Hollywood can be a cutthroat place where authors and movie fans alike often take jabs at those involved in the creation of a film. Some of those barbs really do stick out to the living, breathing people occupying space in the movie business, and that’s even true when it comes to a-list actors. Jason Segel can clearly remember the weight jabs made when he gained a bit of tonnage while filming a flick.
During a recent round-table, the comedic actor opened up about the “wildest” thing he’d read about himself. While his Freaks and Geeks co-star Seth Rogen joked it was someone calling him “Too Tall Segel” (the actor is allegedly 6’4”), the insult that actually has stuck with the actor the longest has to do with his girth and not his height. He spoke with THR, Rogen and other a-listers about getting ripped into for weight gain.
[SEGEL: "I wish! I did a movie in New Orleans, and I’d eaten a lot during this movie and gained a bunch of weight, and the review, which was a very nice review, said, 'Jason Segel, an actor on the verge of a Gerard Depardieu-style expansion.'”
ROGEN: "You fought that off nicely. Maybe that’s what you needed."
SEGEL: "A wake-up call. (Laughter)" ]
Segel doesn’t mention the movie in question, but I can confirm it's Jeff, Who Lives At Home, a Duplass Brothers mumblecore drama that has him playing an unemployed stoner living in a basement. The movie shot in New Orleans well over a decade ago at this point, and from the sounds of these latest quotes, the weight gain may have been unintentional. I did trace Segel's comment back to the original source critic who insulted him and confirmed it was this film, so at least the weight gain did fit with the character he was playing in the film.
It's not like he was getting jacked to play a Marvel hero and went full fat Thor instead or anything. I do think though that it is good to hear from celebrities about moments that stood out for them in the public eye. It does feel like fans and even movie critics live in a microcosm sometimes and feel empowered to say whatever they want about actors in ways that can be notable, or even hurtful.
Regardless, those actors are real people, and they do sometimes read or hear the mean-spirited comments that have been made about them. This has even prompted people like Jamie Foxx to speak out about issues with being a public facing person in the new era of social media, with the actor calling it "dangerous." It's not all bad news, as Ben Stiller enjoys interacting with fans, and even Monica Barbaro has spoken about being lured back to social thanks to kind exchanges. But the bad comments can still linger.
Even for Jeff, Who Lives at Home, one critical comment may have stood out, but actual reviews of that movie also refer to "Segel’s teddy bear sweetness" and a "solid performance from Jason Segel," so it's clear most people were into what he was trying at the time.
These days, Segel is looking relatively trim whilst appearing in Shrinking and those with an Apple TV+ subscription doubtless have little to complain about when it comes to his appearance. Hopefully, he'll have no Gerard Depardieu-esque comments in his future, but if you're thinking about becoming a keyboard warrior, consider this your warning.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
