Actors need to gain more weight for roles
Summary
A straphanger has strong opinions about method acting and body transformation. Kareem hears her case: actors playing larger characters need to actually gain weight for their roles, not fake it with prosthetics or avoid it entirely. She calls out Amanda Peet in the Betty Broderick movie, who spent scenes "just chewing food, the whole movie" without gaining a pound. The logic gets wonderfully specific. How can we see ourselves in characters overcoming obstacles if they aren't struggling with late night snacking? All villains need that struggle. She's not impressed by Brendan Fraser's bodysuit in The Whale either. That's cheating, and he had enough time.
Full Transcript
So what's your take? Actors need to gain more weight for certain roles. I'm on the fence about this one, especially we have actors like doing biopics and they're not gaining weight to play the real person. So you're saying it's not believable? Amanda Pete played Betty Brodick. I don't know if you know her, she was a lady who who killed her ex-husband back in the day. She was a real big—she was a big lady. Amanda Pete, the whole movie she's just eating food, she's just chewing food, the whole movie. Didn't gain no weight. So it's not—you have you have a problem with this?
Yes. How can we see ourselves in these characters who are overcoming these crazy obstacles but aren't struggling with late night snacking? It doesn't make sense to me. All villains struggle with late night snacks. We need to see it. I need to see the real, the real strength of the fat rage.
What about when people cheat? Like Brandon Fraser when he played the fat whale. How did he cheat? He wore a bodysuit.
I mean, you think that's cheating? I do think it's cheating, and I think he had enough time, you know.