Shallow Hal body double “almost starved to death” after movie

The woman who played Gwyneth Paltrow’s body double in the 2001 hit Shallow Hal has said she “almost starved to death” after appearing in the movie. 

The early 2000s was a transitional period in film and pop culture, where many creators were pushing boundaries without necessarily having a comprehensive understanding of the broader implications of their content. 

Though they were and continue to be favorably viewed by audiences, movies such as What Women Want, White Chicks, and American Pie and TV shows like Friends, Sex and the City, and Will & Grace have had their problematic moments aired out in recent years, as societal standards and sensibilities have evolved.

This brings us to Shallow Hal, the Farrelly brothers’ 2001 rom-com starring Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow. Though the movie’s intention was to champion the importance of inner beauty, critics have since hailed it fatphobic for its jokes about women’s appearance and weight. Warning: Some may find this content distressing.

Shallow Hal body double “almost starved to death” after movie

Ivy Snitzer, who appeared as Gwyneth Paltrow’s body double for a number of close-up body shots in Shallow Hal, has said she “almost starved to death” after appearing in the movie. 

However, she says that the events leading up to this weren’t connected, and that starring in the film was empowering for her – it was everything that happened off-screen that was the problem. 

Speaking to The Guardian, Snitzer explained that she was a 20-year-old acting student in LA at the time when she auditioned to play the part. While Paltrow appeared in a fat suit for scenes of her character Rosemary’s face, Snitzer’s body featured in shots of her arms, torso, and thighs. 

The aspiring actor/comedian had nothing bad to say about her experience on-set, telling the outlet: “It was so exciting. It was just fun to be part of a movie – there are so few people who actually get to do that.” 

What’s more, she said the cast and crew “treated me like I really mattered, like they couldn’t make the movie without me,” and she was made to feel “comfortable” for the body shots. 

But it was what happened afterwards that was the problem. “It didn’t occur to me that the film would be seen by millions of people,” she added. After taking part in post-release interviews, viewers were angry, accusing Snitzer of promoting obesity. One even tracked down her address and sent her diet pills. 

She continued: “I got really scared. I was like maybe I’m done with the concept of fame, maybe I don’t want to be an actor. Maybe I’ll do something else.”

Two years after Shallow Hal hit the big screen, Snitzer underwent gastric band surgery, but not long after the band slipped and she “got a torsion – like dogs get and then die.”

But with no health insurance, she had to take up a job and wait for the probation period to pass, and for three months she was unable to consume anything thicker than water without being sick. 

“I was so thin you could see my teeth through my face and my skin was all gray,” she explained, adding that she was “technically starving to death.”

Snitzer became so malnourished that medics were unable to remove the band, and she had to be hooked up to an IV drip. In the end, doctors had to remove part of her stomach and even now she’s only able to eat “weird tiny portions.”

The former actor, who now runs an insurance firm, pointed out that getting the surgery was not linked to her appearance in Shallow Hal. When asked why she did it, she said: “Because I was supposed to! If you’re fat, you’re supposed to try to not be.”

Ivy Snitzer now champions the body positivity movement

Thankfully, Snitzer is at peace with where she’s at now and has “found a lot of stability in between the two extremes.” She champions the body positivity movement of her daughter’s generation. 

“I was always my personality,” she concluded. “I’ve always been a personality in this body.”

What is Shallow Hal about?

The official synopsis for Shallow Hal reads: “Jack Black is Shallow Hal, a superficial skirt chaser who, after a mind-altering experience with a self-help guru, doesn’t realize that his gorgeous girlfriend (Gwyneth Paltrow) is actually a 300-pound not-so-hottie. 

“Meanwhile, Hal’s playboy pal Mauricio (Jason Alexander) is determined to break the spell before someone gets… squashed! Packed with loads of laughs and nonstop fun, it’s the biggest love story ever told!”

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