Richard Gadd bulked up for Half Man role to ‘get away’ from Baby Reindeer character

Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd gained nearly 100lbs for his latest show Half Man to distance himself from the award-winning Netflix series.

Richard Gadd gained almost 100lbs before filming his new series Half Man.

The Baby Reindeer star plays Ruben in the hard-hitting new drama and explained that he bulked up for the part in a bid to “get away” from Donny Dunn, his alter ego in the award-winning 2024 Netflix show.

Richard told the How To Fail With Elizabeth Day podcast: “I knew in order for people to buy me as Ruben I needed to get away from Donny Dunn in almost every single way I could.

“I was 68.5 kg (151lbs) when I shot Baby Reindeer so I was rake thin and I intensely lost weight to do that. And I wanted to feel vulnerable in my body and slight. And I wanted to feel young and youthful in my body.

“So I knew I needed to do a 180 for Ruben and I was 110kg (242lbs) at my heaviest when I shot Half Man. So a huge, huge difference.”

Gadd explained that his physical transformation was borne out of concern that audiences would struggle to see him beyond his part in Baby Reindeer.

The 36-year-old star – who has also written and created Half Man – said: “I needed to change everything. My size, my voice, my beard, my hairstyle, everything. I needed to transform.

“It’s hard enough… If just your job as a sole actor on something (is) to kind of transform, but doing everything else alongside (is) obviously a huge commitment.”

Richard also discussed how he gained weight for Half Man by following a dedicated training and nutrition programme.

The Scottish actor told Men’s Health: “I had a nutritionist. I had a personal trainer. There was a company in England that would send meals up – it was always high protein, no matter what.

“And at the start, when I began training about a year out from filming, maybe even more, they were quite carb-heavy.

“So I would be gaining a lot. We knew that a lean bulk wasn’t going to give me what I needed to look big. And I also wanted Ruben to look real. I never wanted it to be a veiny, steroid look.”

Gadd credits his trainer David Jenkins and nutritionist Dr Andrew Usher for helping him “really, really bulk up”.

The Emmy-winning star said: “Together they put me through my paces. They never let me slack off and always pushed me, and I’m always up for a challenge.”