Although it’s a fairly common occurrence for actors to gain or lose weight for roles, eyebrows were still raised when it was revealed that This Is Us star Chrissy Metz had a weight loss clause built into her contract. However, she assured TVLine in an interview that she is “not selling out the big girls” and that there is, in fact, a valid reason for the stipulation.
Metz went on to explain that the weight loss will be an essential part of her character’s storyline on the show. In This Is Us, Metz’s character Kate struggles with her weight and goes to a support group similar to Overeaters Anonymous. Metz viewed the challenge as a positive opportunity for her, calling it “a different kind of motivation.” After she signed the contract and committed to losing weight for the role, she said, “That was a win-win for me. Because it’s one thing to try to do it on your own. But as human beings, it’s an ego thing: We’re more likely to do something for someone else.” Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight or quit a bad habit can probably relate to that.
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As for whether the requirement for her to lose weight has anything to do with body-shaming, Metz argued vehemently against the idea, claiming that it was purely in service of character development and also her personal health. “I just have to be very clear,” she said. “Whether or not I lose weight or stay the same, it’s purely a choice of mine for health. Not because I think that plus size, curvy, voluptuous, big bodies aren’t attractive — because I think they’re awesome and sexy.” That should put to rest any fears that fans might have about the show sending any kind of body-shaming message.
Plus, Metz said that the writers also plan to flesh out other aspects of Kate’s life and character traits, rather than focusing solely on her weight loss journey. It should be interesting to see where Kate (and, by extension, Metz) end up at the end of the season.
