It’s not easy working in Tinseltown if you’re … errr … fat. Ask Kirstie Alley, the larger than life actress whose weight gain has become the subject of every tabloid imaginable as well as the blight of her existence.
But she also knows that you can spare yourself a lot of heartache if you simply laugh things off.
In the hybrid half-hour comedy/reality series Fat Actress, Kirstie Alley plays a fictional version of herself. Bravely willing to lampoon the image that has been mercilessly ridiculed over the past few years, Alley gives us a glimpse of the humour and the irony in her battle to lose weight and get back on television in a tough business that prefers svelte figures.
This irreverent series is generally unscripted, with each episode emanating from a story outline and the actors largely improvising the dialogue.
The show's storylines are drawn from a heightened perception of Alley's real-life experiences, and some of Alley's friends appear as themselves in guest cameos to further blur the lines between truth and fiction.
In the premiere episode, 'Look Who's Talking' co-star and real-life friend John Travolta drops by to offer Kirstie some career advice. Kelly Preston appears in several episodes as Kirstie's diet consultant Quinn Taylor Scott, a source of endless tips on losing weight fast.
Other series guest stars include Jeff Zucker, Mark Curry, Michael McDonald, Kid Rock, Carmen Electra, Merv Griffin, Melissa Gilbert, Gwen Stefani, Larry King and Rhea Perlman.