Matthew McConaughey consulted Tom Hanks on weight loss

CEBU, Philippines - Matthew McConaughey is no stranger to changing his appearance for movie roles, notably gaining some more muscle as a strip club owner in “Magic Mike.”

But when the 43-year-old had to drop a massive amount of weight to portray an HIV-positive man in “Dallas Buyers Club,” he called a veteran in the weight loss department: Tom Hanks.

“I actually called Tom and had a great conversation with him about what he learned about losing weight for ‘Philadelphia’ and ‘Cast Away,’” the actor told People. “And I consulted a nutritionist about the best way to do this.”

McConaughey looked unrecognizable in his portrayal of Ron Woodruff, a real-life Texas electrician who contracted HIV in the 1980s through IV drug use. His starting weight was 185 lbs., and he reached his unbelievable goal of 145 lbs.

“I was going around and people were going, ‘Hey, are you feeling all right?’” McConaughey said. “But then I hit 135 lbs. I ran in to somebody and they didn’t just ask if I was all right, they said, ‘My God, we need to get you some help.’ And I thought, ‘There we go. That’s the perfect spot.’”

And while many feared that McConaughey, who looked extremely gaunt, took his dramatic weight loss too far, he admits that he was “organized” about his diet.

“I fed myself good food, just not much of it,” the actor said. “I found through this journey that the human body is much more resilient than we give it credit for.” (FREEMAN)