Richard Gadd gained nearly 100 lbs. to transform for his role in Half Man after playing Donny Dunn in Baby Reindeer
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He worked with a trainer and nutritionist for over a year, focusing on high-protein meals and intense workouts
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Gadd said he had to physically "change everything" to fully distance himself from his previous character
Richard Gaddrevealed that he gained nearly 100 lbs. prior to filmingHalf Man.
The 36-year-old actor appeared on the Wednesday, April 29 episode of theHow to Failpodcast, where he opened up about making the transition from his role as Donny Dunn inBaby Reindeerto playing Ruben inHalf Man.
During the show, host Elizabeth Day asked Gadd if his physical transformation was a deliberate way to distance himself from hisBaby Reindeercharacter, which was a fictionalized version of himself.
“I knew in order for people to buy me as Ruben I needed to get away from Donny Dunn in almost every single way I could,” Gadd replied.
“I was 68.8 kg. [151 lbs.] when I shotBaby Reindeerso I was rake thin and I intensely lost weight to do that. And I wanted to feel vulnerable in my body and slight. And I wanted to feel young and youthful in my body,” he explained. “So I knew I needed to do a 180 for Ruben and I was 110 kg [242 lbs.] at my heaviest when I shotHalf Man. So a huge, huge difference.”
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Gadd said he thought the audience might struggle to see past Donny so he wanted the transformation to be drastic. “I needed to change everything. My size, my voice, my beard, my hairstyle, everything. I needed to transform,” he shared.
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"It's hard enough... If just your job as a sole actor on something [is] to kind of transform, but doing everything else alongside [is] obviously a huge commitment,” he added, referring to his creating, writing and starring in the British miniseries.
Gadd also spoke withMen's Healthabout how he gained weight forHalf Man. For a year before filming, he said he trained six times a week — sometimes twice a day — while prioritizing his nutrition, he told the magazine.
“I had a nutritionist. I had a personal trainer. There was a company in England that would send meals up – it was always high protein, no matter what,” he said. “And at the start, when I began training about a year out from filming, maybe even more, they were quite carb-heavy.”
“So I would be gaining a lot,” he added. “We knew that a lean bulk wasn't going to give me what I needed to look big. And I also wanted Ruben to look real. I never wanted it to be a veiny, steroid look.”
The Emmy winner credited his trainer, David Jenkins, and nutritionist, Dr. Andrew Usher, for giving him the tools to “really, really bulk up.”
"Together they put me through my paces,” he toldMen's Health. “They never let me slack off and always pushed me, and I'm always up for a challenge.”
Baby Reindeeris now streaming on Netflix, whileHalf Manis available on HBO Max.
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