You might remember Ethan Suplee for his role as Frankie in “Boy Meets World,” or Louie Lastik in “Remember the Titans.” He also appeared as Toby in “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
When audiences were first introduced to him, there was more of him to love. But now, Suplee has gone through an incredible transformation and you simply won’t believe what he looks like today.
Ethan Was a Total Bully
Ethan Suplee was 18 years old when he took on the role of Frankie “the Enforcer” Stechino in the series “Boy Meets World.” His size made him quite an intimidating character. But the audience got to see a poetic side to Stechino which proved you should never judge a book by its cover. Fortunately for Suplee's career, this was only the beginning.
He Turned Into a Mallrat
After his debut in “Boy Meets World,” Suplee was hired by filmmaker Kevin Smith to play a role in the film “Mallrats.” This was his first major role and he got to star side by side with actor Jason Lee, whom he would later work with in the sitcom “My Name Is Earl.” Suplee's career kept him quite busy, as he started landing more and more roles. You've probably seen him playing roles you don't even remember.
Suplee Kept Landing New Roles
"Mallrats" went on to become a highly successful indie film. And Smith was so pleased with Suplee’s work that he continued hiring him to appear in more of his films such as “Dogma” and “Chasing Amy.” But if you haven't watched those films, then you probably remember the role he played in this next movie...
He Took on Dramatic Roles
Suplee took on small roles in a couple of dramatic films but his biggest role was in “American History X” where he was able to expand his acting range. He also appeared in the films “Remember the Titans” and "Butterfly Effect." Between 2000 and 2005, he had 13 movies under his belt. But he didn’t just take on the big screen.
He Was Reunited With Jason Lee
He had already made his mark on the big screen. But in 2005, he returned to the TV screen to play Randy in the sitcom “My Name is Earl.” This gave him the opportunity to reunite with his former “Mallrats” co-star Jason Lee. Fans adored his character but they also noticed that he had gotten remarkably thinner and this was only the beginning of his weight loss journey.
He Had Weight Issues As a Child
On his podcast, American Glutton, Suplee talked about the proverbial elephant in the room that no one wanted to address—his grueling battle with weight issues. He shared how he had always been overweight. In fact, when he was five years old, his grandparents got very worried and tried cutting his food intake down, which led to some serious consequences.
He Started Eating in Secret
His grandparents’ attempts to get him to eat less food eventually failed and Suplee found himself secretly eating which caused him to put on more weight. By the time he was ten, he weighed over 200 pounds and he continued to eat behind people’s backs.
His Family’s Concern Grew Stronger
As the years passed, Suplee’s family got very worried. So, his parents enrolled him in a weight management program, but this didn't work either, so his mother took him out of the program. Suplee later admitted that he got tired of worrying about food and losing weight. But years later, someone set him on the right path.
Jim Caviezel Changed His Life
In the early 2000s, actor Jim Caviezel sat next to Suplee on a first class flight. The two were acquainted from working in a Robin Hood film that was never released. He recalled what Caviezel, who had played Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ,” told him. “He sat down and he started talking to me about how he and his life emulates Jesus Christ and that if you don’t do that you’re gonna go to [expletive].” To some people, Caviezel's words would've stung a bit. But this didn’t upset Suplee.
No One Had Ever Spoken to Him Like That
On his podcast, Suplee admitted: “Nobody ever talked to me like that… He wasn’t mean, but it was a thing I had not experienced. I remember landing and going, ‘That was an awful experience,’ what am I gonna do, fight Jim Caviezel?”
Caviezel’s Words Resonated With Him
The more he thought about the words Caviezel had said to him, the more he knew that he never wanted someone to speak to him that way ever again. But he made one thing clear. “I hold no ill will against him. The conversation worked!” He decided it was time to make a change.
He Eats and He Diets
Suplee admitted that his two major activities became eating and dieting, which caused his weight to fluctuate wildly. “I’ve gained and lost probably close to 1000 pounds at this point and have done all the diets.”
He Tried All Kinds of Diets
Suplee had tried intermittent fasting, Blood Type, South Beach, Zone and the Atkins diet but none of them achieved the results he was looking for. “I went from 530 to, at my lowest, 220,” he shared on his podcast. But even when he lost weight, he experienced an unforeseen consequence.
