The Heat Posters US UK Split - H 2013
The Heat is coming under some serious heat after a new poster for the buddy cop comedy surfaced featuring a significantly slimmed-down Melissa McCarthy.
The actress’ face and neck appear to have been digitally altered in the promo image, revealed Friday, shaving off what some critics estimate to be up to 30 pounds.
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“Nobody is unclear [about] what Melissa McCarthy’s body size is — she’s plus-sized and proud. So why have the designers of this poster done their utmost to Photoshop a good 30 lbs off of McCarthy’s face?” noted British entertainment blog The Shiznit.
“This is one of the worst Photoshop jobs I have ever seen,” the blog continued, “but it’s not just offensively bad craftsmanship — the intention behind it is downright nasty.”
This isn’t the first time McCarthy has been visibly photoshopped on a film poster. A one-sheet for Universal’s Bridesmaids, featuring a solo McCarthy, also appears to depict a thinner version of the full-figured actress.
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The so-called “photoshop diet” is hardly a new trend in Hollywood. Calling in to VH1’s The Gossip Table on Monday to address the controversy, Rosie O’Donnell recalled her own experiences on 1996’s Beautiful Girls.
“It was an ensemble piece so there were many, many actors in it, and you never got to work with everyone,” she said. “When the poster came out, it was sent to my office and I looked at the poster and I said, ‘Oh, I didn’t know Courteney Cox is in this.”
The star continued, saying that when her agent called up Harvey Weinstein, who was producing the film, the mogul replied: “She should thank me. She never looked better.”
A rep for McCarthy did not immediately return The Hollywood Reporter‘s request for comment.
