10 Actors Who Took On Roles in Fat Suits
For decades, Hollywood has leaned on fat suits as a quick shortcut for “transformation.” If you’ve watched a sitcom, comedy, or drama in the last 30 years, chances are you’ve seen one. These padded bodysuits, crafted from foam or silicone, are designed to instantly change an actor’s size and shape. When done well, they look seamless. When done badly, you can practically see the Velcro peeking out.
Fat suits have been used for everything from slapstick humor to dramatic roles. John Travolta wore one in Hairspray as the anxious Edna Turnblad, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s Shallow Hal performance is often remembered more for the prosthetics than the plot. They’ve shown up in shows like Friends and films across genres—dramas, comedies, even horror. But their presence raises complicated questions.
For some, fat suits are just another tool, no different from prosthetic noses or wigs, used to help actors inhabit a character. Others argue they perpetuate harmful stereotypes, turning larger bodies into visual punchlines rather than offering authentic representation. Many viewers who grew up with these films and shows see them as part of a broader cultural problem: fatness being treated as a joke, something exaggerated and “worn” instead of respected.
Love them or hate them, fat suits aren’t disappearing anytime soon. They remain a cost-effective option for studios trying to transform stars overnight without requiring drastic weight changes. But as conversations about body image and representation grow louder, the industry may eventually have to rethink this long-standing Hollywood habit.
Brendan Fraser — The Whale
Brendan Fraser stunned audiences with his jaw-dropping transformation in The Whale, a role that signaled his powerful Hollywood comeback. At the Venice Film Festival, the performance earned him a thunderous standing ovation. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, the film relied on special effects genius Adrien Morot—known for The Revenant and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Morot used digital sculpting and 3D printing to build Fraser’s prosthetic suit. Though Fraser praised the suit as “beautiful and arresting,” he admitted wearing it felt heavy and confining, describing the torso piece as a hand-painted straightjacket complete with meticulously placed hair.
