For filming in the comedy “I’m losing weight” Alexandra Bortich had to gain two dozen kilograms in three months. And then drop them in a month!
March 19 2018
This has never happened in the history of cinema. Of course, this is not the first time actresses sacrifice slender figures for the sake of art. But none of them got into shape so quickly – and all for the sake of one role.
Alexandra Bortich played the girl Anya, who is abandoned by the boyfriend Zhenya because of her excessive love … for food. But the heroine is not ready to surrender so easily and decides by all means to return the former figure and beloved Zhenya.
“Our film appeared due to the fact that seven years ago I … became very fat – by 20 kilograms, – told“ Antenna ” Alexey Nuzhny, comedy director and screenwriter. – It all started when I saw an exercise for screenwriters: tell me what you have done unique in your life, and write a story about it. The exercise told me: lose weight and share this unique experience with people. A month and a half passed, and I lost 28 kilograms. But I realized that, despite the fact that I began to look good, I still cannot admit to myself that I live in harmony with myself. This is exactly what the heroine faces in the film.
They came up with such a move: to invite a beautiful, sexy actress for the main role, who will gain 20-25 kg for the role and by her appearance will shock the viewer. But besides this, in our film, the heroine will have to lose weight, because the plot is tied to this. There has never been such a double reception in cinema. “
“We invited a famous comedian. She really liked the script and started preparing for the role. She recovered by three kilograms, and then a terrible thing happened – she was afraid to continue to gain weight. There were two months left before filming began. The task was difficult – to find not just a girl who would agree to change her life for the next six months, but to find a talented actress. And talented people have a thousand restrictions, for example, other parallel filming, performances in the theater, a beloved guy who is in love with her, so beautiful. There were offers to use plastic makeup. But for me it is important that the actor lives honestly. Moreover, I could not act so falsely with my experience and feelings. After thinking it over, I decided to make the final leap and restore the casting. And suddenly Sasha Bortich came. She played the scene brilliantly and said: “I am ready to gain 20 kilograms in a month and a half.” At first I didn’t believe it, but Sasha showed me photographs from childhood. Then I approved it. And we started the program again – gaining weight. With an increase of 168 centimeters, Sasha gained about 20 kg in a month and a half and began to weigh 75 kilograms. Shooting began. The actress continued to gain and became almost 80. She even ceased to be recognized. Once in Nizhny Novgorod, where we were shooting a movie, a lady exclaimed: “I know you, you are Julia Peresild!” I don’t know what it’s connected with, but, in my opinion, Julia has always been slim. Perhaps 23-year-old Sasha just began to look older than her years. “
“According to the script, the heroine Sasha Anya had to eat a lot. For example, there is a scene where she pounces on Olivier. During the takes, Sasha ate more than half a kilogram of salad. She even asked me not to make takes anymore. But I insisted. It is very difficult to pretend to want to eat a dish when you are sick of the food. But the actress did it talentedly.
It was also difficult to find clothes. Sasha’s heroine wants to hide the imperfections of her figure, but at the same time everything needs to be emphasized. The green dress in which Sasha runs out of the doorway and goes to the wedding of friends was picked up for the longest time. It accentuates a shaking belly.
We divided the shooting of the film into two parts: with a full heroine and a thin one. We decided to take a break of 28 days between work. During this time, Sasha had to lose at least 15 kilograms. The process began, and everyone was waiting for the result. I confess that this period was the hardest for Sasha: a lot of sports, restrictions, nerves, responsibility. Once she called me at night, and I realized she was having a breakdown. I listened and tried to explain that she is not alone in her problems and experiences. We decided to go all the way that night, and I confessed that I admired her. ”
Alexandra Bortich does not hide that the role was given to her hard, but at the same time she was not afraid to challenge. In fact, she is very prone to obesity, and in the same weight as in the film, she was 14-15 years old. To get fat for the picture, Sasha ate pizza and sweets. The actress has a petite face, and her cheeks appear last. After Alexandra gained nine kilograms and posted the photo on her Instagram, the director wrote to her in a panic: “Why aren’t you fat yet ?!” But losing weight was given to the actress very hard: “It seems to everyone that there is some magical way, but it is not. Only proper nutrition and a lot of sports. I myself do not understand how I managed to lose 15 kilograms in a month. But I did so much in the gym that my coach wondered how I hadn’t died yet. ”
“I like that my heroine and I are fundamentally different. In the situations in which she finds herself, I would behave completely differently, – says Alexandra. – Nevertheless, in my heroine, many will be able to recognize themselves. Perhaps this will help someone to deal with their complexes, problems. I believe that the film has a very important mission: to convey to girls, girls, women the idea that we must accept ourselves as we are, love ourselves. If at least one person, leaving the cinema, feels it, then all the work has been done for a reason. “
Who else?
Actress Vera Sotnikova gained 10 kilograms for the role in the TV series “Lyudmila” about the life and fate of the great singer Lyudmila Zykina.
Yulia Snigir sacrificed a slender figure for the sake of Catherine II in the “Great” project. But for the filming of the series “Bloody Lady” the actress had already said goodbye to the 13 pounds she gained.
The figure of the heroine of the series “Fizruk” Sasha Mamaeva was ridiculed not only by her classmates, but also by the new physical education teacher Foma. But Polina Grents was not laughing: she got 13 kilograms fat. But I quickly got rid of them!
Yana Krainova played a female doctor in the TV series “Diary of Doctor Zaitseva”. To make the image more appetizing, the actress gained ten kilograms.