Hollywood often demands actors rapidly gain or lose considerable amounts of weight in order to add life to a certain role. And this is only a small portion of this job’s duties. Oh yes, just like, exactly what Matthew McConaughey did in the 2013 biographical drama film, Dallas Buyers Club.
McConaughey reportedly lost 47 pounds, going from 183 pounds to 136 pounds, in order to play an AIDS victim in the 2013 film, Dallas Buyers Club. The movie, which was helmed by Jean-Marc Vallee, was based on the real-life experiences of Ron Woodroof.
McConaughey stated that he chose such a demanding role because he believed it was not just a typical story but rather a story of a “wild man” in an interview with CBS News in 2014.
He also observed that the film’s writing was “incredibly human, without sentimentality”.
Matthew McConaughey’s Drastic Body Transformation for Dallas Buyers Club
Mark Wahlberg and Chris Pratt are not the only actors, who have dramatically changed their weight for their roles. Matthew McConaughey reportedly lost around 47 pounds for his 2013 movie, Dallas Buyers Club, in which he played AIDS patient, Ron Woodroof.
In case you were unaware, his drastic transformation earned him the best actor Oscar as well.
For the role, the actor gave one of the most convincing performances ever in his career. His drastic physical changes came at a high price, though. The Oscar-winning actor disclosed he was still adjusting to the physical consequences of the dramatic weight loss.
McConaughey was aware that he would need to make significant physical changes before beginning work on Dallas Buyers Club. He gave the following explanation to HitFix (via E! News) regarding his motivation for changing his body:
“Overall, [I’ve] probably got 35 percent less energy, but there’s been plateaus.”
He went on to describe his experience as follows:
“Getting past 170 was really hard, but then once you get [to] 167 the next seven come off easy. Getting past 160, really hard. But then you fly down to 150. Getting past 150 was really hard and then, bam! Got down to 143 and that’s where I want to be. So, once you get past the plateau, your body seems to understand, ‘OK, this is where we’re leaving now, this is where we are’ and so the energy rises.”
Read More: DC Star Pedro Pascal Stole $5,400,000 HBO Role from Oscar Winner Matthew McConaughey
How Did Matthew McConaughey Lose The Weight?
The celebrated actor, Matthew McConaughey, who is known for his endearing personality, has undergone a significant physical transformation for the intense role in order to portray an AIDS patient realistically.
His dedication to the character went above and beyond the call of duty. Speaking about the strategy he used to shed those pounds, the actor disclosed:
“I’m doing cardio but I’ll tell you what, the more I’ve learned is—and I think it comes with age too—is it’s 90 percent diet.”
He continued:
“It’s 90 percent amount and then what you’re eating because right now I’m not losing any more weight if I burn 1,500 calories, two hours of cardio in an afternoon, or if I don’t. It doesn’t matter. It’s a matter of how much I eat or how little I eat.”
Regarding his diet, McConaughey claimed that he already knew what he wanted to eat po-boy (a sandwich originally from Louisiana) as soon as filming was finished:
“I will have some 70 percent beef, 30 percent fat ground beef, maybe a half-pound cheeseburger with another three types of cheese. I’ll prepare it all and I’ll make sure that it takes three hours just to prepare…”
Sadly, McConaughey’s diet has reduced his appetite, so he admitted that even if he wanted to, he was not able to finish the entire half-pound cheeseburger.
“Your organs [and] muscles shrink, your organs shrink [and] my stomach has shrunk as well.”
Dallas Buyers Club, which also starred Jared Leto and Jennifer Garner, earned many awards after receiving widespread critical acclaim.
The film is available to rent on Apple TV.
Source- HitFix (via E! News)
