The woman who worked as Gwyneth Paltrow‘s body double in 2001’s ‘Shallow Hal’ has admitted that her experience in the role took her to an incredibly dark place.
At just 20 years old, Ivy Snitzer took on the role in the hit rom-com, which also starred funnyman Jack Black as Paltrow’s love interest.
The movie follows the story of Black’s character, Hal, who is incredibly superficial and only dates women whom he deems ‘attractive’ enough for him.
However, he meets a man who hypnotizes him so that he only sees the inner beauty of women. He ends up falling for Paltrow’s character, Rosemary, who is, unbeknownst to Hal, overweight.
For scenes showing Rosemary’s face, Paltrow wore a bodysuit and prosthetics to appear heavier. However, in scenes where only Paltrow’s body was on show, Snitzer took her place.
Initially, Snitzer’s experience on set was positive. She recalled to The Guardian in a new interview that she felt “really comfortable” shooting the film and was “treated like I mattered” by everyone. However, it wasn’t long before Snitzer – who is now 42 – struggled under the fame the movie brought her.
In fact, she revealed to The Guardian that she eventually began dealing with some severe body image issues. By 2003 (two years after ‘Shallow Hal‘ was released) Snitzer said she was “technically starving to death.”
She shared that she had not mentally prepared for how successful the movie would be, and what that would mean for her. “It didn’t occur to me that the film would be seen by millions of people. It was like the worst parts about being fat were magnified.”
Snitzer recounted how people would approach her on the street and accused her of promoting obesity, after she reportedly said in a promotional interview for the movie: “It is not the worst thing in the world to be fat.”
Snitzer told The Guardian that she became “really scared,” adding: “I was like, maybe I’m done with the concept of fame, maybe I don’t want to be an actor. Maybe I’ll do something else.”
Eventually, she had gastric band surgery in 2003. But that had several complications, with Snitzer eventually struggling to even keep food down.
“I was so thin you could see my teeth through my face and my skin was all gray. I was just so bitchy all the time. I kind of alienated a lot of my friends. My mother was also dying; it was bleak. Humans shouldn’t have to experience how very bleak that particular time in my life was,” she admitted.
Sadly, even in her weakest point, she recalled how she was treated more kindly by people, because she was so thin. “Everything was so different,” she said, stating that people smiled at her, moved out of her way, and even paid for her coffee. “It was really nice to be treated well.”
‘Shallow Hal‘ has, in recent years, received a lot of criticism for how it portrayed plus-sized women – especially because it reinforces negative stereotypes.
What did you think of ‘Shallow Hal’? Let us know in the comments!
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