Movies - TV
Losing 40lbs For Wyatt Earp Affected Dennis Quaid Long After Shooting Was Done
By JEREMY SMITH
Although Hollywood thought it knew what Dennis Quaid could do, the actor took on the challenge of portraying unheroic characters, daring the audience not to be dazzled by his charm. In another attempt to keep his fans and the entertainment industry on their toes, Quaid lost 40 pounds and disappeared into his role as Doc Holliday for Lawrence Kasdan’s “Wyatt Earp.”
Kasdan’s film, which was competing with Touchstone’s “Tombstone,” had the physically committed Quaid as its secret weapon, though this transformation came at a price. The actor shared, “It affects your self image. I lost [42 pounds] for ‘Wyatt Earp’ and I was always thinking that I hadn’t done enough. But I look back at pictures and you could see my skull.”
He continued, “I did it because Doc Holliday was a scrawny little guy, he had tuberculosis, and I wanted to get as close to him as I could. [...] It took me about two years to really get clear of it and gain the weight back.” While Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Holliday in “Tombstone” was a hit with fans, Quaid’s take on the gunslinger proved he was more than a compendium of coughs and quips.