I remember him saying that I only seemed to be capable of kicking people in the ass. More weight, he thought, would be necessary.
In reference to the role he performed at the age of 24, D’Onofrio said, “I think it went up to 80 pounds…from 200 to 280.”
D’Onofrio had to withstand the rigorous demands of the movie’s boot-camp scenes after gaining some weight.
Obstacle courses would have been simple for him because of his athletic physique, but he weighed 280 pounds, so it was very difficult.
Although D’Onofrio received accolades from critics for his brilliant depiction of the obese, dimwitted, and mentally ill Leonard, he also had to deal with admirers who believed he was the actual Leonard.
