Did you ever consider using special effects instead of losing such an extreme amount of weight?
You know, a number of people said to me, "Well why didn't you just leave it to CGI or whatever?" I don't know, I don't have enough faith in CGI really for doing that. And I enjoyed the challenge and the slightly self-destructive urges involved in losing that amount of weight. It ended up being a very nice place mentally to be when you get that skinny. Man, you're calm, you know? Because you just can't waste any energy whatsoever. So you just do what's necessary. I was incredibly happy. Other people probably couldn't have told that because I didn't really have the energy to smile too much for them. But inside, I was genuinely probably more content for a longer period of time than I've ever been in my entire life.
What did you eat during this ordeal?
My daily thing was generally like a bit of a coffee and an apple if I felt like it. Well, I had to eat the pie in the scene, and then there was a scene eating chicken as well. But I tried not to swallow. Because it's amazing how you can literally just have a couple of bites of something and your face will expand again if you're really at that low point. To keep that really sunken look, you've got to be eating practically nothing.
Christian also starved himself for the Vietnam P.O.W (Rescue Dawn) movie and for "The Fighter" ~ I guess he would make a good Pro Bodybuilder as far as the dieting is concerned.
