Current:Home > BackGwyneth Paltrow’s Body Double Says She Developed Eating Disorder After Shallow Hal Movie Release-LoTradeCoin
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Body Double Says She Developed Eating Disorder After Shallow Hal Movie Release
View Date:2024-12-23 23:33:13
A former actress is getting real about the personal impact of one of her movies.
Ivy Snitzer acted as Gwyneth Paltrow's body double in the 2001 film Shallow Hal. In the movie, Jack Black's character Hal gets hypnotized to only see a person's inner beauty, causing him to fall in love with Paltrow's character, Rosemary, who without the hypnosis is overweight. Gwyneth donned a fat suit for her scenes, while then 20-year-old Snitzer was used for closeups of the character's body. And while Snitzer said the actual filming the movie was an enjoyable experience, she recently got candid about her troubles after filming ended.
"It was just fun to be part of a movie, there are so few people who actually get to do that," the 42-year-old told The Guardian in an Aug. 22 interview. "At that point, if you saw someone obese in a movie, they were a villain. [Rosemary] was cool, she was popular, she had friends."
Snitzer, now the owner of an insurance agency, went on to describe how she committed herself to becoming what she called a "good fatty" in the wake of the movie. She explained, "I hated my body the way I was supposed to. I ate a lot of salads. I had eating disorders that I was very proud of."
But while making the movie was fun, she admitted of its release, "It didn't occur to me that the film would be seen by millions of people. It was like the worst parts about being fat were magnified. And no one was telling me I was funny."
Then in 2003, she decided to undergo gastric band surgery in order to help lose weight. However, shortly after the procedure, the band slipped. She said the recovery process almost killed her, as she was only able to consume "sports drinks and watered-down nutritional shakes" for three months.
And though Snitzer initially denied a connection between the film's reception and her surgery, she did say, "I'm sure I wanted to be small and not seen. I'm sure that's there, but I don't ever remember consciously thinking about it."
In the decades following Shallow Hal's release, the film has received much criticism, with Paltrow herself describing how uncomfortable filming the movie was for her. In particular, she recalled walking in the Tribeca Grand hotel in New York City on the first day that she tried the fat suit on.
"I walked through the lobby," the Marvel alum told W Magazine in 2001. "It was so sad, it was so disturbing. No one would make eye contact with me because I was obese. I felt humiliated because people were really dismissive."
Viewers have also taken to social media to criticize the movie over the years, with one user posting to X, formerly known as Twitter, "The issue is that shallow Hal was super fatphobic. A lot of my fat clients talk about shallow hal as being one of those movies that taught them to hate their bodies. It makes me really sad." Another said, "Shallow Hal just might be the most offensive movie I've ever seen on so many levels."
But these days, Snitzer said she is in a good place.
In addition to not worrying about eating, she told The Guardian she's "found a lot of stability in between the two extremes" of her past.
And she's learned to leave body worries behind her, adding, "I was always my personality. I've always been a personality in this body."
E! News has reached out to reps for Paltrow, 20th Century Fox and the Farrelly Brothers, the film's directors, but has not received a comment.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Eating Disorders Association helpline at 1-800-931-2237.veryGood! (742)
Related
- Republican Scott Baugh concedes to Democrat Dave Min in critical California House race
- Abducted 10-month-old found alive after 2 women killed, girl critically injured in New Mexico park
- Tom Brady Gets Called Out for Leaving Pregnant Bridget Moynahan
- This Holocaust Remembrance Day, survivors have a message: Don't let history 'repeat itself'
- Jessica Simpson's Husband Eric Johnson Steps Out Ringless Amid Split Speculation
- When is daylight saving time? Here's what it means and when to 'fall back' in 2024
- Amazing: Kyle Larson edges Chris Buescher at Kansas in closest finish in NASCAR history
- Tom Cruise Poses For Photo With Kids Bella and Connor for First Time in Nearly 15 Years
- Veterans face challenges starting small businesses but there are plenty of resources to help
- Dance Moms' Brooke Hyland Engaged to Brian Thalman—See Her Stunning Ring
Ranking
- Channing Tatum Drops Shirtless Selfie After Zoë Kravitz Breakup
- Rotting bodies and fake ashes spur Colorado lawmakers to pass funeral home regulations
- The Deeply Disturbing True Story Behind Baby Reindeer
- Georgia’s attorney general says Savannah overstepped in outlawing guns in unlocked cars
- College football top five gets overhaul as Georgia, Miami both tumble in US LBM Coaches Poll
- Randy Travis shocks industry with new AI-assisted track. How it happened
- Valerie Bertinelli walks back 'fantasy soulmate recreation' of Eddie Van Halen romance
- Tom Brady’s Netflix roast features lots of humor, reunion between Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick
Recommendation
-
Five best fits for Alex Bregman: Will Astros homegrown star leave as free agent?
-
Children are dying of fentanyl by the dozens in Missouri. A panel is calling for changes
-
Prosecutors charge 5 men accused of impersonating Philadelphia police officers in 2006 to kidnap and kill a man
-
When and where you can see the Eta Aquariids meteor shower peak
-
Hurricane forecasters on alert: November storm could head for Florida
-
Georgia’s attorney general says Savannah overstepped in outlawing guns in unlocked cars
-
Detroit Tigers' City Connect uniforms hit the street with plenty of automotive connections
-
The Deeply Disturbing True Story Behind Baby Reindeer