Lifestyle change aside, over the years, Ethan Suplee has shown the world that he’s incredibly talented and full of passion. It wasn’t until his big role in Disney’s heart-warming football drama film Remember the Titans (2000), that his career truly sky-rocketed, however, it was his roles after that proved just how flexible and dynamic of an actor he truly is.
In more recent years, though, he’s proven to the world and Hollywood that his major change in physical appearance hasn’t stopped him from being the talented, passionate actor that we all know and love. In fact, it’s shown us a completely different side to him that most people didn’t know existed.
After gaining and losing a total of around 1000 pounds(!) in the past twenty years, Ethan Suplee has recently opened up about what’s been going on behind-the-scenes of his phenomenal fitness and health journey.
Let’s dive in and find out what's been his secret motivation that kept him going strong all these years!
Flexible and Dynamic Acting Skills
What makes Ethan Suplee such a successful actor, is the fact that he’s so flexible and dynamic with the types of roles that he can and has conquered over the years. From some of his more hilarious characters like Randy Hickey in My Name is Earl and more recently Officer Billy in The Ranch, to more intense dramatic roles like Seth Ryan in American History X and Tuna in Blow, Suplee has shown the world that he’s an incredibly talented and passionate actor.
Screenshot from "American History X"
But it wasn’t always an easy climb up to the top, let alone an easy time staying up on top.
Losing Pounds and Losing Work
Getting to the top in showbiz and Hollywood is one tough climb, especially when it comes to the physical appearance aspect of it all. And while plus-size actors typically have a tougher time landing jobs, Suplee actually received many of his roles because of his appearance. But he never would’ve imagined that a new look would lead him to losing out on work.
Even with the challenge that he had to face when it came to his profession, 20 years later, he’s finally at a point where he feels comfortable and happy in his own skin and feeling good about his career path.
Image by Bei/Shutterstock (4373712x)
How exactly did he get there though?
Acting in His Blood
On May 25 1976, Ethan Suplee was born to two loving parents and actors, Deborah Deele and Bill Suplee. Born in Manhattan, New York and raised in Los Angeles, California, it’s safe to say that Suplee was destined to be a movie star.
With acting in his blood, he landed his first big role on the popular comedy drama TV series, Boy Meets World when he was at the sweet age of sixteen.
Screenshot from "Boy Meets World"
But it wasn’t until after working on the show for four years, from 1994-1998, that he started to think about his physical appearance and health status.
Always a Big Boy
Ethan Suplee was always a big boy, and recognizes that, in general, he will always have a bigger build. While he’s okay with that now, and has found a way to maintain his figure and well-being in a healthy way, as a child, Ethan Suplee’s parents and grandparents expressed concerns for their loving little boy. Yet, because of the way they handled their concerns, Suplee started to feel uncomfortable eating around others, and began to develop even more unhealthy habits as a result.
Image via @ethansuplee/IG
“I had this idea now, that food was something that people didn’t want me to have … So if I wanted to have more, I needed to do it privately, and it became something that I was withholding from people,” Suplee revealed in his podcast American Glutton.
Roles Related to His Size
While Suplee’s had much success with his roles as plus-size character, playing that role wasn’t necessarily what he longed for. In fact, he tried to stray away from landing any roles or gigs that were relevant to his size.
Image by Bei/Shutterstock (5135266l)
“I never wanted to do something where I was the fat guy who was the butt of a fat guy joke … I told my agents to look for roles outside the box that could work for me. There were instances where somebody would want to add a line about me being fat and I would just say, ‘Hey, no, we’re not doing that’,” Suplee revealed to People.
Falling Down the Rabbit Hole
Over the years, Suplee has fluxed between numbers on the scale, but there was one point in his life where he knew that he truly needed to change things up. Once he grew out of his adolescent years, there were a few big factors in his life that played a role in his "much-needed wake-up call."
Image via @ethansuplee/IG
It was in his mid-20s that the striving actor realized that he had fallen down the rabbit hole. He was using food, alcohol, and other substances as an unhealthy way to cope with personal issues. But where did those habits stem from in the first place?
