Movie Stars Changing Their Weight for Roles
As we all struggle to maintain normal weights and deny too much food indulgence, some stars’ ability to lose and gain weight has garnered them way more attention than the role itself. Here are
Beyonce Knowles
Of the much-buzzed-about weight loss of Deena Jones, Beyonce’s character in the film Dreamgirls, she said to ABC News, "I actually gained a little bit, but then I lost 20 lbs when I went from young Deena to old Deena.” By way of the lemonade and cayenne pepper drink of the Master Cleanse, coupled with fish and veggies, B reportedly filmed the skinnier Deena in two weeks time. However, the weight loss didn’t last long, she adds "As soon as it was over, I gained the weight back." And for Cadillac Records, where she plays blues songstress Etta James, she gained weight. She told InStyle, "I gained almost 15 lbs to play the role. It was way easier – and tastier – than having to lose so much weight for Dreamgirls."
Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks went to weight extremes both ways for Cast Away. Of initial filming for the role of Chuck Noland, a FedEx employee stranded on an island after a plane crash, he told the Guardian, "I was 40lb over. Just horribly fat… certainly for the first half, I didn't do anything. Literally, I did not do a thing except eat." Yet, a break from filming meant losing between 55 and 60 lbs to transform to what was to be perceived as four years in isolation. He called his transformation, “Back-breaking. No fun for anybody. Just arduous and difficult and backbreaking." The food he missed most during the intense weight loss was, “…those FFs, man. Those fries from France.” He also famously lost about 30 lbs to play an AIDS patient in the film Philadelphia.
Charlize Theron
Charlize has lost weight for multiple roles, including Sweet November and Head in the Clouds. Of her strategy for losing for Sweet November, she said to People, "Don't eat any starches, don't have any dinner, don't have anything after 5, no alcohol," recalls the actress, who lost about 16 lbs for the part. Her exercise consisted of, "a lot of yoga, a lot of running." But apparently the results were less than fun for her, she told a reporter, “There's something that happens to your body—you just don't feel as strong. I'm usually around a size 8, which I love." The filming of ‘Clouds’ immediately followed her 30 lb weight gain for her Oscar-winning performance in Monster. It took her three months to pack it on. But she told aboutfilm.com that the weight gain was about portraying the best character, “It wasn't about getting fat. It wasn't that she was fat. She was just [strong].”
Matt Damon
People magazine named Matt Damon sexiest man alive in 2007, but soon after he completely changed his body and facial features for The Informant. Damon played Mark Whitacre, a government informant. How’d he do it? “I ate pizzas, In-N-Out burgers and drank dark beers. I felt great for a while.” But he dreaded not working out, “With me, the first 20 lbs were fun and then it started to really wear on me because I couldn't exercise.” However, his weight loss for Courage Under Fire was more than a nuisance and caused him to get sick. He told Starpulse.com, "I went too far. I got sick… I didn't have to act at all - I was a wreck. I was getting dizzy spells and hot flashes. He admits to eating chicken breast, egg whites, and one plain baked potato a day with lots of coffee and cigarettes. The also ran over 12 miles a day to hasten the weight loss. He says the weight loss resulted in damage to his adrenal glands.
Christian Bale
One of most shocking transformations for a role was Christian’s portrayal of the emaciated Trevor Reznik in "The Machinist," a role for which Bale lost more than 60 lbs. He told the BBC, “I had been to a nutritionist and when I had got down to what she had told me was a healthy weight, I just went: 'You know what? I can go more than this. I can keep going.' So I lost another 20 lbs below what she said I should stop at." However the actor does say he would not try something so hard on his body again. He reportedly got down to about 120 lbs for the role. Yet, right after filming ended for that movie, Bale reportedly endured a 100 lb weight gain in just five months before he played the lead in "Batman Begins."
Your thoughts…
How do you think the actors' weight changes affect their fans?
Comments
I never understand why they choose actors that have to gain or loose weight. There are enough actors out there to be able to find one that fits the role without having to loose or gain weight, color their hair or change their apperance in any way. You can always see if the actor has gaind or lost weight fast because the body is in a shock, specialy if you loose weight to fast.
