Christine Taylor Reflects on Being Asked to Lose Weight for 'The Brady Bunch Movie'

Christine Taylor has revealed that she was asked to lose 10 pounds while preparing to play Marcia Brady in "The Brady Bunch Movie." The 55-year-old actress recalled the experience on a recent episode of the "Office Ladies" podcast, stating that the request, made when she "was not a super heavy person," left her feeling embarrassed.

"Of course, I was embarrassed when that ask came my way," Taylor said. She described the request as "so 90s" and suggested that such a directive "would never happen today."

Taylor noted that viewers who watch the film closely might observe slight changes in her appearance due to reshoots. "I’ll come into a scene looking a little rounder, and then I exit the scene looking a little thinner, just because of how they had to reshoot things," she explained.

Taylor initially gained recognition for her role as Marcia Brady in "The Real Live Brady Bunch" stage production before auditioning for the film adaptation. She described receiving an unexpected message from series creator Sherwood Schwartz, inviting her to discuss the role, which she called a "pinch-me moment."

Relationship with Ben Stiller

Earlier this year, Taylor also spoke about her separation and subsequent reconciliation with husband Ben Stiller. She described the period of separation, which began in 2017 after 17 years of marriage, as "challenging." The couple, who share two children, announced their separation in 2017 but remained in contact and continued to co-parent.

Taylor credited the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown with providing the opportunity for her and Stiller to re-evaluate their relationship. "If there’s a silver lining for us during Covid, that was the little gift," she said. "We all kind of bubbled up together with our kids... We all were in the house together and we had nothing but time."

During this period, Taylor and Stiller engaged in couples therapy via Zoom, which she believes helped them find their way back to each other. She suggested that people often avoid discussing such experiences because it can feel like admitting failure.