Christine Taylor, who portrayed Marcia Brady in "The Brady Bunch Movie," revealed she was asked to lose 10 pounds for the role. Taylor discussed the experience on the "Office Ladies" podcast, noting that such demands were commonplace in Hollywood during the 1990s.
Taylor, who had been a longtime admirer of the original "The Brady Bunch" series, landed the role after starring in "The Real Live Brady Bunch." She recalled receiving a cold call from "The Brady Bunch" creator Sherwood Schwartz, an unexpected moment she wishes she had recorded.
"I knew it in my core that there was nobody who could do it better than me," Taylor said of her confidence in securing the part. The casting process, as she remembered it, was relatively straightforward, involving meetings and reading with actors who would play her siblings, Jan and Cindy.
However, the role came with an expectation regarding her physique. "It was a very different time in the industry," Taylor explained. "The one thing that I got, and I was not a super heavy person, but they asked me to lose 10 pounds." She emphasized that she was not overweight at the time but felt obligated to meet the request.
"I was like, 'I'll lose 10 pounds,'" Taylor admitted. "Of course I was embarrassed when that ask came my way because, by the way, it would never happen today. And also it just was like, I wasn't the only person ever being asked to lose weight for a role back then. That was just how things went."
Taylor also observed that her weight fluctuations are noticeable in the film due to reshoots. "You can see it," she said. "Like I'll come into a scene looking a little rounder. And then like I exit the scene looking a little thinner just because of how they had to reshoot things."
Despite the pressure, Taylor found enjoyment in filming the movie. She recalled treating herself to nonfat frozen yogurt, which was popular at the time, after wrapping up scenes. "I was like, 'Oh, I wrapped. I'm going to meet my roommate. We're going to go to the Big Chill and get a frozen yogurt with a huge thing of sprinkles on the side,'" she said.