Original Post by: oons27Bloody hell! Don't these people get stretch marks??
Yes they do but they have make-up for that! lol.
With the advent of more improved CGI and After Effects, hopefully actors won't have to go through such drastic measures in the future for roles.
Add Mila Kunis to the list. She went down 98 pounds which was 20 pounds lost in 5 months for her role in Black Swan. She said she hated the way she looked in the mirror but on camera it looked great.
It's amazing what people will do for money. They do get paid VERY well but they destroy their health and metabolism with yo-yo dieting.
i'm surprised that Renee Zellweger isn't on this list. she had to gain about 30 lbs for each of the bridget jones movies, and in between lost it (plus more from the looks of it) to do Chicago. that's a lot of weight bouncing! of course, we have to keep in mind that all these actors have personal trainers helping them lose and gain the weight, as well as maintain it. but still... it can't be healthy.
Original Post by: bluesboydYou're forgetting De Niro, he gained 60 pounds in 3 months for Raging Bull.
Not to mention the weight gain to play Capone in the Untouchables
Its a shame that these celebs put their bodies through these horrid changes and youknow it takes its toll on their health in order to land the part. Bale looked terrible in the machinist. At first i thought it was special effects that made him look so extremely anorexic but then i realized it was really him losing a lot of weight. Its real weird seeing him all buffed in previous movies and hten look like this. The saddest thing is that they dont always return from these body types the way they were when they started. So it will eventually hit them harder later on in life.
Original Post by: imia345Original Post by: oons27Bloody hell! Don't these people get stretch marks??
Yes they do but they have make-up for that! lol.
Hee hee. LLLLLLLLOL. LMFAO. I loved these two comments. I would love to know, other than surgery, how do they get rid of stretchmarks?
You could mention Kathleen Turner and Liz Taylor as well. Both gained or lost weight for roles.
The problem with these drastic weight gain/loss is its influence on people who are less than rational. They see celebs/actors, etc doing this yoyoing and assume this is the way to do things. As someone already mentioned... these people can afford personal trainers and nutritionists. Ordiary people can't (usually). It creates the illusion that all this is very easy.
Some of us yo-yo all the time, but we do not get paid millions of dollars. :(
Original Post by: quiltmomYou could mention Kathleen Turner and Liz Taylor as well. Both gained or lost weight for roles.
The problem with these drastic weight gain/loss is its influence on people who are less than rational. They see celebs/actors, etc doing this yoyoing and assume this is the way to do things. As someone already mentioned... these people can afford personal trainers and nutritionists. Ordiary people can't (usually). It creates the illusion that all this is very easy.
I would say that even if you can afford and work dilligently with nutritionists and PTs your health never fully returns. May of the celebs are ending out thier lives with some real weight issues. The three that come to mind are your examples of Liz Taylor and Kathleen Turner as well as Tom Hanks. They all have ended up with real struggles.
What they say is true: the camera does add pounds. So just imagine what Bale looked like in the real world if he looked that emaciated in the movie. And Kunis looked great on camera, but I'm sure she looked anorexic otherwise. Just look at any true prima ballerina and you'll recognize why so many girls in that field have EDs.
Anyway, no it's not healthy to yo-yo like that, and actors who do it regularly are putting themselves in for troubles later. Like for Damon, bouncing weight loss and gain puts huge stress on your adrenal glands, which are the part of your body that handles stress to begin with. And if your body can't deal with stress, you can go into severe physical collapse. And other systems are affected, too. I would guess it can put a huge strain on the heart... danger!
Of course, we stage actors are a bit more lucky--we do it all with makeup, costuming, and yes, some typecasting. In movies, it's more about name recognition and realism, so the actors lose/gain weight when their characters lose/gain weight. It may be more glamorous than some jobs, but it can be just as or more physically demanding.
I think Renée Zellweger should definitely be added to this list, especially from Bridget Jones!
