# Actors and steroid abuse **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836 "2002-12-10T20:24:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/1 "2002-12-10T20:24:39Z")
There are two times I can remember seeing an actor suddenly get really buff in short fashion indicating, to me at least, likely steroid abuse. Did I say likely? Let me change that to obvious and blatently shameful. I’m wondering if the same two pop to your mind. One - **Charlie Sheen** in Hot Shots Part Deux. Gimme a freakin’ break Chuck. Always slight, small and in “timid” roles, suddenly he’s ripped and buff. Heh, as always Charlie, your part was laughable. After the movie he shrunk to fit. Two - **Bronson “Balkie” Pinchot** was for years of medium build throught his early sitcoms and Beverly Hills Cop parts but I saw him in a show later and he’d gotton absolutely huge! Huge to the point of overly bulked up and completely unnatural looking. Anybody else notice this and can you think of other examples of steroids on celluloid? ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/2 "2002-12-10T20:40:21Z")
How about Ed Norton in American History X? He was ripped in that movie. Don’t even mention his “dunking” during the hoops games either. Hello 7 foot rims! I haven’t seen the 2 you mention, though. I don’t know if it’s roids or just extreme working out. I could probably bulk up in a hurry too, if I had nothing else to do and access to a trainer and nutritionist full time. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/3 "2002-12-10T20:52:48Z")
Schwarzenegger would have done a double take on these two. I can’t remember which show Balkie was in where he’d beefcaked. Anybody recall? ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/4 "2002-12-10T20:53:28Z")
Slyvester Stallone. I remember reading something about Demolition man. He got injured or something and couldn’t work out for a month or two. He lost an amazing amount of weight IIRC, 20 lbs or so. Now that’s Juic’n. Also, Arnold, but…duh… ---
**Author:** ![Koffing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@Koffing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koffing)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/5 "2002-12-11T15:03:39Z")
Joe Piscopo? He left _Saturday Night Live_ and got _huge!_ ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/6 "2002-12-11T16:08:34Z")
While I imagine steroids have come into play in certain situations, I imagine it’s a lot easier for random out of shape actor to become stunningly buff actor for a role. The reason? It’s their job. If they take a role or want to angle for roles that require sweaty, heaving manliness they have teh time, cash, and opportunity to hire great trainers, use great equipment, and devote focused time to working out to achieve their goal. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/7 "2002-12-11T16:33:39Z")
Eddie Murphy, too. He was such a skinney litle runt on _SNL_. Then, in several movies, he looks fairly buff. A growth spurt? In a man in his late 20’s? Or did he let Joe Pip become his personal trainer? Carl Weathers, too. Naturally a big guy, but look at the diff in _Force 10 From Navarone_ and _Predator_. Sean Young in… no wait. That’s a boob job. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/8 "2002-12-11T19:48:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lieu \* > \*\*I can’t remember which show Balkie was in where he’d beefcaked. Anybody recall? \*\* _Perfect Strangers_. I’m scared that I know that. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/9 "2002-12-11T21:31:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NoClueBoy \* > \*\*Eddie Murphy, too. He was such a skinney litle runt on _SNL_. Then, in several movies, he looks fairly buff. A growth spurt? In a man in his late 20’s? Or did he let Joe Pip become his personal trainer? > \*\* I think Eddie was just age and money. On SNL, he was like 20 and probably pretty broke. ---
**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/10 "2002-12-12T00:44:23Z")
I think it has a lot more to do with costumes than you might think. It’s possible that Bronson Pinchot was buff during his _Perfect Strangers_ days, but the role didn’t call for it so they didn’t dress him to show it off. Also, it may seem to you that an actor has bulked up in just the few months since their last film came out, but remember that movies can be filmed and released at two completely different times. He may have had an entire year to bulk up since making the movie that you saw two months ago. I have heard that there is a new drug craze among young Hollywood actors, but I can’t recall the name of the drug. It’s some sort of growth hormone. It doesn’t increase muscle mass so much as it increases _leanness_. I read in a magazine that if an actor’s body seems just a little to perfect to be true, he is probably on this stuff. Anyone know what it’s called? ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/11 "2002-12-12T01:12:05Z")
Okay, now… **Charlie Sheen** steroid use denied – he made the cover of a few muscle mags when he did _Hot Shots II_ because he did it “naturally” (or so they claimed). He had one hell of a personal trainer, and here were a few articles dedicated to his body building regimen. The catch was that he _could not possibly maintain_ the musculature he built. If he did nothing but spend all his time working out he could stay big. The slightest lapse in his regimen and he would start turning back into a \ puny girly-man \. **Joe Piscopo** steroid use is doubtful – "Many people do not realize that Joe’s determination to beat thyroid cancer was the motivating force behind his decision to start a physical fitness routine that included body building. This decision, in turn, led to his appearances in television commercials promoting body building and to the establishment of Jersey Joe Gyms, a not-for-profit program that promotes physical fitness, self- respect, and positive role models for neighborhood kids. " (from [the-thyroid-society.org](http://the-thyroid-society.org)) ---
**Author:** ![krazy\_kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@krazy\_kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krazy_kat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/12 "2002-12-12T02:06:30Z")
[disclaimer] I have no idea wht I’m talking about [/disclaimer] Never underestimate what several million dollars, endless freetime and a cadre of top-notch personal trainers can accomplish. Even on something like creatine you can gain 10-15 pounds in (water) weight. For a twig like Ed Norton, that make a big difference. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/13 "2002-12-12T02:46:43Z")
Paing Anthony Michael Hall…paging Antony Michael Hall… Watch any John Hughes film followed by Edward Scissorhands…and try wrapping your mind around that. Yeesh! ---
**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-steroid-abuse/141836/14 "2002-12-12T04:26:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoggie \* > \*\*Paing Anthony Michael Hall…paging Antony Michael Hall… > > Watch any John Hughes film followed by Edward Scissorhands…and try wrapping your mind around that. Yeesh! \*\* I always thought that was that whole “puberty” thing all the young studs are into nowadays.