Taylor Kitsch on Losing 30 Pounds to Play Cult Leader David Koresh: ''It Sucks''

Former Friday Night Lights star talks about how we shed weight over four months

By Meg Swertlow Oct 16, 2017 9:44 PMTags

Being a Hollywood actor isn't always about glitz, glamour and a gaggle of gals—sometimes it's about sticking to a regimented diet so you can tackle playing the role of a lifetime.

Friday Night Lights heartthrob Taylor Kitsch stopped by the Ellen DeGeneres Show to dish on his upcoming roles and also talked about the actor's dramatic 30-pound weight loss to take on playing Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh for the upcoming six-part miniseries, Waco.

During his fourth visit to the show, the 36-year-old actor, who recently wrapped filming, told Ellen DeGeneres just how much he shed. "I lost 30 pounds."

When discussing the physical toll it had on his body, the actor simply said, "It sucks."

But the actor did say he was able to take off weight gradually. "I had four months to do it which is a healthier way to do it, so it's about 6 pounds or 7 pounds a month."

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Celebrity Weight Loss
Mark Davis/Getty Images for Palm Springs International ShortFest, Paramount Network

The True Detective star said that his diet consisted of 500 calories at breakfast, veggies in mid-afternoon, chicken broth after 4 p.m. and then a run.

Taylor looks dramatically different from the days he was playing bad boy Tim Riggins, so hopefully all the hard work paid off for the highly anticipated miniseries, which is due out in January 2018 and also stars John Leguizamo and Michael Shannon.

 

For those who need a refresher: Koresh made headlines in 1993 when the ATF, FBI, and Texas National Guard raided the Branch Davidian's compound properties for suspected weapons violations. in Waco, Texas. The religious group, which was formed from the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, reacted to the raid with gunfire. The members and authorities were locked in a 51-day stand-off, which eventually resulted in the deaths of Koresh, as well as 82 other Branch Davidian men, women, and children, and four ATF agents.