YES, totally. From Bridget Jones to CHICAGO, where she probably weighed 90 lbs.
I don't know how much the yo-yo stars actually affect fans. I mean, it's discouraging to see a star look fabulous just after a "fat" role when you are stuck with only losing 2 pounds over the course of a month, but fans know that stars aren't like the rest of us. They eat crazy things to lose so quickly and train like there's no tomorrow. The rest of us have lives that are split between work and family and other obligations - we don't have the 24/7 devotion they do when they're losing weight.
I think it's insane. Why mess so much with your metabolism? For what? With all the things Hollywood asks of the audience to suspend their imagination on...surely we can suspend our imagination on 20-40 pounds that a character is not or is. Not to mention that with today's technology there are many ways on film to make people look thinner or heavier. I think it is ridiculous to mess with your health like that just to play a role.
she forgot to mention Megan Fox, I guess she didn't lose or gain as much weight but "honorable mention" she weighed about 99lbs for her role in the movie ' Jennifer's Body ' but then gained untile she weighed 114lbs for the movie 'Transformers'
tabbkat ~ I think you are right about the mature rational people understanding that celebs lead different lives, but what about young kids, especially girls, who see previews of movies like Black Swan and think "So that's what beautiful is supposed to look like."
As the mother of a young girl, it worries me. We need to teach our children how to be healthy and live NORMAL lives. Where are the role models for that?
Chris1920, I could not agree with you more. I have 2 daughters who couldn't be more fit or trim as they have an awesome diet, do gymnastics and swim. My heart sinks when they say things about seeing fat on their bodies... Movies, TV shows, magazines, they all have responsibility in how our daughters and sons view themselves. I don't know that they will ever own up to that responsibility and make the changes. So I for one am not impressed with stars putting themselves through that....it is not worth it and sends bad messages out specially to our children.
@tabbkat I would have to say that you are the best role model for your daughter not any celebrity, singer, or super model. They give a poor image for our kids. Having an appropriate view of the body and way of eating starts in the home with our own personal habits.
Original Post by: chris1920tabbkat ~ I think you are right about the mature rational people understanding that celebs lead different lives, but what about young kids, especially girls, who see previews of movies like Black Swan and think "So that's what beautiful is supposed to look like."
As the mother of a young girl, it worries me. We need to teach our children how to be healthy and live NORMAL lives. Where are the role models for that?
I don't know that kids would see previews of Black Swan and want to be Nina... It's clearly a scary movie from the trailers, and I can't recall ever looking at a scary movie actress as a role model when I was a kid. Kids DEFINITELY should not see that movie...
I rather not be an actress if I had to go though gaining and losing weight and making my body unhealthy like that. I don't think it's worth it. I'll take my health over anything else.
And let's not forget they use drugs like clenbuterol, phen-phen, thyroid meds, anavar, laxatives, etc, to aid the rapid weight loss. Make no mistake that they don't do it the same hard slog way we do! Drugs provide the results in short time that we never could ... We only see their on-screen persona, we don't see the bitchy, nasty tempered, tired, grey looking people they are in their real life while on these regimes. How do I know? Met some of them in a past life ....
I agree with you jenanu - celebs are not role models. Parents need to take more responsibility for their children.
I think that if the job as actors/actresses demand them to lose weight/gain weight, it is alright. After all, it is their own personal choice if they wanna do that role or not. They can easily turn it down if they don't want to. We all have free will.
And like a lot of people have said, I think that celebs are not meant to be role models for anybody. They're just normal human beings like you and I - they don't seek to be a role model for unassuming kids who are easily impressionable. As parents, we should teach them about things in life that are off-screen and on-screen... I am sure some children are negatively influenced by the media, but that does not mean that the celebrities have to take the role of an educator to those children on how to feel about themselves.
Perhaps I didn't put that the best way I could. My 5 year old daughter and I often have conversations about what is 'real' vs. 'movies/tv', I would NEVER let her see a movie like Black Swan (orangeapples you are COMPLETELY right on that one), and we also talk about what it means to be healthy and that skinny is not what's important.
