Poldark's Christian Brassington on eating 28,000 calories a week to play evil Ossie 

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\'s Christian Brassington had to undergo another physical transformation to play the evil and conniving Rev Osborne Whitworth in season 4 – which involved putting on almost three stone!

The actor previously put on weight (and then subsequently lost it) to debut his lecherous villain in season three of the BBC One period drama, but revealed that he had a better approach to gaining weight this time around.

"I had to put weight on for the second outing, but we did it in a much healthier way because we had a nutritionist," Brassington told Digital Spy and others.

"It wasn\'t just chips and Mars bars this time, so it was much less fun! Lucy [the nutritionist] wanted me to eat a lot of oily fish and vegetables in olive oil and quinoa. Inevitably there was a lot of red meat and potato in there, and protein shakes.

"I was putting on three pounds a week, and I ate 28,000 calories a week. And I was working with a personal trainer, so we did a lot of weights to build up muscle."

But Brassington isn\'t worried about any side effects to his health from gaining and losing weight, and added that feeling heavier helped him getting into the slovenly mindset of Ossie.

"I\'m not too worried [about the long-term effect] because I didn\'t do it with sugary foods, which is why we worked so hard to be as healthy as possible," he explained. "Working with a personal trainer, it\'s been easier to lose this time.

"It helps with the character because it slows you down and you feel heavier and moving around is an effort... I put on two and a half stone, and I lost about a stone in-between series. So now I\'m back to how much I weighed before."

In season four, Ossie will continue to oppress

Morwenna (Ellise Chappel), and be his usual repulsive and repellent self.

"There are moments he is funny, with his self-obsession and preening and pomp, but he\'s also a pretty repulsive character," the star continued. "He does awful things, and it\'s a testament to the writing that you have that balance.

"It\'s a real treat of a character – you get your hand dirty and you get into it. I remember thinking [when I first got the script], \'I think I know how to play this. I think I have this man\'s voice in me somewhere.\'"

He also believes that Ossie doesn\'t realise how truly odious he really is, and in fact, reckons himself "God\'s gift to the clergy and to women" – [insert green-faced sick emoji here].

"I think that people who are evil and thought of as repulsive, I don\'t think they think of themselves as evil or repulsive," Brassington suggested. "I think he thinks of himself as God\'s gift to women, I think he thinks he\'s God gift to the clergy, and God\'s gift to society."

The new series will also see how Ossie came to be created by way of his equally as abominable mother Lady Whitworth, played by Rebecca Front.

"She is absolutely terrifying in this," he said. "And costume and make-up have done a great job. She comes into the room and she\'s terrifying.

"And I don\'t think she sees any wrong in her son. He\'s the apple of her eye."

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