John C. Reilly felt fat-shamed while filming 'Stan & Ollie' as 280 pound comedy star
John C. Reilly says he felt fat-shamed whiling filming the biopic Stan & Ollie.
The American actor plays Oliver Hardy opposite Steve Coogan as Stan Laurel in the period drama which meant he had to wear a fat suit and prosthetics for the 280 pound role.
However, Reilly explains that in between takes he was made to feel uncomfortable by various people who seemed to have an issue with his perceived size.
I have to tell you, it gives you a very interesting insight in what it feels like to be a big, fat man,” the actor told press in Rome (via The Hollywood Reporter).
“It didn’t feel good, I must say. Someone walking by, typically [they would look away] as if they didn’t want to see you. Like, ‘Oh, it’s quite sad. I’ll embarrass him if I look at him too much.’
Despite the awkward situations, the actor does admit that it helped him to emphathise with Hardy.
That also gave me insight into what it must have felt like to be Oliver all the time,” Reilly said. “He performed as a fat man and he traded on his fatness as part of his life, and yet he had to live with that body when he went home.
“I had the luxury of taking off that costume, but Oliver lived in that costume,” he added. “That gave me a lot of sympathy for his journey in life.”
Stan & Ollie will be released across the UK on 11 January 2019
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