Renée Zellweger discusses transformation for Pam Hupp role following ‘fat suit’ backlash

Actor said the costume was ‘really hot’ to wear

Renée Zellweger has discussed the controversial transformation she underwent for the new crime drama, The Thing About Pam.

The actor was criticised last year after pictures emerged from the set of the forthcoming NBC show, showing Zellweger wearing a “fat suit” and prosthetics for the role of killer Pam Hupp.

Critics on social media condemned the decision to use a padded suit, and one commentator told Metro at the time: “For Zellweger to masquerade as a plus-size person is damaging, fatphobic and potentially triggering to other plus-size people.

“It seems like she has not considered the effects this will have on fat people, and is unaware and/or naive that she is adding to the stigma fat people already face on a daily basis.”

Speaking about the costume in a new interview with Vanity Fair, Zellweger has now said: “Oh, gosh, if you don’t recognise an actor or an actress in a performance, that’s a great compliment. You’re not trying to tell your own story.”

Calling the costume “really hot” to wear, she added: “It was pretty much head to toe. It was prosthetics, it was a [padded] suit, it was the choice of clothing, it was the briskness in her step-step-step, her gait.

“All of those things were really important because all those bits and pieces are what construct the person that we project our own conclusions and presumptions onto.”

The real-life Pam Hupp and Zellweger on set (Mega/AP)

The Thing About Pam is based on the story of Pamela Hupp, a woman serving life in prison and recently charged with murder in a separate case. Read more about Hupp and her crimes here.

Last year, Sarah Paulson admitted she regrets wearing a padded suit for her role as Linda Tripp in Impeachment: American Crime Story. Gwyneth Paltrow has also previously spoken about her regret over starring in Shallow Hal, a film in which she controversially wore a padded suit.