For the longest time, George Clooney has been one of the most venerated, subtly gorgeous, and understatedly excellent of all Hollywood stars in recent times. The filmmaker who first rose to prominence after starring in ER then quickly became an internationally recognized actor with films like Batman & Robin and Ocean’s Eleven. His irrevocable good looks paired with the humility he has displayed over the decades of his Hollywood fame have made him an absolute favorite among the audience of the late ’90s and early ’00s. But it wasn’t until movies like Solaris, Gravity, and most recently, The Midnight Sky that established the actor as one of the greats in the industry.
George Clooney Goes the Extra Mile For The Midnight Sky
The sci-fi drama, The Midnight Sky, directed by George Clooney, tracks a lone Arctic scientist as he grapples with his impending death in a dying and post-apocalyptic world and races to warn a returning crew of astronauts about the calamity they are about to face. The film’s narrative frame, for the most of its onscreen drama, focuses solely on Clooney’s character, Augustine, who because of the conditions that prevail he looks believably malnourished, hollowed out, and underweight.
The actor, to look the part, had undertaken an excruciating routine of diet and workout regimen before filming his $100 million Netflix film. It was later reported that the actor fell severely ill, and was suffering from abdominal pain during the shoot following which he was rushed to the hospital. Clooney was diagnosed with pancreatitis soon after. To add salt to the injury, the movie not only failed to break even at the box office but failed spectacularly with a 49% rating on Rotten Tomatoes despite its Academy Award nomination for the extraordinary visual effects.
Actors Speak Out Against Weight Loss/Gain Practices
While most actors are willing to go the extra mile these days for their Oscar-baiting roles, in some cases, the effects of rapid weight loss or adding unhealthy pounds do more harm than good. Actors like Anne Hathaway [Les Misérables], Zoë Kravitz [The Road Within], and Lily Collins [To the Bone] have spoken out against such practices due to the severely dangerous and life-threatening effects that these diets can have on the long-term physical and mental health of a person.
Tom Hardy, one of the most talented actors, went above and beyond for his role as Bane in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises and gorged on an unhealthy amount of calories to gain the imposing physique worthy of going up against the Caped Crusader himself. Although the role did award him with the honorary title of one of the best Batman villains of all time in live-action cinema, it also cost him his health to the point where he feared going into cardiac arrest.
The Midnight Sky is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Source: The Things
