Quaid wore fat suit for 'Smart' role

NEW YORK, April 12 (UPI) -- U.S. actor Dennis Quaid said adding extra pounds to his costume helped him assume the role of an academic in a rut in the new movie "Smart People."

"I put on a fat suit every day, which gave me a wedgie and sort of helped me feel uncomfortable, which he should be," Quaid told reporters in New York recently. "I wanted this guy to be kind of sedentary and then with the beard, as well. I had fun doing it. ... I figure he hadn't really done much on grooming since his wife died. He's sort of sleepwalking, the walking dead, in a way."

Quaid said a scene in which he had to awkwardly climb a fence posed a bit of a challenge.

"I was wearing that suit, so that made it awkward to begin with," he said. "I just sort of let myself go."

Although fit and athletic, Quaid dispelled the myth he is "the" best celebrity golfer.

"That's a falsehood, actually," the actor said. "My handicap happened to be scratch for about 30 minutes. ... I did make it there and then I started working. ... Now I'm about a six or a seven."