I have to admit that I’m not surprised.
Charlie Sheen told Sports Illustrated this week that he used anabolic steroids while filming Major League in the late 1980’s. While the fact that Charlie Sheen was willing to put an illicit substance into his body may not seem like major news, it does raise a very interesting question:
How many other actors have used performance enhancing drugs (PED’s) in preparation for a role?
It’s not
exactly clear what Sheen’s motivation was for taking steroids. He said that they brought his fastball from 79 MPH up to 85 but was an extra 6 MPH really necessary? If my memory serves me correctly, Sheen did not add a huge amount of muscle mass for the role. Perhaps he felt that his character, Ricky Vaughn, would have used steroids and wanted to experience them for himself.
After looking at Sheen’s somewhat thin motivation, it is not hard to imagine actors, under immense pressure to transform their bodies in a short period of time, succumbing to the pressure to take PED’s.
The Before Picture
Let’s examine a hypothetical situation: Actor A, who normally maintains a normal build so that he can portray a wide range of characters, is cast as an action hero. The role requires him to pack on 30 pounds of muscle in 3 months (and only muscle) and then maintain that build through a demanding filming schedule. So Actor A hires a trainer and embarks on a training regimen that rivals that of a professional athlete.
Three months later, he shows up on set looking like the action hero that he is portraying. He has gone from a light (or possibly non-existent) training schedule to working out twice a day and he has managed to do it without getting sidelined by injury. There is a lot riding on starting production on time and Actor A has pulled it off. The movie becomes a big hit, grossing $75 million on opening weekend, and a sequel is immediately green lit by the studio. Actor A is now a big star and he can commands a quote of $10 million per movie.
The After Picture
With this kind of pressure, potential financial rewards, accelerated schedule, and no margin for error it is easy to see how Actor A might consider the use of PED’s. It is not a competition so there is no cheating issue like there is in sports. Money is also not an issue so Actor A can do this under supervision and minimize the danger. And there would be no need for sustained use; Actor A just needs to pack on the muscle for a few months. Once shooting wraps, he will want to go back to a normal build so he can play regular people.
So we can see that the incentives to use PED’s can be as great or greater than in professional sports with much less risk and none of the stigma of cheating. Sly Stallone was busted trying to bring human growth hormone into Australia a few years ago and I have not heard a peep from the Academy about vacating his Oscar.
I can’t say for certain whether any actors are juicing, just as I say the same for any athletes. But next time you’re reading about an actor’s miraculous physical transformation into a superhero, think about the fact that he had the motive, the means, and the opportunity to use PED’s. You also might want to think about whether anyone you know could ramp up their training that quickly without hurting themselves. If it all seems too good to be true, then it is probably is.
