He played his break-through role so convincingly that women ran from him, believed he was dumb

In Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, Vincent D’Onofrio played the legendary part of the pudgy, inexperienced Marine recruit.

The 64-year-old ruggedly attractive actor claimed that the part demanded a significant physical change, which made him unattractive to the girls who had earlier flocked to him for his curly, black hair and athletic build.
Both extensive and varied, Vincent D’Onofrio’s resume is impressive. He always gives every role his all, and he can always blend in with the character to the point that you lose track of who he is. The actor, who was born in Brooklyn, began his career as a bodyguard for Yul Brynner and Robert Plant while also working many side gigs to support his acting aspirations.

He initially supported himself by working as a nightclub bouncer, flower deliveryman, drapery hanger, and cab driver. D’Onofrio’s buddy, actor Matthew Modine, encouraged him to submit an audition video to Stanley Kubrick, who was then casting for his upcoming major success, after he had acted in a few low-budget films.

A 6-foot-3 man The character of the chubby, stupid Leonard went to D’Onofrio, who was tremendously fit, but it had some requirements. Working with Kubrick was a life-changing event for D’Onofrio since it gave him the chance to really inhabit his role and hone his acting chops in a demanding and difficult setting.

The father of three, now 64, had to shave his gorgeous full head of hair, and gain 70 to 80 pounds, which to this date is the most weight gained by any actor for a role.

“[Kubrick] asked me early on would I be all right with gaining this weight and I went over there and gained about 30 pounds, and I remember him seeing it and saying that I only look like I could kick everybody’s a**. He thought some more weight would be needed.” Speaking of the role he played when he was 24, D’Onofrio continued, “I think it went up to 80 pounds…from 200 to 280.”

Gaining the weight was not an easy task for D’Onofrio, who was then faced with the gruelling demands of the movie’s boot-camp scenes.

Obstacle courses would have been easy with his athletic build but it was particularly taxing for someone weighing in at 280 pounds.