To gear up a new film role, actress Kim Cattrall cribbed from “Eat Pray Love” writer, Elizabeth Gilbert by eating heartily and gaining a ton of weight in a short period of time.
Cattrall, who put on 20 pounds for the upcoming indie flick “Meet Monica Velour”, plays a has-been, aging porn star who lives in a trailer park.
Preparation for this part was a “relief” for Cattrall, who said it was her first break from dieting in 25 years, reports the Associated Press.
“We were shooting in Detroit, and there’s a lot of great bars in Detroit,” Cattrall said. “So I ate and I drank for about six weeks.”
The binge eating routine is not typical for Cattrall, who played the sultry, single minx Samantha Jones in “Sex and the City” for more than a decade.
“It was actually kind of a relief,” the 54-year-old actress said Tuesday. “It was like getting rid of the Barbie doll and throwing it out and starting again.”
Of course, it’s usually much easier to pack on pounds than shed them. Cattrall quickly had to change her habits to get ready for the filming of “The Ghost Writer,” in which she portrays an assistant to a former British prime minister. For that movie, Cattrall hit the treadmill and cut out dairy, most meats, breads and sweets.
Cattrall says she hopes her “Meet Monica Velour” role will remind viewers that there’s more to the actress than sex addict Samantha Jones.
“I loved working on ‘Sex and the City.’ It’s a dream job and a great character to play,” Cattrall said. “But before ‘Sex and the City’ I was a working actress, and hopefully I’ll be until I can’t talk or move.”