Billy Bob Thornton abandons Hollywood's extreme body transformation demands after health concerns

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Billy Bob Thornton recalls he ‘couldn’t get a part as a hillbilly during early years of his career

In a joint interview with his "Landman" costar Sam Elliott, Billy Bob Thornton shared how he faced "prejudice" as a Southern actor in Hollywood during the early years of his career.

Billy Bob Thornton is done wrecking his body for Hollywood.

The Oscar-winning actor revealed he stopped extreme weight gains, crash dieting and physical punishment after the 1990s, saying the dramatic transformations that once defined his early career "do not feel good." 

During an appearance last night on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," Thornton revisited his role in the 1993 Western "Tombstone."

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Billy Bob Thornton seen in 1996 (left) and 1999 (right). (Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images; Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty Images)

Meyers pointed out how unrecognizable Thornton looked in the film.

"I kind of forgot that you were in ‘Tombstone,’ because you look a great deal different. You kind of get knocked around a little bit and that’s not the Billy Bob I’m used to seeing," Meyers said.

"Kurt Russell slapped the piss out of me," Thornton said, before explaining that the film came at a time when younger actors often chased extremes to stand out.

"It’s funny — if I ever see a picture of those days, because this is back … when you’re a younger actor, you’re like, ‘Well, I’m going to gain 75 pounds for this, and the next time I’m going to do this,’ and whatever, ‘I’ll cut my own cheek,’ you know, that kind of thing," he said with a laugh.

At the time, Thornton said that going to extremes felt like part of the job of making a mark in Hollywood.

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Billy Bob Thornton once gained 60 pounds for a role. (Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

"After a while, as you get older, you stop doing that stuff," he continued.

Thornton revealed that "Tombstone" was just one of several films that pushed his body to uncomfortable limits. 

For "U Turn," the 1997 thriller directed by Oliver Stone and starring Sean Penn, he packed on a significant amount of weight.

"But for ‘Tombstone’ and ‘U Turn,’ a movie I did with Sean Penn years ago, I gained 60 pounds," he said.

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"And then I was in a movie called ‘Pushing Tin’ about air traffic controllers. And it actually was about Newark right down the road here. And I got down to 128 … now I weigh probably 143, 144. I weighed 128," Thornton said.

That experience ultimately convinced him to stop putting his body through drastic fluctuations for the sake of a role.

Thornton said that he stopped gaining and losing weight for roles because "it does not feel good." (Getty Images)

"So I stopped doing that. Because it does not feel good."

Thornton’s comments come after he shut down rumors he’s exiting the Paramount+ drama "Landman."

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Speculation ramped up after the Season 2 finale, which showed Thornton’s character, Tommy Norris, fired as president of M-Tex by Cami Miller, played by Demi Moore, and beginning to chart his next move in the oil business.

The actor declined to put a timeline on how long he plans to stay with the drama, according to a recent interview with USA Today.

Thornton has starred in "Landman" since its November 2024 debut.

Taylor Sheridan’s hit series explores the West Texas oil surge of the early 2010s, fueled by rapidly evolving drilling technology and is based on the podcast "Boomtown."

Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris in "Landman," Season 2, streaming on Paramount+. (Emerson Miller/Paramount+.)

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At the center is Thornton’s character Norris, a blunt, high-stakes crisis manager navigating the ruthless realities of the Permian Basin.

"Landman" was renewed for a third season in December.