‘This Is Us’: Chris Sullivan’s Weight Loss – How He Really Lost Weight
Chris Sullivan’s weight loss stunned This is Us fans but what did he do to go from heavy in season 1 to much slimmer as the show wraps its run on NBC in season 6. Here’s what’s behind the weight transformation of the actor who plays Toby Damon.
Who is Chris Sullivan from This Is Us?
Actor Chris Sullivan came to acting in his mid-20s but it was a while before he landed his first big TV gig. His first recurring role on a series was on Steven Soderbergh’s Cinemax series The Knick. On the Ireland-set series, he played ambulance driver Tom Cleary.
That was years before he got his career-making six-season run on This is Us. In between, he shot a few episodes of Stranger Things as Benny Hammond. And if you’re a Marvel fan, you’ll recall the name Taserface from Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
That was Chris Sullivan under all the special effects makeup. But most fans know him from their beloved NBC series. If you haven’t seen it, This is Us, is an award-winning fan-favorite primetime drama.
It stars ex-soap hunk Justin Hartley as Kevin Pearson. His parents, Rebecca and Jack Pearson are played by Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia. Kevin’s adopted brother is Randall Pearson, played by Sterling K. Brown. Chrissy Metz plays their sister, Kate Pearson.
And she’s critical because Kate is Toby Damon’s love, wife, and then ex-wife. And Chris Sullivan plays Toby. He won back-to-back SAG ensemble awards for This is Us. He was twice nominated for best supporting actor for it as well.
How Much Weight has Chris Sullivan Lost?
In Season 4 of the hit show, Toby and Kate began having problems because he lost weight. So, was Chris Sullivan dropping pounds? And if so, how did Chris Sullivan lose weight?
It turns out Chris Sullivan hasn’t lost weight — and doesn’t need to at all. It came out after the end of This is Us Season 1 that the actor playing Toby wasn’t himself heavy at all. Instead, they had cast a trim actor to play the part of someone much heavier.
When Chris was on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live a caller asked what he thought of the outcry over him “wearing a fat suit”. He said the show is “just too good” so they had to find something to complain about.
Sullivan also said he understands why people feel “fooled by things they see on TV”. But he added that in “our culture right now” that “outrage is a hobby”. And if they’re “not outraged, they’re totally bored”.
Then, Chris Sullivan called the fat suit “a tool” and said, “it’s a costume I put on”. Dr. Oz was also on the chat show and joked that he thought his Guardians of the Galaxy face was real…
So if you’re watching seasons 4-6 of This Is Us and wondered how much weight Chris Sullivan’s lost… The answer is none. He simply shed the prosthetics when Toby shed weight.
Where is Chris Sullivan From – This is Us Actor
Actor Chris Sullivan turns 42 in 2022. He was born July 19, 1980, in Palm Springs, California. Chris grew up in CA and went to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
He got a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2002. It would be 13 years later before he landed the plum role of Toby Damon on This Is Us. On June 20, 2010, he married Rachel Reichard, a producer.
They have a son, Bear Maxwell and their second child, a daughter, is due in November 2022. Chris Sullivan shared the baby news just after finishing filming his final scenes for This Is Us which is in its final season.