Sebastian Stan says that losing weight for 'Pam & Tommy' contributed to his body dysmorphia
- "Pam & Tommy" star Sebastian Stan spoke to Entertainment Weekly about losing weight for the show.
- He said that slimming down for the role worsened his body dysmorphia.
Sebastian Stan said that slimming down to portray Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee in the Hulu series "Pam & Tommy" contributed to his ongoing body dysmorphia.
"I was trying to lose weight and I still felt I didn't lose enough weight," Stan told Entertainment Weekly. "And people were telling me I was crazy and going, 'You have body dysmorphia now' — which I always did anyway."
"Anybody that even has a healthy physique to some extent has body dysmorphia," the actor said.
"Pam & Tommy," an eight-episode limited series that concluded on Wednesday, stars Stan as Lee and "Downton Abbey" actress Lily James as Pamela Anderson. The show chronicles the famous couple's whirlwind romance and the fallout of their sex tape being stolen and leaked.
Stan told Entertainment Weekly that in order to transform into the lean musician, he would fast for 16 t0 18 hours and aim to get in 20,000 steps every day. He previously told Esquire that he also ran on an empty stomach and adjusted his diet.
Stan told EW that a person's "peak" physical shape can only last at "100% for like maybe a week or something."
"At least, how I've experienced it; and I mean diet and exercise and tanning and water and lighting and everything. And then you spend the rest of the time going, 'I'm not what I used to be.' But it's just all in the head," he said.
Stan, who's known for his role as Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, said despite his efforts, he "wasn't the same frame" as Lee. He also felt pressure to learn how to play the drums in order to do the character justice.
"The whole thing felt like this just ginormous mountain to climb and there was always a little bit of an unsettling feeling about it," he said. "But I thrive well in discomfort, especially at work. It pushes you and as long as you can manage and handle it well, you can grow from it."