Elizabeth Mitchell, known for her roles in "Lost" and "Outer Banks," has captivated audiences with her talent and dedication to her craft. While her performances have garnered much attention, her physical transformations for roles, particularly her weight loss for the character of Carla Limbrey in "Outer Banks," have also sparked interest. This article delves into Mitchell's weight loss journey, exploring her motivations, methods, and experiences, while also touching on her broader relationship with health, body image, and the challenges of navigating dietary restrictions due to health conditions.
Carla Limbrey: Weight Loss for a Role
In the Netflix series "Outer Banks," Mitchell plays Carla Limbrey, a wealthy and ailing woman driven by a desperate search for a mythical shroud believed to have healing powers. To embody the character's illness and suffering, Mitchell intentionally lost weight. As Mitchell said, "[Carla] is very sick and she is dying and she's also in a tremendous amount of pain so that shapes a person". Mitchell aimed for a faded, unhealthy appearance, contrasting with the vibrant look often pursued.
Mitchell explained her approach to weight loss for the role: "Preparing [to play] her, physically, I just lost weight and I did it quickly. I ate basics … but nothing that would give me glowing skin, nothing that would flush your face out." She further elaborated, "Women, we need a fair amount of weight on for our faces to look full and healthy and pretty and all those things that we go for. But for Carla, she's so ill that I wanted everything to just be faded and not lush and not any of those things. So I wanted to just lose weight quickly in a way where you kind of are like not that, 'Oh my gosh, you lost weight. Well done!' … Instead of, you want that, 'Oh, you've lost weight."
She estimated that she lost around 15 pounds for the role. "I probably [lost] like 15 pounds, which, by the way, was not so hard to do," she stated. "I mean you cut out all of your favorite things and then that's kind of it. But losing weight and not looking attractive is easier to do than losing weight and making it healthy and all of those things. So I did it because I just wanted her to not look vibrant, I didn't want her to look healthy."
Instead of her usual routine of lifting weights and running, she opted for a more relaxed approach. "I lift weights and I run like crazy and I'm always active. I work out a good hour every day but for Limbrey I just walked on the beach and ate a lot of vegetables …" This highlights her commitment to portraying the character authentically, even if it meant temporarily altering her healthy lifestyle.
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Acting Philosophy and Character Immersion
Mitchell's weight loss strategy underscores her dedication to fully embodying her characters. She delves into their motivations and inner lives to understand their actions, even when playing villainous roles. "I just tried to go there," she explained. "I tried to think of what does she want? What is driving her? How many people does she have to make wrong to be right? And to me, that's how we get into these entitled characters that from the outside are the villain -- and of course act that way and through history have been -- but what does it feel like to be inside them?"
Mitchell's approach to acting involves a deep understanding of her characters' desires and motivations. "I think she's tried everything else," she said, referring to Carla Limbrey's relentless pursuit of a cure. "I mean when you look around her house, you see that it's not just one thing that she's been obsessed with. She has all kinds of different mystic possible cures everywhere you look and … I think that although [she's] not a particularly kind woman I think that she is a bright woman and I think that she has done her research and there's more than one account of people being healed from this … it's like example after example after example. … The problem is the finding it, not that the miracle will occur but the finding it." This dedication to understanding her characters, even their flaws and vulnerabilities, allows Mitchell to bring depth and complexity to her performances.
Beyond "Outer Banks": A Look at Elizabeth Mitchell's Career
Mitchell's career extends far beyond "Outer Banks." She gained widespread recognition for her role as Dr. Juliet Burke in the popular television series "Lost." She battled Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) on “Lost” and fooled the Dharma Initiative. Mitchell also starred in the upcoming Netflix vampire drama series, "First Kill."
Reflecting on her experience joining the cast of "Lost," Mitchell recalled the challenges and excitement of entering an already established series. As ABC’s prized drama comes to a close, Mitchell said she trusts “Lost” writers and producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse’s vision. “I’m always surprised by (the episodes), which is really nice,” said Mitchell, who recently filmed her last scene.
Mitchell's diverse roles demonstrate her versatility as an actress. She has portrayed a wide range of characters, from a doctor in a mysterious island to a woman battling illness in search of a cure. Her ability to immerse herself in these roles and bring them to life has made her a respected and sought-after actress in the industry.
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The Broader Context: Health, Body Image, and Dietary Challenges
While Mitchell's weight loss for "Outer Banks" was a conscious choice for a specific role, it's important to acknowledge the broader context of health, body image, and the challenges some individuals face with dietary restrictions due to health conditions.
The experience of one individual grappling with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) highlights the complexities of navigating dietary restrictions and the impact on body weight and overall well-being. MCAS is a condition that causes people to experience allergy symptoms in many forms. Foods high in histamine and certain environmental factors tend to be the culprit, though the cause of MCAS is not so simple.
The individual described a journey of dietary restrictions and weight loss due to MCAS: "During this time, I lost a lot of weight. In about eight months, I went from 121 pounds to 89 pounds. I’d been the same weight since I was thirteen, so any weight fluctuation was a cause for note, at the very least. You could see my collarbone. Genuine worry from family and friends brought me shame. I must be disgusting if they can’t go 10 minutes without asking me if I’m okay, if I’m sure I’m eating enough to live. I wasn’t okay, of course. Everything I ate made me sick, and only my husband fully understood to what degree."
The individual's experience underscores the importance of individualization in dietary approaches and the potential harm of generic dietary advice. "Without meaning to be, some of these lists of “approved foods” if you have X disorder and “this is how your disorder should show up” articles can be harmful. They say everything as if they are authorities on whatever subject they’re talking about. But are they always? My body is different from yours, just as yours is different from theirs. And when you add other disabilities, all bets are off. We’re all just trying to figure ourselves out. No one person has the answer-that includes me or you."
Even with dietary restrictions, the individual was losing weight. There was also a constant, deep, fire-ant-crawling-under-my-skin itch that I couldn’t escape. So I changed my diet completely: low histamine foods only. We didn’t go out to eat or accept food from friends. It was just a clean counter and approved foods. Still, I was miserable. I started keeping a food journal. I once had a beautiful relationship with food. I’d eat whatever I wanted: packaged cookies, sauces of unknown origin on processed meat and seafood, chips coated in speckled seasoning. I could try new cuisines at every opportunity. But, as I wrote an entry about my half mug of oatmeal and five grapes, I felt like eating was akin to the years I used to cut myself.
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The experience highlights the emotional toll of dietary restrictions and the importance of support from loved ones. "I remember the day that I cried, “I can’t even eat pasta. What will I eat if I can’t eat pasta?” Rice had been taken from me a few weeks prior."
Over time, the individual was able to regain some foods and weight, emphasizing the possibility of improvement and adaptation. "But over the last three years, I’ve regained some of my foods. I’ve gained another six pounds and stayed at 96-98 pounds ever since. I’m constantly trying to maintain a balance between all of my illnesses while trying to live a good life."