In a recent interview, Denzel Washington revealed his trick to portray Joe Deacon in his new thriller The Little Things.
“There was a Joe Deacon diet. The sacrifices I make for my character. Gaining weight is a piece of cake. Literally a piece of cake. Eat big until late. It’s not healthy, but it works. Smoothies were my best friends. Ice cream was my very good friend”.
The movie is about a Kern County deputy sheriff named Joe Deacon. He is sent to Los Angeles for what should have been a quick task of gathering evidence. Instead, he becomes embroiled in the search for a serial killer who terrorizes the city. The movie was released in theaters and HBO Max has been controversial for its ending.
Many actors have gained and lost weight.
Apart from Denzel Washington, there are very striking cases like Tom Hanks who was diagnosed as diabetic not long after having lost 25 kilos in a short space of time for Castaway (2000). Meanwhile, Jared Leto ended up gout after mixing pints of microwave ice cream with soy sauce and olive oil to gain 30 kilos in order to play John Lennon’s killer Mark David Chapman in 2007 and even ended up in a wheelchair during a stage.
Another example that is exaggerated is that of Christian Bale, who went from being extremely thin in The Machinist (2004) to being a superhero in top form in Batman Begins (2005). A process that he repeated years later with The Fighter (2010) and The Great American Scam (2013). So let’s hope Denzel Washington will return to his optimal weight condition soon after his stint in The Little Things movie.