Timothy Spall has shrunk to a shadow of his former self! The British actor, famous for playing Wormtail in "Harry Potter" wowed Venice Film Festival goers with his wizard weight loss. Spall--actually Sir Timothy to all the muggles--didn't say how many pounds he shed exactly but oh boy did the OBE look stunning! Tim Spall did reveal his secret shrinking spell with which he transformed chubby Peter Pettigrew into a lean Ian Paisley for his role in "The Journey."
Peter Pettigrew shrunk
A chubby man, Spall has usually been cast in roles of a plump, pantaloon figure of fun.
He plays caricature, rather than character. It is typical that overweight actors are often cast as goofy sidekicks or buffoons. Obesity seems to be comedic, for some reason. And Tim Spall is a funny man. In 'Blandings,' Spall's Clarence Threepwood, Earl of Emsworth is industry standard comedy.
But in order to play Irish unionist agitator Ian Paisley in "The Journey" Spall required a much more serious persona. It also required a bit of a makeover in the looks department. Timothy Spall showed at the Venice Film Festivalthat he was able to make that change.
Wormtail's shrinking charm
So Spall is playing grownup roles now, but he will always be remembered for his "Harry Potter" parts. The odious, sniveling Wormtailwas particularly memorable.
Except for his unkempt mane, however, Spall looks nothing like he did in the films. When asked about his weight loss, the actor said he'd actually been working at it since 2014 when he realized he needed a health upgrade. Obesity is no laughing matter, especially as it's so often paired with diabetes. Spall admitted to being a glutton and having no off switch when it comes to eating.
Funnily enough, his character of Lord Emsworthin 'Blandings' is in love with his obscenely obese prize pig "the Empress" and is always finding ways to tempt her with treats, most hilarious of which was a purple blancmange. But being constantly hungry and unable to determine satiation is no joke. Spall had to work super hard not only to get the weight off but to control those pestilential cravings. Another UK actress who has lost weight, Scarlett Moffatt of "Gogglebox" can identify. The fact that its taken him several years to lose all the weight bodes well for maintenance weight loss.
