David Harbour Was Told He Was Too Flat To Play The Blob

X-Men Origins: Wolverine may not be one of the franchise’s best movies, but the film did do a few things. It introduced Ryan Reynolds to a (poorly received) take on Wade Wilson. The film also featured an awkward nude scene with Hugh Jackman. And, of course, Origins debuted the Blob. The massive mutant had a small bit in the prequel, and Stranger Things star David Harbour nearly nabbed the role.

However, according to the actor, he was apparently too fat to play the role. No, really.

In an interview with The Wrap, Harbour sat down and revealed the stunning body-shaming tale. The actor told the site he auditioned for a Wolverine movie after bumping into its casting directors.

“She was like — I’m never in town, I’m always in New York — ‘oh my god, David Harbour, you’re in town! I have the perfect role for you,’” Harbour explained “I was like, ‘great, I need to work, what do you got?’ She’s like ‘THE BLOB!’”

Continuing, Harbour admitted he was unfamiliar with the character at first, “‘The Blob?’ She was like, ‘Yeah, it’s like an X-Men, he’s like big, fat and controls gravity’ and I was like ‘Okay, wow, that’s flattering.’ And she was like, ‘no, no, it’s not that you’re fat, it’s just that we need a big guy to wear the suit.’

Scoring an audition, Harbour went to read for the part. At the audition’s end, the actor said he jokingly lifted up his shirt and squeezed his belly, saying, “I got your Blob right here!” However. the stunt did not work in Harbour’s favor.

“I just made a stupid joke and then they called me and the director, we met at like a hotel, and he was like, ‘David, look, you’re wonderful, we really think you’re just a great actor, we’re just concerned… we’re really concerned,’” Harbour said. “I was like, ‘Why, what’s your concern? I’m good to go. I’m available, let’s do this!’ And they were like, ‘no, it’s just, you lifted up your shirt and we saw the… we’re just a little worried about your health.’”

“I was like, ‘Wait a minute, dude, pause for one second,’” he added. “‘You are telling me I’m too fat to play The Blob? That’s awesome, I have to get the f— back to New York.’ That’s my audition — so I didn’t get The Blob.”

Ultimately, the role went to Kevin Durand, but it doesn’t look like Harbour is too upset about the loss. The star has since gone on to play an acclaimed role in Netflix’s Stranger Things, and he still will get his shot at comic book infamy. Earlier this year, news broke that Harbour had been asked to lead a new Hellboy film reboot.

MORE: Logan Director Shares His Idea For An X-23 Movie / Logan: Hugh Jackman Was Originally Hesitant To Play X-24 / Logan Director Has Spoken To Fox About X-23’s Return

In 2029, the mutant population has shrunk significantly and the X-Men have disbanded. Logan, whose power to self-heal is dwindling, has surrendered himself to alcohol and now earns a living as a chauffeur. He takes care of the ailing old Professor X whom he keeps hidden away. One day, a female stranger asks Logan to drive a girl named Laura to the Canadian border. At first he refuses, but the Professor has been waiting for a long time for her to appear. Laura possesses an extraordinary fighting prowess and is in many ways like Wolverine.

Logan stars Hugh Jackman (Logan), Boyd Holbrook (Donald Pierce), Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier), Dafne Keen (Laura Kinney/X-23), Stephen Merchant (Caliban), Elizabeth Rodriguez (Gabriela), and Richard E. Grant (Dr. Zander Rice).

James Mangold (The Wolverine) directed, based on a screenplay he co-wrote with screenwriters Scott Frank and Michael Green.