Stars who lost out on roles due to their weight

Before we give the floor to the rejected Hollywood stars, we want to emphasize that everyone is free to display the image they want and that they consider appropriate, with more or less weight. The 'norm' can be cruel and there have been a number of cases of discrimination for allegedly being 'overweight.' They have included celebrities like Eva Longoria.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ryan Gosling claimed that he was fired from 'The Lovely Bones' (2009) after gaining about 27 kilos, because, although he was supposed to put on weight for the role, the actor put on too much, so he was replaced by Mark Wahlberg.

"We had a different idea of what the character should look like. I really thought he should weigh 210 pounds," the actor told The Hollywood Reporter.

JLo has always been known for her curves, and she is proud of them. In an interview with The Independent, she recalls that casting directors and others in Hollywood often encouraged her to change her appearance.

"They kept telling me to lose weight. And I was a dancer and I was athletic and even my manager at the time, who I don't work with anymore, was telling me, 'You need to lose weight. You need to be thinner. But I said, 'No, I don't. If I lose more weight, I won't be thinner. If I lose any more weight, it won't be me.'"

When she became pregnant and had her son, Eva Longoria found it difficult to return to the figure that traditional Hollywood demands of women. Although she had opportunities to be in projects, she has stated that, after becoming a mother and gaining some weight, the opportunities for actresses to get a good role are reduced.

"Today, it's still too often the case that an actress can't get a role as a sexy woman if she's been a mother, or if she hasn't been able to get back to her pre-pregnancy figure. You have to look a very certain way to get those roles," Longoria told Parents magazine.

Although Kate Upton has posed for Victoria's Secret catalogs, the brand's casting director indicated in 2012 that she would not be hired for its annual fashion show, mainly because of her curves.

"The things I get rejected for are things I can't change," the model said in a 2013 interview for Vogue. "I can't change my bra sizes, because they are natural. I can exercise and stay healthy and motivated, but I can't change some things."

"I really just live my life, I love my body because it's the one God gave me. I feel comfortable with myself and if that inspires other women to feel comfortable with their bodies, that's great."

Liv Tyler had to lose weight to play Arwen in 'The Lord of the Rings' (2001), but when the filming was over, the actress regained her weight and even gained 14 kilos more, so she was no longer sought after for projects.

"They didn't tell me directly, but they suggested that I should reduce my curves in order to participate in these films," she said. However, she decided against it. "I refuse to give in to Hollywood's parameters. To the rest of the world I'm thin. And I like the way I look," she said, according to Quotefancy.

Although Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most recognisable actresses in Hollywood, she has been told several times that she is "fat" and asked to lose weight.

"I had to deal with the kind of crap that all actresses have to go through. They called me fat and told me they were going to fire me if I didn't lose a few pounds," she said in an interview with Harper's Bazaar.

Actor David Harbour, known for his role in the series 'Stranger Things' (2016), said he was almost cast as the mutant Blob in the movie 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' (2009), but was not chosen because he was overweight. At the end of the casting, he pulled up his shirt and showed his belly saying: "Here's your Blob."

"I had just made a stupid joke, then I got a call and the director, when he met me at the hotel, said: 'David, look, you're wonderful, we think you're a really great actor, but we're worried, really worried.
So I thought, 'What's the reason for that concern? I'm ready for the part, let's do it,' to which he said, 'No, just when you lifted up your shirt and we saw the... we're worried about your health.'"

"I was shocked," Harbour told The Wrap. "'Wait a minute, are you telling me I'm too fat to play Blob?' And that's how my audition went, which is why I didn't get the part."

When Kate Winslet received the BAFTA for her role in the film 'Steve Jobs' (2015) she dedicated the award to all the young women who had been discouraged in showbiz because of their bodies.

"When I was younger, when I was only 14, I was told by a drama teacher that I could be fine if I was content with fat roles. And look at me now!" she later told reporters.

"Any young woman who has ever been discriminated against by a teacher, or a friend, or even a parent... should not listen. Because that's what I did, I didn't listen to any of it and I moved on. I overcame all my fears and my insecurity. You just have to keep doing it, keep believing in yourself," Winslet said.