Lou Diamond Phillips Lost 25 Pounds to Play Serial Killer Richard Ramirez

Lou Diamond Phillips lost 25 pounds and underwent a major physical transformation to play serial killer Richard Ramirez in the 2016 Lifetime film The Night Stalker.

Speaking on the Killer Thriller podcast, Phillips said he had custom-made teeth created to match Ramirez’s appearance and the bite marks that became evidence in his trial. He also worked with his wife, makeup artist Yvonne Boismier Phillips, to alter his eye shape and emphasize his cheekbones.

Phillips said he lost weight because the film portrayed Ramirez near the end of his life, when he was suffering from lymphoma. The actor described the process as a “deep dive in transformation.”

Ramirez, known as the Night Stalker, was arrested in 1985 after Los Angeles residents recognized him from published photographs, chased him and held him until police arrived. He was convicted in 1989 and died in prison in 2013.

The Night Stalker premiered on Lifetime in 2016 and also starred Bellamy Young.