The weight loss market has grown rapidly in recent years as people seek to lose weight for health and beauty reasons. One of the prominent factors associated with the rapid growth of this market is the rise of medical weight loss. In fact, sales of GLP-1 prescription drugs helped the U.S. weight loss market reach an unprecedented milestone of $90 billion in 2023. This marks a significant shift toward medical weight loss programs, as more and more doctors have begun incorporating weight loss into their recommendations.
The weight-loss drug’s prominence has also made it a hot topic in Hollywood, as a number of celebrities and actors have disclosed their use of semaglutide, a type of GLP-1, in recent years, such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
About GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs
But how do GLP-1 weight loss pills work? GLP-1 is a glucagon-like peptide, an intestinal hormone that is released by specialized cells in your intestines after you eat. It does this by triggering extra insulin and suppressing glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar levels.
Taking GLP-1 for weight loss can last up to 14 hours in the body, which is much longer than naturally produced GLP-1 in the body (two to three minutes after release). However, GLP-1 drugs are not designed for people who just want to lose a few pounds. Doctors prescribe these drugs to patients who meet certain criteria, such as a BMI of 30 or above or 27 or above, and for patients with weight-related complications such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
As of this writing, there are no known cases of celebrities or actors taking GLP-1 to lose weight to achieve a specific look for a movie or television role. Of course, actors are no strangers to undergoing drastic weight-loss regimens for their characters, some of which can be harmful to their health. Below, we take a look at four actors who lost a lot of weight for their roles:
Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer
In our previous article, we highlighted Irish actor Cillian Murphy’s Oscar-winning performance in the atomic historical narrative Oppenheimer. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is another entry in the filmmaker’s technically masterful list of films, featuring authentic period detail and a visually stunning depiction of the Trinity Test.
In addition to Murphy’s stellar performance, the actor also had to lose a few pounds to achieve the physical attributes and looks of real-life physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. The actor described his weight loss journey as a harrowing journey following a severely restrictive diet. Murphy once said that he hated going to bed hungry and always feeling cold, but he also admitted that this was the closest he got to the real Oppenheimer, whom he described as ” People who live on cigarettes and pipes.”
Kristen Bell for “The Machinist”
Although not based on a true story, Christian Bale’s character’s monumental effort to lose 63 pounds in four months in “The Machinist” has been a hot topic in Hollywood for nearly two decades since the 2004 film’s release.
Bale created an insomniac and troubled character who lived on a diet of “almost nothing” – water, an apple and a cup of coffee every day. Bell only eats 5% of the standard 2,000 calories a day, an amount experts insist is harmful and can lead to nutritional deficiencies, weak bones and a compromised immune system. The actor has since said he won’t be doing any more extreme body modifications for the film.
Joaquin Phoenix plays “Joker”
Another Oscar-winning actor known for completely immersing himself in a character is Joaquin Phoenix. The Method actor had previously lost weight for his role in 2000’s Gladiator, with director Todd Phillips suggesting he lose weight to play the Joker.
To achieve the Joker’s insane body and look, Phoenix worked with doctors to make sure he didn’t do too many things that were harmful to his body during the process. The actor said he relied primarily on a calorie-restricted diet to reach his goal weight, but also spoke of the “weird” side effects of losing so much weight. That is, a disease-like obsession with losing or gaining weight can develop once the desired goal is achieved.
Michael Fassbender “Hunger”
Finally, in filmmaker Steve McQueen’s film Hunger, Michael Fassbender plays Bobby Sands, a real-life Irish politician who went on a hunger strike in prison. Understandably, the role requires the actor to look a certain way. Like Phoenix in “Joker,” Fassbender relied on a low-calorie diet to lose weight.
The actor’s weight goal for the role was 127 pounds, which he achieved in 10 weeks. Fassbender limited his intake to 1,000 calories a day, then dropped his calorie intake to 600 calories a day, with a diet that included a can of sardines, berries and a handful of nuts a day. Like others on this list, Fassbender has publicly stated that he would not do the same thing to starve him again.
