We propose an uni-parametric deformation method of action principles of scalar fields coupled to gravity which generates new models with massive stealth field configurations, i.e. with vanishing energy-momentum tensor. The method applies to a wide class of models and we provide three examples. In particular we observe that in the case of the standard massive scalar action principle, the respective deformed action contains the stealth configurations and it preserves the massive ones of the undeformed model. We also observe that, in this latter example, the effect of the energy-momentum tensor of the massive (non-stealth) field can be amplified or damped by the deformation parameter, alternatively the mass of the stealth field.