Did Adam Driver have to gain weight for White Noise?

From Academy Award nominee Noah Baumbach comes Netflix’s latest dark comedy White Noise. The film is based on the 1985 novel of the same name written by Don DeLillo, and stars famous actors such as Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, and Don Cheadle. The film follows a blended Midwestern family living in the ’80s, when suddenly they must deal with a major chemical contamination in their town. White Noise features elements of sci-fi, comedy, and drama, and is a totally new venture for the director.

Driver is absolutely fantastic in the role of Jack, a professor at the nearby university, father of four children, and devoted husband to Babette (Gerwig). Though the whole cast really does a great job, Driver really gives a standout performance that only continues to prove he’s one of the most talented actors working today.

White Noise is now streaming on Netflix after having a theatrical run, and I’m curious to see what new viewers think of the movie. Many might be wondering about Driver’s appearance, which he’s had to alter in the past for films. Was he asked to gain weight for the new movie, or was that not really his body at all? Let’s clear it all up!

Back in August, the cast of White Noise discussed the movie while at the Venice Film Festival. According to Variety, Driver was asked about his “frumpy appearance” in the movie, to which he confirmed he did have to gain weight for the role. “I put on weight and we had a back-up stomach, and then we didn’t need the back-up stomach,” he shared.

As mentioned earlier, this isn’t the first time the 39-year-old actor has had to make some physical changes for a role. For his portrayal of Garupe in the 2017 Martin Scorcese movie The Silence, he lost a whopping 51 pounds.

“It was great in retrospect, and even at the time,” Driver said of his experience to W Magazine. “It was like a physical thing that I can control, whereas obviously, in acting, you can’t control anything, but you can control your physicality, and, you know, that’s a thing you can focus on, because all the other elements are beyond your control.

And for his role as Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Driver put on weight — that time all in muscle. In a Men’s Journal interview, the actor’s trainer Simon Waterson dished on his diet and exercise routines to get into shape to play the movies’ big bad. “I didn’t have to push Adam to go hard. He had all of that motivation. It was more about slowing him down,” Waterson said of the actor.

There’s no doubt Driver is extremely dedicated to his craft, and that shows through his performances. With two Oscar nominations under his belt, it’s only a matter of time now until he becomes an Academy Award winner. We’ll just have to see what he does next.

White Noise is now streaming on Netflix.