAN

HEIGHT: 5ft2in

Kim Kardashian seen with her daughter North West in Paris in 2022

Kim Kardashian dazzles at 10th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony

Kim Kardashian has made a living off modeling fashion for companies like Balenciaga and Calvin Klein.

But she is much shorter that her supermodel half-sister Kendall Jenner.

Kim does not seem bothered that she is on the shorter side and works with it very successfully.

In 2016 she said, ‘I’ve learned that there are a few really good styling tricks for short girls like me. They’re simple and make all the difference.

‘Not everyone is Kendall, LOL!’ she laughed. Jenner – who models for Vogue and Valentino – is an impressive 5ft11in.

Kardashian listed her tricks.

One was to wear high heels all the time.

‘It’s not a secret that I wear heels 99 percent of the time. If I do wear flats, it’s a momentous occasion, lol. I live in heels because they’re the best way to look taller,’ noted the Keeping Up With The Kardashians veteran.

KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN

HEIGHT: 5ft1in

She is the shortest member of the Kardashian/Jenner family. Seen with husband Travis Barker in 2021; he stands at 5ft9in

She is the shortest Kardashian; seen with mom Kris Jenner as well as Khloe and Kim Kardashian in 2019

She is the shortest member of the Kardashian/Jenner family.

Kourtney Kardashian is one inch shorter than younger sister Kim Kardashian.

And she is about a foot shorter thank Khloe Kardashian and Kendall Jenner.

She has said in the past that she is sometimes bothered by her height and was thrilled when Google changed her listing from 5ft to 5ft1in.

‘That one inch does really matter to me,’ she said on her reality TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

Her husband Travis Barker stands at 5ft9in.

LADY GAGA

HEIGHT: 5ft1in

Lady Gaga is seen at Giorgio Baldi restaurant for her birthday dinner in March in Los Angeles

Lady Gaga seen at her show in Las Vegas

Lady Gaga has been a master at dressing in sexy outfits that make the focus her great curves and not her height.

When at the Oscars or a film premiere, Gaga always brings dramatic glamour.

So it’s a shock to find out she is only 5ft1in.

When she began her career, the Poker Face hitmaker often wore platform boots that looked to be over 10 inches.

These days she is comfortable with standard pumps.

EVA LONGORIA

HEIGHT: 5ft1in

Eva Longoria seen leaving Victoria Beckham’s 50th birthday party at Oswald’s on April 20, 2024 in London, England

Longoria and Georgianne Ocasio are seen during Mujeres Imparables event at Telemundo Center on April 11, 2024 in Doral, Florida

With Tony Parker and at the Par Couer Gala in Paris, France in 2010

She came to fame as the little Latin powerhouse Isabella Braña on Desperate Housewives.

And when the dark-haired dame was with basketball star Tony Parker – who is 6ft2in – it was illustrated that she is on the shorter side.

Over the years her fame has grown with movies as well as producing TV shows like Maids.

And over time the emphasis has not been on her height, but rather how great she continues to look as she ages and leans into motherhood as she heads toward her 50s.

Her career is – excuse the pun- hotter than ever after the hit film Flamin’ Hot, which she directed.

Next she will be on the Emmy beloved show Only Murders In The Building with Selena Gomez, Martin Short and Steve Martin.

PATRICIA ARQUETTE

HEIGHT: 5ft1in

Patricia Arquette is seen arriving at the Pucci Spring / Summer 2024 Very Vivara fashion show at Palazzo Altemps on April 4, 2024 in Rome, Italy. She had on platform heels

(L-R) Sandra Bernhard, Theodora Richards, Patricia and Alexandra Richards attend the 2024 Planned Parenthood Of Greater New York Gala on April 16, 2024 in New York City

Patricia Arquette has been making waves in Hollywood since the 1980s.

The sister of Rosanna Arquette and David Arquette has made hit movies like True Romance and has been on the long-running TV series Medium.

No one has seemed to pick up on that she is on the shorter side.

The star looks perfect on red carpets as she models couture that she pairs with high heels.

She has not talked much about her height, but she has discussed ageing in Hollywood.

In 2022 she said: ‘This is my own face and if tomorrow I decide to have a facelift, then I’m going to do it. Everyone gets to do what they want with their own face … but I understand why people feel that pressure.’

She has not given in to that ‘pressure.’

‘[The look is] this, kind of, eternal ingénue, and you just don’t see it much in the human race. It’s kind of a Hollywood specific look,’ the actress said. ‘At the end of the day, there’s Hollywood and your relationship with Hollywood as an actor, and then there’s also your own relationship with yourself and the world around you. What adventures do you want to have in this life? I feel very happy with where I am right now.’

NATALIE PORTMAN

HEIGHT: 5ft3in

Natalie Portman and ex Benjamin Millepied at the UK Gala screening of Thor: Love and Thunder in London in 2022

She is 5ft3in but looks much taller probably because she is slender and wears fashion so well; seen in February

Portman modeling the Dior tote bag this year

Natalie Portman is on the A list.

And she has always looked the part while wearing couture and high heels on red carpets, and also dazzling on magazine covers as she flaunts her lithe frame.

Some mind find it surprising she is actually 5ft3in.

Portman may appear taller because her clothing is always tailored; her fitted jeans are never too long. And blazer look sharp on her, she never swims in them.

The beauty had become a successful model even though she is about six inches shorter than the average catwalk queen.

Portman has been working with Christian Dior since 2011.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON

HEIGHT: 5ft3in

Scarlett Johansson attends the David Yurman event at David Yurman’s 57th Street store in December 2023 in New York City

Her next project is Fly Me To The Moon with Channing Tatum

She has always looked tall in her films like Black Widow.

So it’s a shock that Scarlett Johansson is actually quite petite at 5ft3in.

The star talked to Cosmopolitan about how she doesn’t like being asked about her height.

Scarlett said, ‘”Wow, you’re really short.” I get that a lot. [They say], “You’re a lot shorter than I thought you were.” I’m like, “Wow, how is that ever OK to say to someone?” It’s so bizarre. Yes. It’s, “You’re really short.”‘

Scarlett has always had a healthy mindset when it comes to her appearance and has spoken often on how she opts for health over anything else.

‘I try to stay fit and eat healthily, but I’m not anxious to starve myself and become unnaturally thin. I don’t find that look attractive on women and I don’t want to become part of that trend,’ she said.

‘It’s unhealthy and it puts too much pressure on women in general who are being fed this image of the ideal, which it is not.

‘I think America has become obsessed with dieting… I also think that being ultra-thin is not sexy at all. Women shouldn’t be forced to conform to unrealistic and unhealthy body images that the media promote.

‘I don’t need to be skinny to be sexy.’