Sebastian Stan Opens Up On Body Dysmorphia After 'Pam & Tommy' Role

Sebastian Stan recently opened up about the effects of his grueling weight loss program for a movie role on his mental health. Body image in Hollywood is mainly spoken about by women; however, male actors have started opening up about the perils of the intense workout regimen on the psyche.

Actors like Channing Tatum, Robert Pattinson, and Zac Efron talked about their rigorous workout and diet plans before taking up certain roles. Efron once claimed that after his performance in "Baywatch," he had no desire to ever be as fit again.

In a recent interview, Stan talked about his role in "Pam & Tommy" and everything involved in preparing to be Tommy Lee. The actor apparently went through over 15 hours of fasting daily and put in 20,000 steps running every day. These extreme measures apparently triggered the Marvel actor's body dysmorphia.

"Monday" star Stan recently opened up about his grueling weight loss plan for his role as the drummer of Mötley Crüe, Tommy Lee in the "Pam & Tommy" Hulu series. The actor told Entertainment Weekly that he employed extreme measures to lose weight which involved months of cardio and fasting for 16-18 hours a day.

"I was just running and trying to get 20,000 steps a day, and then I was fasting for 16 to 18 hours a day," the Marvel actor said. "And that definitely does something, especially if you're [driving] in traffic. But I'm proud of the whole thing."

Stan revealed that the intense diet plans and exercise programs set off a feeling of body dysmorphia in the actor and became something he "always" struggled with. "I was trying to lose weight, and I still felt I didn't lose enough weight," he said.

Stan continued, "And people were telling me I was crazy and going, 'You have body dysmorphia now' — which I always did anyway." The actor added that anyone who was physically fit "to some extent has body dysmorphia."

The actor also said he thought most people, regardless of how fit they were, had some form of body dysmorphia. Stan said, "Anybody that even has a healthy physique to some extent has body dysmorphia."

Stan added that regardless of how hard the workout regime was, the body could be at its peak for around a week without the use of "magic formulas." "Once you're going into a peak, the best look possible, which by the way, I don't care what they say, unless there's like magic formulas out there – which there are but some of us are not in that pocket- your body can only be at peak 100 percent for like maybe a week or something," he said.

The actor continued, "At least, how I've experienced it; and I mean diet and exercise and tanning and water and lighting and everything. And then you spend the rest of the time going, 'I'm not what I used to be.' But it's just all in your head."

"Pam & Tommy" is a limited series with eight episodes that stars Stan as Tommy and Lily James as Pamela Anderson. The series follows the famous couple's romance and the scandal after their sex tape was stolen and leaked.

When talking about his role, Stan revealed that he wasn't truly comfortable with his appearance until the tattoos, hair dye, and piercings were added. The actor also mentioned that the look prompted people to treat him differently.

"People serve you coffee differently when you have tattoos," the Marvel actor said. "I've always debated a tattoo, and I've never done it. I never got one, so the little boy in me, with the tattoos, was definitely having a field day, enjoying it."

Stan isn't the only actor who felt the grueling touch of an intense movie role. Several other male celebrities have opened up about the emotional and mental effects of tasking workout and diet plans.

An actor who spoke up about the demands of Hollywood for shaping up for a role was Channing Tatum. The "Step Up" actor said he was close to turning his role in "Magic Mike 3" down because of how much shaping up he had to do for the role.

At that time, he said, "Even if you do work out, to be in that kind of shape is not natural. You have to starve yourself. I don't think when you're that lean, it's actually healthy for you." Another actor who complained about rigorous training for a role is Robert Pattinson. The actor revealed he was happy his training days for his role in "The Batman" was finally over.