Midnight Mass is one of the most-watched and talked about shows on Netflix, and for good reason. The show tells a story of hope, recovery, addiction, and the lengths we go mentally and physically to keep believing. You can relate to storylines, characters that’ll break your heart, and a twist that makes it all supernatural and terrifying.
One of the most incredible things about the series is the dedication and commitment of the cast. They play their roles so well that it genuinely feels like you’re tuning in to a reality series of sorts, but none like the ones we’re bombarded with today. It feels like you’re peering into lives they’ve always lived and always will.
Midnight Mass stars Zach Gilford As Riley Flynn, Kate Siegel As Erin Greene, Hamish Linklater As Father Paul Hill, and Rahul Kohli As Sheriff Hassan, to name a few.
Kohli recently spoke about a big sacrifice he made for his role in Midnight Mass, and it should not be taken lightly. He had to gain weight for the role, around 30 lbs, and his body suffered for it. He talked about the weight gain and how he did it (and wished he hadn’t) in an interview with Men’s Health.
“I just was like eat crap, eat crap, eat crap, and we got there.”
He spoke of eating junk food in bed and also feeling sick, even being woken up at night with stomach pain and heartburn. His body wasn’t used to carrying the extra weight or the way that he’d been eating. When covid-19 shut down production just as it was due to begin, Kohli was sent home to L.A., and those extra 30 lbs held on.
While the shutdown continued, he had a new vision for his character, which he shared with Mike Flanagan, and when Flanagan agreed, he got to work.
“It was the stupidest method acting nonsense I’ve ever done, where I put on all the kind of weight that the industry would be like oooh look at him! only to have to lose it all and hit the gym hard.”
What came out of it was a more toned version of the character and a healthier Kohli, which is the heart of what’s most important, anyway.
You can see his stellar performance in Midnight Mass, now streaming on Netflix.