
I am so thrilled to get us started this morning by posting the first question of our interview with Darlene Cates!


So without further ado…
1. I would like to ask Darlene why she decided to take the role of Momma. Obviously, she shared size with the character, few people had the physical make up to play Momma and there probably aren’t many acting roles for a person of that size. But did she have more motivation than just the co-incidence of size? Did she want to show the world that heavy people are just like everyone else inside, to demonstrate the humanness of someone who was considered a laughing stock? In other words, was did she want to make some sort of statement for all heavy people or was it just an acting job where she happened to fit the part?
I took the role of Momma because I realized I had the opportunity to do something that required stepping out of the box. I was coming out of a deep depression and making changes about the way I viewed the world and being fat. Truthfully, I didn't think about the impact any of it would have on the supersize community. I just knew I wanted and needed the validation that came with doing the role. I wanted people to see MY humanness. I was just beginning to find the realization that my fat didn't define me, yet it was a part of who I am.......just not everything!
Darlene