John Goodman’s weight loss was prominently shown during an appearance he made earlier this week, and people can’t seem to stop talking about how different he looks these days.
While Goodman hasn’t offered an abundance of information on how he’s managed to lose so much weight over the years, his trainer, Mackie Shilstone, has revealed how he motivated the actor to make the change.
In an interview with the New York Post, Shilstone, who has known Goodman for years and lives near him in New Orleans, recalled that just prior to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the actor had lost 85 pounds with his help.
After the devastating storm hit, he “really fell off” and gained all the weight back.
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John Goodman in 2002 vs. John Goodman now. (James Devaney/WireImage | Stephane Cardinale/Corbis)
Shilstone explained, “John decided that he was going to make a commitment. I’ve known John for a long time, and 85 pounds coming off and then regained, it didn’t work. So I said, ‘What am I gonna do?'”
While he didn’t have any experience in acting, something Goodman was extremely well-known for at that point, he recalled thinking, “John was my friend and my neighbor, so I said to myself, ‘Let me become an actor for a moment.'”
With that tactic in mind, he decided to take the “Roseanne” star to a cemetery.
John Goodman, seen here in 1992, started working with a trainer to help drop the weight. (Ron Galella, Ltd.)
He brought a shovel along and led Goodman to an empty area with exposed dirt, then began his intervention.
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“I said, ‘John, here’s a shovel. You told me you’re going to recommit yourself and follow this plan,'” Shilstone remembered. “I said, ‘I want you to dig your grave. Until you dig your grave, you won’t understand what it means to live.'”
After that, his acting exercise became more clear: he’d decided to play the role of Death.
John Goodman photographed in 2001. His trainer revealed the star once weighed 392 pounds. (SGranitz/WireImage)
He told his friend, “John, do you really know who I am? Do you have any idea who you’re next to? You notice there’s no wind? And there are no birds, nothing, no sounds, you don’t even hear cars.”
“I’m death,” he went on, “and I’ve come to give you a second chance. You can dig your grave now and I’ll cover you over and we’ll be done with this, or you can use this shovel and cover it over and move on with your life and take it back.”
Continuing the role play, he said, “John, you have a lovely daughter, you have a lovely wife, and you’ve been successful, but you’re not gonna make it. I want you to close your eyes and think you can never say another word to your daughter and wife. It’s all over. I’ve taken that from billions of people over time. I will give you one more chance.”
John Goodman shown here in 2009. The actor’s trainer says he decided to play the role of Death to help his friend lose weight. (Florian Seefried/Getty Images)
“I said, ‘John, just remember this. I’m always around. I always know where you are. I can find you anytime, your day will come. But it’s not now.'”
Wrapping up the memory, Shilstone said, “I haunt him. And that’s the true story.”
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While Goodman has previously said that he weighed somewhere around 400 pounds before he began losing weight, Shilstone claimed that his exact weight was 392 pounds.
“People think this is overnight, but most people make a contribution to weight management, but they don’t make a commitment to it,” he explained.
John Goodman in 2015. (John Phillips)
“Commitment over contribution. Anyone can lose weight. It has to be a smart, committed person to keep it off, especially as you age.”
He said Goodman has “made a commitment to live his life. To me, he is a model.”
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In a 2016 interview with ABC News, the actor spoke about his method of losing weight, simply saying, “I just stopped eating all the time. I’d have a handful of food and it’d go to my mouth. I was just eating all the time. I was just eating alcoholically.”
John Goodman in 2004 vs. John Goodman now. (Lawrence Lucier/Getty Images | Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
“In the old days, I would take three months out, lose 60 or 70 pounds, and then reward myself with a six-pack of Bud or whatever and just go back to my old habits,” he told the outlet. “Then this time I wanted to do it slowly, move, exercise. I’m getting to the age where I can’t afford to sit still anymore. And it gives me the energy to work, ‘cause work is very draining.”
In 2010, he told People that he was working with Shilstone, and that they had cut sugar from his diet and added six workouts a week to help Goodman get in shape and slim down.
John Goodman has lost an estimated 200 pounds over the years. (Valery Hache/AFP)
“I’m breaking a sweat, but I’m not going nuts,” the actor said at the time.
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He also admitted, “It takes a lot of creative energy to sit on your ass and figure out what you’re going to eat next… I wanted to live better.”