Syriana is a 2005 American political thriller film based on Robert Baer’s 2003 memoir See No Evil. It is about the state of the oil industry and its personal impact on those who are involved with it. The performance of George Clooney as Bob Barnes was highly praised by critics of the film.
To play the role of CIA Agent, Clooney gained 35 pounds, grew a bushy beard, and shaved back his hairline. However, it was all worth it because he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the role. But the actor certainly didn’t enjoy his weight gain journey for this thriller flick.
George Clooney Hated His Drastic Body Change for Oscar-Winning Role
Portraying a CIA operative on the set of Syriana was not enjoyable for George Clooney. Directed by Stephen Gaghan, the movie involved filming in over 200 locations across four continents. Traveling to various locations didn’t trouble Clooney as much as the events that occurred that year. The actor told The Sydney Morning Herald:
“There was nothing fun about it. There was not a moment that was fun about shooting this film. That’s not a slap on the film or (the director Stephen) Gaghan. It’s just that everybody has that year where you age a decade and this was that one for me.”
The now 62-year-old was not clearly fond of the experience while filming the 2005 movie. He found it both physically and emotionally demanding, which caused him to feel like he had aged a decade during that year.
George Clooney Ate 9 Meals a Day to Prepare For His Oscar-Winning Role
According to Irish Examiner, Clooney had to gain over 30 pounds for his role in Syriana in a short period of time. He took on the role after another actor left, giving him only a month to put on the weight.
To bulk up, he had to eat nine meals a day. Despite staying at his Villa Oleandra in Italy, he didn’t enjoy the food. As he said: “I was miserable because there I was in Italy, and I wasn’t looking forward to eating. Who doesn’t look forward to eating in Italy?”
“People always think, ‘Oh, that’ll be fun,’ but it’s like going to a pie-eating contest every day,” he added. As the Hollywood actor reiterated his experience in another interview with The Tech, he took as many calories as possible to achieve the desired physique.
“My job was just to eat as fast as I could, as much as I could. But mostly you just ate until you wanted to throw up and made sure you didn’t throw up. So that was my job for a month, was eating,” Clooney asserted.
Even Matt Damon, Clooney’s close friend and co-star, also noticed some changes in him. Damon said that Clooney was usually the “life of the party,” but he had to put in the weight, which was really “depressing.”
Watch Syriana on Prime Video.
