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Height can make or break the chances of getting a role, and stars like Nicole Kidman and Jacob Elordi have lied to help it become less of impediment.
In Hollywood, everything is about appearances. Celebrities need to have exactly the right look to land a job or be cast in a role — and the competition is tough. For some stars, they admit that they’ve been told they weren’t the right height, whether they were too tall or too short. And because of the pressure to change something they can’t quite control, a few celebs admit that they’ve totally lied about their height. But now that they’ve established their careers, these stars have come clean and shared the truth about their real height.
Find out why these stars lied about their height…
Nicole Kidman
At 5’11, Nicole Kidman is taller than most actresses in Hollywood and admits that it’s been an issue for her since the early days of her career. Looking back, she says she was told that she was too tall and wouldn’t “have a career” because of her height, so she’s taken to saying that she’s 5’10½. Even when she was just a teenager, she had to lie about how tall she was.
“I remember auditioning for Annie, which was just one of those big callouts where hundreds and hundreds of people [go]. I didn’t have an agent or anything; I just showed up…I had to talk my way through the door ’cause they were measuring you before you went in. I was mortified, and I was over the mark. I think you had to be, sort of, 5’2, and I was maybe 5’4,” Nicole recalled on the Radio Times Podcast.
Jacob Elordi
Jacob Elordi says his height used to be a “sensitive” topic for him because early in his career, he was told that he’d never work because he was so much taller than other actors. Despite being 6’5, Jacob says he would say he was 6’2 or 6’3 in auditions.
“Literally everybody would tell me that I’d never work because they wouldn’t be able to partner me with people, and they wouldn’t lift the camera up. So, I basically got told that I was too tall to be an actor. So to all of those people…nice,” Jacob told GQ.
He continued, “So, yeah, I was super nervous about telling people my height. So I used to try and pass as, like, 6’2 or 6’3, but I’m actually 6’5. So online, there’s all different kinds of numbers. I’ve just sold myself out. Just because…people hear 6’5, and they go, like ‘You’re a giant,’ but if I stand next to someone who’s 6’3, the difference is, like, tiny.”
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Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth says that at 6’3, he’s often too tall for the roles he wants — which is why he admits to lying about his height in auditions and telling casting agents that he’s a few inches shorter. Looking back, he says his audition for Thor was the first time he had seen a film looking for especially taller actors.
“There are certainly things I’ve wanted to go up for which I’ve been totally wrong for, physically. And I normally lie about my height and say I’m shorter. But it can go two ways. The brief for the audition for Thor said, ‘Must be over 6’1, which I’d never seen before!” he told the Radio Times.
Nicholas Braun
Being so tall has been Nicholas Braun’s “biggest impediment to getting roles” throughout his life. Even as a preteen, Nicholas says he towered above other kids his age so he’s been lying about his height for a long time. At 6’7, Nicholas explained that he used to tell casting directors that he was a few inches shorter so it wasn’t as intimidating.
“I used to make it shorter because most people hear 6’7 or even 6’6 and, I think, are a little spooked by it, like I’m going to be too tall. I’m just talking about in auditions or when I’m going for a part. So I used to sort of make it low, 6’4, 6’5. I’m really 6’7 when I stand,” Nicholas shared with Business Insider.
He continued, “It’s been the biggest impediment to getting roles, I think, my whole life. Because even as a kid when I was younger, like 11, 12 years old, I was very tall. I just kept being very tall. But everybody’s got something that can get in the way. I’m just gonna embrace it from here on out.”
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Geena Davis
When Geena Davis first began her career as a model, she actually had to lie about her height. At 6’, she says she was often told she was too tall to fit into clothing so she ended up telling agencies that she was 5’10.
“When I started to model, I went to a couple of agencies and they said, ‘No, you won’t fit the clothes,’” Geena told Ladies’ Home Journal back in 2001. “So I started saying I was 5-foot-10 and it worked out better in interviews. I kept that up for a long time.”
She continued, “But then a couple of years ago, I said, ‘To hell with it. My career is working. I’ll admit I’m 6 feet tall.’ Now I’ve noticed the press saying I’m 6-feet-2. I’m growing. In a few years I’ll be 6’4!””
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal’s height has been a topic of discussion for years. While he’s always said he was 7’1 while playing in the NBA, he admitted on his podcast that he was actually a little bit shorter. He said he used to lie because being over 7’ tall “sounded better.”
“First of all, I’m not 7’1, I’m 6’11…I just played like I was 7’1. And 7 foot 1 just sounded, you know, better,” Shaq said on The Big Podcast with Shaq.
