Denzel Washington Reveals Secret To Gaining Movie Weight
We were JUST having this conversation the other night. Denzel Washington’s new movie (along with Rami Male and Jered Leto), “The Little Things” just debuted on HBO Max and we were watching-great movie btw. Anyway, I was thinking it, but Debbie was the first to say, “Does Denzel look like he’s put on some serious weight?”
Yup…35 pounds! And every one of them was intentional.
On-purpose body transformation is, to me, crazy! However it’s a regular deal in the movie business. Just recently we were watching George Clooney in “Midnight Sky.” He says he dropped almost 30 pounds for the movie.
Off the top of my head, I can remember Robert DeNiro putting on big weight (60-70 pounds) to play Al Capone in “The Untouchables,” and an aging Jake LaMotta in “Raging Bull.” Tom Hanks famously lost 55 pounds in mid-production, to portray an emaciated plane crash survivor in “Cast Away” (he was SO robbed for the Oscar that year).
Whether you’re gaining or losing the weight, it can have serious consequences. For example, Denzel’s co-star in “The Little Things,” Jared Leto, meanwhile, ended up with gout after mixing microwaved pints of ice cream with soy sauce and olive oil to gain 67 pounds in order to play John Lennon’s killer Mark David Chapman in “Chapter 27.”
Anyway, I feel certain gaining is a hell of a lot easier and more fun than losing. In fact, according the Denzel, it’s a piece of cake, “Literally a piece of cake. Eating big late. It’s not healthy, but it works. Milkshakes were my friend. Ice cream was my very good friend.”
Of course, it can’t be fun to reach this part though. The movie’s done…and now you’ve got to figure a way to get back in the pants in your closet.
