Claire Danes Opens Up About Physical Transformations in Acting Roles

Claire Danes is opening up about her perspective on acting roles that demand significant physical transformations.

During a discussion with Richard Gadd for CNN and Variety's Actors on Actors series, the 47-year-old actress reflected candidly on her approach to such demanding parts. "I don't know if it's ever been necessary for me to transform in such an extreme way," Danes explained. "Some roles are more remote than others, and I do have to apply myself with a bit more rigor in putting them together. Those are the most rewarding, really — high risk, high-reward."

Danes elaborated on her complex relationship with these kinds of roles, noting an initial resistance followed by gratitude. "I resent them initially and then I'm so grateful and I find the most freedom within them. Sometimes it's quite stressful to play somebody who is super familiar, who you overlap with," she said.

The actress was promoting her recent Netflix series The Beast in Me, where she portrayed a grieving mother.

Gadd, 37, brought his own experience to the conversation, having undergone a substantial physical change for his role in the HBO series Half Man. The actor gained approximately 90 pounds for the part, which follows the critically acclaimed Baby Reindeer.

Comparing his transformations across the two projects, Gadd detailed the extent of his physical work. "Donny Dunn was like 68.8 kilograms [151 pounds]. Ruben at my heaviest was 110 [242 pounds]. I wanted it to be real, so a lot of it was putting a lot of fat on top of the muscles," he explained. "It's quite helpful, because as the character, you feel physically imposing, and Jamie Bell's very petite."

The Half Man co-star Jamie Bell's smaller frame enhanced the dynamic on set. "When I was acting with him, I could almost ingest him, I was so much bigger than him. It helped in that respect. I like that because — I don't know about you. I hate feeling like myself on set," Gadd added.