Jonah Hill has a passion for fashion, but knows the industry has a big blind spot when it comes to being inclusive of all body types.
The Wolf of Wall Street star, who just designed a new line of sneakers and clothing in partnership with Adidas, spoke to GQ about his interest in style, but said he often struggled to find clothes that were fashionable and looked good. He shared that while he "had a passion for style" before he directed his debut feature Mid90s, which boasts great '90s streetwear, he felt there were roadblocks to stepping up his clothes game.
"I think the biggest shift in my personal style was that I always had an interest in personal style and fashion, but I was always a bigger guy. It's really hard when you're overweight to dress a certain way, because clothes aren't made for people who are overweight to have style," he explained. "So, I think it surprises people. Even now, I'll overhear someone discussing my place in the fashion world or whatever, and people are like, 'That guy? The schlubby guy from Superbad?'"
Jonah, who said he turned to his 21 Jump Street co-star Channing Tatum in order to get back to the gym in 2017 after the star gained weight for his role in the film War Dogs, shared that eventually he learned having great personal style did not have to correlate with the number on a scale.
"The idea was realizing, whether I was big or small, that I really can define my own personal style. I think that's a dope wave that's happening right now in culture, too," he told the outlet. "But for me, that was a big turning point of realizing: okay, be yourself. You don't have to be anything you don't want to be. And if you're really interested in fashion then you should be, don't push that away. Lean into it."
As for what Jonah's future in fashion holds, he explained to GQ that while he would love to continue working with Adidas, it "depends on how this collection does."
"I'd love to keep working with Adidas; they're all a blast, and I hope that goes forward. But if it doesn't, then I'll go off and do my own thing. I can't be in the results," he added. "Right now, the process is talking about this stuff we all created as a team, and getting the word out there and telling the story of it properly. And then the future is unknown."