How Kristoffer Polaha Gained and Lost 25 Pounds for ‘American Hostage’
Kristoffer “Kris” Polaha took on a serious challenge when he agreed to add around 25 pounds of fat to his usually fit frame for his role in American Hostage , only to drop it soon after in order to continue with other filming commitments. And while the chance to say “yes” to every indulgent meal gave the star a sense of freedom, he tells M&F that the side effects had him ready to return to his normal state. Of course, Polaha’s mission to pile on the pounds for American Hostage wasn’t a personal cry for help. The actor had permission to stack up his plates in order to play Dick Hall in the true story of the mortgage broker who was abducted for 63 hours by a disgruntled client in 1977. The crisis soon became a media event as his captor, Tony Kiritsis, courted the press and called into his local radio station, all while holding Hall at gun point. “Dick Hall was a guy who’d reached a point in his life where he’d given up,” explains Polaha. “He stopped caring about what he looked li...