Tom Hanks revealed Monday night to David Letterman that he’s been living with diabetes. But it raises the question: Just how far should actors go for their craft?
Tom Hanks‘ willingness to do anything for a role may finally be catching up to him. The actor appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman Monday night and revealed he’s been living with type 2 diabetes.
“I went to the doctor and he said, ‘You know those high blood sugar numbers you’ve been dealing with since you were 36? Well, you’ve graduated,'” Hanks remembered. “‘You’ve got type 2 diabetes, young man.'”
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Hanks is out promoting his new movie Captain Phillips, and said his past roles may have lent themselves to his diagnosis. He gained 30 pounds for the film A League of Their Own, and lost 55 pounds for the film Cast Away, according to CBS News.
CBS News physician Dr. Holly Phillips said it’s possible Hanks’ dedication to his craft may have led to his diabetes.
“He’ll have to watch what he eats very closely, he’ll need to exercise regularly, but there’s no reason he can’t live a perfectly normal life,” Dr. Phillips explained. “In dramatic weight gain and dramatic weight loss, the equilibrium of the body is just completely off. So that might predispose him to developing type 2 diabetes later.”
Although the 57-year-old grandfather obviously has the discipline to lose weight if he chooses, Hanks said that probably won’t solve his current problem.
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“My doctor said, ‘If you can weigh as much as you weighed in high school you will essentially be completely healthy and will not have type 2 diabetes,'” Hanks explained. “And I said, ‘Well, I’m gonna have type 2 diabetes cause there is no way I can weigh as much as I did in high school.'”
Hanks said he was 96 pounds in high school, so he’s probably right that there is no way.
Captain Phillips opens nationwide Oct. 11.
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