Vincent D’Onofrio Holds Guinness Record for Biggest Weight Gain for a Film Role

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Vincent D’Onofrio holds the Guinness World Record for gaining the most weight for an acting role. He achieved this while playing a character in Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 film, Full Metal Jacket.

D’Onofrio portrayed Private Leonard “Gomer Pyle,” a large and clumsy new recruit in Marine boot camp. It was difficult to find the right actor for the role, but D’Onofrio, who wasn’t very well known then, ultimately got the part.

He added 70 pounds (32 kilograms) to his weight, bringing him up to 280 pounds (130 kilograms) for the role. This physical change injured his legs, tearing some ligaments. It then took nine months of careful effort for him to get back to his regular weight after filming wrapped up.

Reviewers highly commended D’Onofrio’s performance. Richard Corliss of Time called the film a stunning technical achievement and believed D’Onofrio, along with R. Lee Ermey, deserved Oscar consideration. Roger Ebert praised their acting as the highlights of the movie, noting it didn’t quite reach the same level after they finished their scenes.

I’ve seen some reviews, like one in Time Out London, that said the characters weren’t fleshed out enough. But everyone agrees that Charles D’Onofrio really went above and beyond to transform himself for the role – it’s considered one of the most dedicated physical performances ever seen in Hollywood!

His record shows how far actors are willing to go to bring a character to life.

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2025-11-25 23:44