More so I just meant that society as a whole needs to lean towards leading healthy lives and not put so much emphasis on looks. As a parent I can do everything in my power to help her along the right path but at the end of the day I would be ignorant if I though I was the only person and/or thing on earth that will ever influence her.
Don't forget the movie he did with Steve Zahn in the war camp. Them and that guy from Lost were all boney. Made me sad seeing them that way.
Original Post by: tabbkatI don't know how much the yo-yo stars actually affect fans. I mean, it's discouraging to see a star look fabulous just after a "fat" role when you are stuck with only losing 2 pounds over the course of a month, but fans know that stars aren't like the rest of us. They eat crazy things to lose so quickly and train like there's no tomorrow. The rest of us have lives that are split between work and family and other obligations - we don't have the 24/7 devotion they do when they're losing weight.
So true.
I know stars lead different lives and have time and resources that I don't have but it still irks me. I really get annoyed when magazines and news mags stress how quickly a starlet lost weight after having a baby. It sends such a bad message to new mothers that can be damaging to ones self esteem. I repeatedly gained and lost weight quickly in the past and, even though I have not felt it physically, it really affected my mental and emotional well being. Forget the celebs and concentrate on being healthy as you lose weight because, if your physically or emotional health goes you will sorely miss it.
haha thats what I was thinking. Im sure they probably do get stretch marks, but thanks to airbrush and everything else out there, they just cover them up for the movies.
YOU are to be her role model - set a good example, and limit her exposure to negative influences. Better yet, watch these films with her and explain that it's just a film!
Its too easy to take the simple way out and just not eat or eat a piece of celery. Please need to understand that they CAN eat, its all about portion control and a good balance of excersize. The weight comes off a bit slower but in the end you are going to keep it off and be healthy as well.
i agree w healthtime. i hate to see a celeb on a magazine cover being called fat. in reality they are probably just "normal".
also, i have 2 daughters. one (age 10) is extremely athletic and the other is very skinny (shes 6). my older one often asks if she is fat. she is starting to go thru early puberty and her peers are all alot smaller than she is. i try to focus her on her athletic performance and give her examples of female athletes which seems to help her.
furthermore, i have had to lose weight due to health concerns. i am trying to use healthy eating and exercise as an example for my kids. i agree that it is up to me to teach them what is "real".
Original Post by: brynhildurI never understand why they choose actors that have to gain or loose weight. There are enough actors out there to be able to find one that fits the role without having to loose or gain weight, color their hair or change their apperance in any way. You can always see if the actor has gaind or lost weight fast because the body is in a shock, specialy if you loose weight to fast.
i might color my hair but i wouldnt gain or lose any weight for it
I would:
a) color my hair
b) wear those tight girdles lol
c) wear full body spandex lol
d) wear tons of makeup
e) maybe get my tummy tucked! lol
But i wouldnt do that drastic weight gain/loss just for the big $$$$$
Original Post by: chris1920tabbkat ~ I think you are right about the mature rational people understanding that celebs lead different lives, but what about young kids, especially girls, who see previews of movies like Black Swan and think "So that's what beautiful is supposed to look like."
As the mother of a young girl, it worries me. We need to teach our children how to be healthy and live NORMAL lives. Where are the role models for that?
Young kids who see a preview for a movie like Black Swan are seeing what most ballerinas look like. There is a reason they asked the actresses to lose that much weight. Watching the movie, I thought Natalie Portman looked horrible in terms of weight, when I normally love her body. Same with Mila Kunis. But ballerinas are extremely small, and for a reason. Some of the techniques used in ballet are simply impossible to achieve unless you have an extremely small frame. Very similar when it comes to many professional acrobats.
Cinema is entertainment. If you chose to let your daughter watch a more realistic movie portrayal of ballerinas, it is your responsibility to explain to her why these people are so small. Educating your children so that they don't look up to movie stars is your responsibility, not the medias.
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Bloody hell! Don't these people get stretch marks??