Eric McCormack from 'Will & Grace' Claims He Was Told to Lose Weight to Snag More Roles

Last month, actor Eric McCormack sat down for a virtual interview with “92Y.” He revealed some secrets like how he’d been told to lose weight if he wanted to get more roles.

Before the season finale of “Will & Grace,” McCormack, who plays Will Truman, was interviewed about his career. The Emmy and SAG-Award winning actor confessed how hard it was for him to get work because of his weight.

McCormack, 57, struggled to pass in auditions because of his weight. The actor revealed that in the late ‘90s his manager suggested he lose weight so he could get more roles.

ERIC’S WEIGHT ISSUES

In 1997, the star auditioned for Jenny McCarthy’s shortlived series, “Jenny.” McCormack recalled how his former manager, Joan Hyler, told him he should do something about his heavier appearance.

The Canadian native joked how it had been easy for him to sport a beard and wear several layers of clothing in Calgary during winter to hide his beer induced body. He added that when the beard came off “Wow! I was not going to be on ‘Melrose Place’ the next day, let’s put it that way.”

MANAGER URGES HIM TO LOSE WEIGHT

The star confessed that he was in denial about his weight at the time. McCormack had his final audition in a couple of weeks and Hyler told him: “‘You’ve got two weeks … get your face back.’”

As shocked as he was about his manager’s suggestion, the actor admitted that it was a “very big turning point” in his career. The “Travelers” actor followed Hyler’s advice and managed to get the role of Jason Slade on “Jenny.”

HIS MAJOR ROLE

After his one-episode run on the comedy show, McCormack found a major role on “Will & Grace.” From 1998 to 2006, he starred on the series alongside Debra Messing, Megan Mullally, and Sean Hayes.

RELATING TO WILL TRUMAN

The comedy sitcom came back in a reboot in 2017. When McCormack was cast for the pilot of the original show, the moment he read for his character he thought, “‘This is me.’”

HIS WIFE AND FAMILY

The star saw himself in Truman except that he wasn’t gay. The actor is married to Janet Holden whom he met while filming the series “Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years.”

The couple is parents to a son, Finnigan Holden McCormack, who was born on July 1, 2002, in Los Angeles.