A Scene From “Hunger,” Starring Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender had to literally strip down to his underwear for the role of Hunger. During his 1981 hunger strike with the Provisional Irish Republican Army, the once-slender actor shed 42 pounds to assume the role of a prisoner leader for the armed insurgency. Fassbender reduced his calorie intake to 900 per day and increased his cardio exercise to shed the excess weight. He stated it was like being locked up in a mental prison, with his thoughts limited to food and weight loss to the point of obsession.