Maggie Gyllenhaal Says She Wanted to ‘Be as Thin as Possible’ When She Was Younger But Has Learned to Accept Her Body

Maggie Gyllenhaal gets candid about her health journey and how her acting career has affected her body image.

In a new episode of the Tracy Anderson podcast The Longevity Game, The 46-year-old actress opened up about her early days in the industry and revealed that two different directors suggested she lose 10 kilos.

Looking back at that time, The lost daughter star said: “When I first started auditioning and acting and stuff, it was a time when you could say all kinds of crazy things to actresses. I’ve always been quite thin… it’s a messed up thing to say to someone.” He goes on to add, “I think they both said it as some kind of manipulation. They were trying to make me feel something, which they did.”

Despite the scrutiny that came with being an actress in Hollywood, Gyllenhaal said she never let such comments affect her deeply.

“When I was younger, my goal was to be as thin as possible, but I was never able to go too far there. I don’t think I was ready to sacrifice that much, and thank God for that,” she told the fitness guru.

Gyllenhaal also revealed how she’s learned that diet culture has negatively affected her mood and energy, saying, “I find it makes me anxious if I think too much about what I’m eating and cleaning or whatever.”

Maggie Gyllenhaal attends the 3rd Annual Academy Awards Gala at the Academy of Motion Picture Museum on December 3, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. All about Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s parents, Stephen and Naomi Gyllenhaal

Gyllenhaal also said she didn’t exercise much growing up, citing her brief time on the swim team in high school. However, it wasn’t until she moved to New York that she began to connect with her body through dance and yoga.

Through this journey, she learned to appreciate herself better and accept her body the way it looks. She said: “The older I get, the gentler I am with myself. I’ve found, only recently, that sometimes I’ll look at myself and my body and I’ll say, ‘I look good, I look good.’ ‘ ”

“I’m not going ‘Oh my God what is this.’ “Sometimes I do. But I have those moments when the clouds part and I say to myself, ‘I look good… I’m happy with this,'” she added.

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Maggie Gyllenhaal on the red carpet ahead of the closing ceremony of the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 9, 2023 in Venice, Italy.

Kristy Sparow/FilmMagic

Director Stephen Gyllenhaal, father of Jake and Maggie, filed for divorce from his wife of 11 years

Elsewhere in the podcast, Gyllenhaal shared how she’s become more comfortable in her body since she started using Anderson’s exercise program, which offers a variety of exercise classes. For the actress, exercise classes are one of her favorite ways to exercise.

“That’s the beautiful thing about going to classes, when you see the actual bodies of women our age. They’re human, they work hard, it’s friendly to me. It’s the opposite of competitive, it’s really inclusive and I love that,” she shared.

“When I’m around people who look human and healthy and like they care about themselves, but human, I feel good. I feel ‘Oh, you’re just like me!’ ”

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Source: HIS Education