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Denzel Washington has revealed that he was more than happy to strip off in Flight.
The Oscar-nominated star bares his body, paunch and all, in the opening scene of Robert Zemeckis' drama in his portrayal of troubled pilot Captain Whip Whitaker, and admitted there was no sucking in for his all-important close-up.
"I wanted my stomach to stick out. So I was breathing out, if anything," he joked.
"I could have easily covered myself up but that's not the point. I wanted it to feel real. This is who he is, and this is what he is. I didn't want to be half in, half out - no pun intended," he added.
The star of Malcolm X, American Gangster and Courage Under Fire was fine with taking his clothes off for the role.
"Did I have any doubts about letting it all hang out? No, that's what it's about," he said.
"He's a slob, he's letting go. He's not in the gym, he's a womaniser and a drunk."
The usually fit 58-year-old let himself go a bit to make his body look bloated.
"I didn't put on that much weight - I just didn't exercise and ate a late meal every night."
:: Flight opens in cinemas on February 1.