He Wasn’t Getting Enough Roles
Hollywood is known for pigeonholing actors for a variety of reasons. Ironically, he wasn’t getting lesser roles because he was plus-size. He was getting fewer roles because he was losing weight. But he kept on dieting and working hard and eventually, all his effort paid off.
They Didn’t Know Who He Was
Suplee started biking which helped him shrink down to 220 pounds. “I actually did get properly thin at one point – I was nine percent body fat,” he said. “But I was also riding a bicycle six to eight hours a day, six days.” But when he auditioned for a role, the producers told him, “We don’t know who you are, you’re not what we were enjoying before.” Then his wife gave him the ultimate wake-up call.
He Packed on the Pounds Again
Suplee recalled his wife telling him, “Hey, idiot, you can’t retire and ride bicycles. You have to go get a job.” He took everyone’s feedback into consideration and decided to gain a bit of weight in order to start landing roles again. “I’m not going to kill myself to be thin when nobody knows me as a thin person, and I do think it is affecting the kind of jobs I’m getting,” he said. But there was one role he couldn’t get big enough for.
He Fought For a “Chance”
In 2017, Suplee auditioned for the Hulu original series, “Chance,” but producers thought he was too small for the role. So, his agent convinced the casting directors that he was right for the role. “So we convinced them that I was heavier again, and I went in, and that was that. I was heavy enough.” Luckily for Suplee and his health, the weight gain was only temporary.
He Lost Some Weight and Gained a Beard
In 2019, Suplee appeared in the period-piece film “Motherless Brooklyn,” but he looked completely different from the man that broke into Hollywood. Not only did he grow out his beard, but he looked more muscular and healthy. And this was just the start of his amazing transformation.
“Chance” Inspired Him to Lift Weights
Suplee got hooked on weight lifting while shooting the TV series “Chance” for Hulu. He told Men’s Health that: “I found that I really enjoyed lifting weights and I could get my workout in an hour, and so that wasn’t like a huge part of my day. Even if I had a really long work day, I could go before or go after.”
He Has Some New Health Goals
Suplee is healthier than he has ever been. His weight is pretty stable too, but he has new health goals like getting his body fat down to ten percent. He also wants a six-pack and would like to eventually deadlift twice his body weight. Today, the 44-year-old weighs 260 pounds and is happier about the way he looks than he has ever been in his life.
He Learned About the Science Behind Food
Suplee learned all there was to know about the science behind what he ate. And looking back at his weight battle over the last twenty years, he said, “The most important thing I would want anyone to take away is that for me, the biggest change was understanding how food works. And the more I feel that I understand, scientifically, the more power I have over it.”
He’s Okay If He Doesn’t Get a Job
Suplee is no longer worried about whether or not his acting career suffers because he’s not overweight anymore. “I made my career as the fat guy. I don’t want to be fat anymore. If the podcast is what I have to do make a career, that’s fine.”
This Healthy Lifestyle Isn’t Temporary
Suplee claims this change is permanent and he has no intention of going back. The most important thing for him now is working on his muscles and keeping his weight in check. He even shared his chest day workout with Men’s Health. He said he starts with a power plate pushup workout before moving on to three sets of dumbbell incline flies, followed by three sets of dumbbell incline presses. He also does three sets of low bench presses, three sets of cable scoops, three sets of dumbbell pullovers, three sets of dumbbell French presses, and four sets of double skull crushers with holds. And he’s also tackling diet culture in an interesting way.
He’s Putting His Podcast to Good Use
Suplee uses his podcast, American Glutton, to look into obesity and diet culture so that he can help listeners differentiate between the facts and the myths about the right and wrong things to do to stay healthy. But acting is not in his rearview mirror.
He’s Still Working As An Actor
Suplee is not done with Hollywood yet. He appeared as Officer Billy in the TV series “The Ranch” as well as Tommy in the series “Santa Clarita Diet.” He’s also guest starred in “Good Girls” in 2020, and is credited in the 2020 films “The Hunt” and “Gossamer Folds.” So, fans have plenty of Suplee to look forward to.