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 like, and he stopped caring about being in shape and fit.” To prep, the actor had around 12 weeks to add the weight. “I just kind of ate whatever I wanted, so it really consisted of a diet of burgers and all of the foods that you want to eat,” he says. “I ended up getting up to about, 211 pounds. That was the heaviest I’ve ever been, so that was a big, big deal.”
Polaha explains that he generally likes to fast in the mornings but starting in October of 2025, breakfast was back in. “I’d have a big breakfast!” he recalls, noting that even as the American Hostage production got underway, the script made it easy to stay heavy. “The role of Dick Hall required me to be shackled to a chair,” said the star of those long, sedentary filming days. “And so, I would get to work, and I would just sit in that chair for hours on end. It was scarily easy to pack on the pounds.”
How Kris Polaha Packed On 25 Pounds for ‘American Hostage’
At the height of his indulgences, Polaha says that he would end his long shooting days by frequenting an Earl’s diner in Winnipeg, sinking a drop of the black stuff with his evening meal. “I was drinking Guinness with my dinner,” he shares. “A hamburger and a Guinness at, like, 11.30 p.m. at night.”
Ice cream would also become a regular supper. But while Polaha made the most of his calories, he tells M&F that there were also some side effects to ponder. The star says that there was often a depressing reflection looking back in the mirror, as the combination of his makeup and excess weight provided an unwelcome glimpse of what his future could look like, if he didn’t get back on the fitness wagon. Then there was the general uncomfortableness of his fatter physique.
“I was less flexible,” he says. “Every time I bent down, my stomach got in my way, and I just wasn’t used to it. And it happened quickly. So, suddenly, I was walking around in a different skin. I’ve always been a really lean guy, and so it was a big shift for me. At home, my wife was complaining that I was snoring. So, think all this was mostly a wake-up call.”
With American Hostage now available to binge watch, Polaha is well past his binge eating stage. While critics have praised Polaha’s commitment and portrayal of Hall, the star then had to set about shedding those excess pounds, ready for his next projects.
Kris Polaha’s Fat-Loss Diet & Workout Strategy After ‘American Hostage’
In February, Polaha began to point the needle on the scales back in the opposite direction, working diligently on his diet. “I think it really raises the question of, ‘how do you want to move through the world,” says the actor of his motivation. “Do you want to be agile, flexible, strong, lean?”
Polaha found that losing weight is more challenging than gaining it, however. “I think it’s a lot easier to put on than it is to come off, but you do have to give yourself patience,” says the actor, who went back to his routine of fasting in the mornings and restarting his daily exercise regimen. Polaha is also a fan of hot yoga for both the mental aspect, and the physical process of flushing out toxins. And he likes to get his steps in by running or jogging.
The actor notes that nighttime snacking urges still come to him, but he makes smart swaps, replacing ice cream with something that he can chew for longer, while still cutting a few calories to satisfy his sweet fix, sharing that he likes to take his time with a handful of Good & Plenty’s. But for those thinking that staying lean means abstaining from your favorite foods, Polaha dispels that myth. “I don’t have a crazy health regimen,” he explains. “I still eat what I want, it’s just a question of how much.”
Now back at this goal weight, Kris Polaha will need to stay fit as he has several new projects coming out, including the Buried in Barstow movies on Lifetime, and a new Hallmark Christmas movie called Mistletoe and Mimosas.
American Hostage is now streaming on Prime Video.
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