March 31, 2012 02:15 PM EDT
by Rachel Lynn
Anne Hathaway may be the latest star to dramatically transform herself for a role. Her part as Fantine in Les
Miserables has her joining the celebrity weight loss club—and fast, with rumors that she has to drop 16 pounds in less than three weeks to play the dying prostitute. Now, that's a pretty drastic, daresay "miserable" measure, make that measurement!
Sixteen pounds seems like a lot for the already slender Hathaway to shave from her figure, but she's reportedly doing so by consuming less than 500 calories a day via apples and protein shakes. Plus, she's working with a personal trainer. It all does seem rather extreme. Talk about "The Biggest Loser"!
But Gossip Cop has cried foul on this starvation-like story with clarification from Anne Hathaway's rep who pegged the weight loss thing "one big exaggeration." "She is on a special diet but is not looking to lose that much weight, and is consuming more than 500 calories a day." It seems only time and paparazzi-snapped photos will tell just how big of a loser Hathaway becomes.
Of course, Les Mis isn't the first time Anne Hathaway has slimmed down for a role. For her unforgiving Catwoman costume in Dark Knight Rises, Hathaway shaped up and was in fine form. And she joins a cast of other actresses, including Mila Kunis and her extreme weight loss for Black Swan, who have dropped pounds to make the cut and make their character as believable as can be.
But the scale goes both ways: The trim Renee Zellweger famously gained some serious girth for her Bridget Jones character and Hilary Swank packed on the muscle through intense boxing workouts for Million Dollar Baby. Talk about dedication to the craft!
