Actor Michael Ealy has arrived as a Hollywood sex symbol.
The 40-year-old actor currently stars on Fox’s sci-fi cop drama Almost Human, but takes on a lighter role (figuratively and literally) in his latest movie.
Ealy stars alongside Joy Bryant, Kevin Hart, and Regina Hall in the hilarious romantic comedy About Last Night, which hits theaters nationwide Valentine’s Day.
In the film Ealy plays a 28-year-old bachelor thrust into a new relationship.
In an interview with theGrio’s Chris Witherspoon, the Seven Pounds star revealed he had to shed some weight for the film.
“I had to lose 25 pounds for this movie,” Ealy said. “My ‘man weight’ was a little too heavy for the studio, so I had to bring it down a little bit so I could look 28-year-old in the movie.”
Bryant ,who had her breakout film role in 2002’s Antoine Fisher, plays her most sexually charged character to date in About Last Night.
However Bryant doesn’t feel as thought it was risk for her to embrace her sexuality in this film and candidly discuss such topics as female masturbation.
“I don’t think that’s shocking at all. It might be shocking to some,” Bryant says. “I think it’s perfectly normal for a woman of a certain age to assert her sexuality.”
“I think when people see this movie there is a certain shock value.” Ealy added. “The language is so profane, and it’s so shocking to see this cast go there and talk about the subject matter that we’re talking about over and over again. And then on top of it there is the nudity.”
With that said, both Ealy and Bryant agree that character’s they play in About Last Night represent two of the most ‘honest’ characters they’ve taken on in their respective careers.
Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter at @WitherspoonC