The Bang Bang Club
Taylor Kitsch was forced to undergo counselling after filming new movie Bang Bang Club because he nearly killed himself trying to play a skinny photojournalist.
In the movie, the Friday Night Lights star portrays a brave photojournalist who captures the violence that erupted during the Apartheid period in South Africa.
However, in order to take on the role, Kitsch turned to unhealthy weightloss practices, dropping 35 pounds in just two months, which resulted in kidney problems.
He says, "It wasn’t smart. I tried to run at least 10 miles a day on fruit and coffee. Just barely any protein - I was ripped at the time, so I had to lose all the muscle. I remember doing the physical in Texas, and because I was running so much, I had a very low heart rate, and it got super low.
"The doctor couldn’t find it, and then finally he found it and goes, 'If I write down your actual heart rate, you’re not going to do this film.' So I went and did some push-ups and got it up to a reasonable number. I literally didn’t have the energy to walk around the mall.
"So that was physically, and then just the challenge emotionally to get there every day for Kev (his character)... The last few scenes, he’s just a wreck, and, to play that honestly, it just took a lot out of me.
"You almost f**king kill yourself to get there. You need counselling, you need all this s**t to come out of that character."
Consequently, Kitsch sought treatment to help aid the transition process after filming wrapped.
He adds, "(It was) maybe a bit too method (acting), I guess, because he is suicidal. You just try to re-engage slowly with family and close friends, you know.
"Because you just go on this crazy endeavour and then all of a sudden, a day later, you’re back in Austin, Texas, going for your morning coffee at your place, and you’re like, 'Man, what just happened?'"
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