Alyson Stoner went to ‘weight loss camp’ before ‘Hunger Games’ audition

Alyson Stoner is reflecting on the harsh training they endured to audition for a massive blockbuster.

In an excerpt of their memoir Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything published in Vanity Fair, the Step Up actor, who uses they/them pronouns, recalls the intense physical toll that it took to compete to audition for Katniss Everdeen in the first Hunger Games film.

Stoner perceived themself as an “underdog” while competing to play Katniss, as other young performers seemed better positioned to pick up the heroine’s bow and arrow on screen (including Jennifer Lawrence, who ultimately got the part). As a result, the Camp Rock star turned to extreme fitness to cultivate a physique that they thought would make them a more attractive candidate.

“I convinced a world-renowned medical weight loss camp to approve me — while I was underweight and only 17 years old — to join a program for two weeks of seven hours of daily exercise on a calorie deficit,” Stoner writes. “I didn’t recognize the irrational exceptions that doctors (and society) made for Hollywood, because it was all I knew.”

The actor goes on to explain how they justified the behavior that they now recognize as an eating disorder. 

“I told myself that my goal was to build muscle, not slim down. I thought I was being sensible by seeking professional assistance,” Stoner writes. “Doctors and trainers should’ve never permitted an underweight minor to do seven hours of 14-mile hikes, heavy lifting, and high-intensity cardio. But all I had to say was that I was training for an acting role. They assessed me as mentally stable and opened the door.”

Stoner says that aside from “a few comments that I was taking the workouts too far,” their mother wasn’t particularly involved in the actor’s regimen. 

“She wasn’t one to enforce limits or check in to understand what I was experiencing internally anyway,” they recall. “Besides, why would she interfere with her mini-me achieving more fame? I held on to my last iota of sanity, reminding myself that if I booked the role, the studio would provide a trainer and nutritionist to make this healthfully sustainable. Just a little longer.”

Stoner later says that after two intense weeks of obsessive exercise, their “arms and abs could cut glass” and that their body fat percentage rivaled that of “elite gymnasts” just before a “tipping point” arrived. 

“Obsession activated and I got hooked on the extreme regimen like a bodybuilder in competition prep,” they recall. “My immune system weakened and my adrenals were depleted from overtraining. I tweaked my tricep and fractured a finger. But I pushed through the fatigue and lightheadedness, even after catching a flu bug that lingered for three weeks.”

The actor also remembers thinking the physical sacrifice would be “worth it” to gain a leg up in the audition process. “My teams and acting coaches always said casting directors had no imagination, and they needed to believe you were the character from the second they saw you in the waiting room,” Stoner explains. “If I’m the fittest, scrappiest, most undeniable candidate, they’ll add me to the running.”

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Stoner felt fairly confident after their audition, and says that their body was “screaming for calories” several days after reading for the role, which led to “the biggest binge” of their life.

The next day, the actor discovered that they had “gained back every single pound I lost over two months” after the binge. “It was my worst nightmare. My body had held on to every morsel of food and liquid ounce, unsure when it would be fed again. All my progress was erased.”

Stoner says they then fell “into a black hole of self-hatred” after the binge. “Somewhere in the abyss, I received the email I had been waiting for,” they recall. “‘Heard this morning from casting. They have their short list. You aren’t moving forward. You can remove it from your plate. Just perfect. I’ve moved on to filling my plate with doughnuts, don’t worry.”

Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything hits shelves on August 12.

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, The Alliance for Eating Disorders provides a fully-staffed helpline at 1-866-662-1235, as well as free, therapist-led support groups.