Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Slim stars are sporting 'fat suits' for laughs

Marketplace \| Services \| Contact Us \| Community \| Arts & Entertainment \| Local Guides

Published by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. CLICK FOR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY

Thursday, November 8, 2001
Slim stars are sporting 'fat suits' for laughs
Overweight people dislike stereotyped performances and cruel jokes in film
By Anthony Breznican
Associated Press

Associated Press

Make up artist Tony Gardner makes an adjustment to a fat suit he created for actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s character, a 300 pound woman, in the new comedy ‘Shallow Hal.’ Activists for the overweight say that the theme is overshadowed by cruel jokes.

LOS ANGELES - Playing the heavy in Hollywood has gotten a whole new meaning.
   Instead of villainous roles, it now also applies to thin people putting on so-called fat suits - mainly for laughs.
   But some people aren't laughing.
   'Blobby and slobby'
   "Whenever thin actors portray fat people it's always a stereotype," said Carol Johnson, the "plus-sized" author of "Self-Esteem Comes in All Sizes." "They look kind of blobby and slobby, and do awkward, pathetic and embarrassing things."
   Gwyneth Paltrow is the latest slim star to bulk up with head-to-toe prosthetics, starring in the new Farrelly brothers movie, "Shallow Hal." She follows Julia Roberts as the dowdy celebrity assistant in "America's Sweethearts," Martin Lawrence in "Big Momma's House," Mike Myers in "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me," and Eddie Murphy as the corpulent Sherman Klump in "The Nutty Professor" movies, among others.
   In a weight-obsessed culture, where heavy people feel constant pressure to lose weight to improve their health and appearance, the proliferation of fat jokes has an especially cruel bite, Johnson said.
   She likened thin stars wearing fat suits to performing in blackface, now considered offensive and demeaning to blacks.
   "If we wanted white actors to play black people, would we paint their faces black? No way," Johnson said.
   Making jokes
   Although "Shallow Hal" offers the age-old message that people shouldn't be judged on appearance, activists for the overweight say that theme is overshadowed by jokes about the Paltrow character's chair-smashing girth.
   The creators of "Shallow Hal" see their movie as an attempt to deflate stereotypes by poking fun at them.
   "This movie makes jokes at everybody's expense, but she comes away always very strong and likable," said Tony Gardner, the makeup artist who designed Paltrow's costume. "We're mainly making fun of people's hang-ups."
   Paltrow's character weighs 300 pounds, but she still wears sexy clothes, has an active lifestyle and doesn't apologize for her shape or eating habits.
   The central joke of the film is that Hal (played by Jack Black) is a looks-obsessed bachelor who becomes hypnotized to only see people's inner beauty.
   When he meets Paltrow's character, Rosemary, she appears as the real-life, slim and trim actress. The other characters see Paltrow in the elaborate latex makeup and body suit that added nearly 200 pounds to her frame.

| Talk about this story | Next Story | Home |

[ Printer-friendly version ]
[ Subscribe to newspaper ]

SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND