Last January, I posted a piece about The Anti-Gym here at Mile High Mamas. The feedback from readers ranged from disgust at the “in your face” approach to praise for the very same.

Then, about a week and a half ago, I received a most unexpected comment on that piece–from one of the actresses in the commercial herself:

“Glad to hear that you enjoyed the commercial. It was an entertaining expiriece to say the least… but uhhh… You got it right with me… in the commerical I am a shoe in for Jabba Da Hut look alike:O) But the other chick was like 5’1″ and NOT long by any means! Hahah Michael kept telling her how fat she was during the shoot… can you believe that??? He’s got that brainwashing thing down! When I asked him if I could do the commercial for a gym membership instead of money… He told me no, because I’m worth more to him Fat. That is about the only thing that pissed me off… but hey I guess it got me some exposure… too bad he refers to me as Julie in his interviews… I was 3 months prego in that commerical with my 2nd child and have a hubby of 5 years… and he’s HOT! Hahah so I guess chubbies do sometimes come out on top!:O)”

I emailed her to thank her for her comment and to ask if I might ask her a few questions about her experience working with Michael Karolchyk. She cheerfully obliged, and now I have the privilege of presenting my interview with this local mom of two, Sophia Ayala Gettys.

Julie Marsh: How did the opportunity to star in these ads come about?

Sophia Ayala Gettys: I read an ad on craigslist.com for an “overweight” actress. I never see that kind of an ad, so I jumped on the chance to reply.

JM: What reservations, if any, did you have about doing the ads?

SAG: At first I didn’t even think of it. I had read the scripts they provided and thought they were pretty funny. While actually doing the shooting of the second commercial I started to worry about the aftermath. I stayed positive with the knowledge that I would have a regional commerical under my belt!

JM: How does your husband feel about the ads?

SAG: My husband thinks I’m a star! He’s completely supportive and was ecstatic to have me do something that pertained to following my dream of acting. He’s kind of a “Chubby Chaser” and for me to take on a role that portrayed my weight in such a huge spotlight gave him joy.

JM: What reactions do you get from people who recognize you from the ads?

SAG: I haven’t had anyone flat out realize it’s me. I was pregnant at the time of the commercial and had bleached blonde hair. What I get mainly is: “You look really familiar, have we met?” Little do they know, we kind of have!

JM: Are you a member of The Anti-Gym? Would you want to be a member?

SAG: I am not a member of The Anti-Gym. I was not offered a membership; I was refused a trade for services, and could never afford it if I wanted to go on my own. I live in a metro Denver area, and know that if I couldn’t make it to the local gym near my home, there is no way I was going to travel downtown to workout on a daily basis. After being refused the trade for services, I didn’t really care to go to the gym anyway. It hurt my feelings.

JM: How do you feel about the premise of the ads and the philosophy of TAG?

SAG: I came in to the whole thing knowing that everyone might not like it, but if it helped one person to get up off the couch, then I was doing something good. I knew it would be shocking, but the point was to get people’s attention. I don’t believe many people out there WANT to be “chubby”.

I had heard about what goes on at The Anti-Gym, but had never actually seen it or the programs until I saw a few stories about it in the news. To tell you the truth, I felt that the “scare tactics” would help me to lose weight. I need that militant motivation to get in gear and work my hardest. My father was a high school football and wrestling coach. He used those tactics on me (not to the extent that Michael does), and it made me work harder.

The bottom line is I believe they want to get people to come to the gym, and it’s their prerogative how they choose to do that.

JM: Why do you think so many people, especially women, are offended by the ads?

SAG: I think people are offended because it’s in your face. It’s a person getting made fun of, right there in your home. Everyone takes offense to different things – some people laughed, and some people cried. I am one who laughed.

I loved the radio ads because I WAS the girl in them. When I found out about the commercials I felt like no one else could do that role better. I’ve been made fun of my whole life. After a while you learn to laugh at the irony of things. I look at my life and my husband, and we’re good. I am happy with who I am as a person and with my beautiful children.

Again, I understand that people could take offense to this, but they don’t have to agree with me. I ask for people to keep an open mind and respect my right to express how I feel, just as they are asking others to respect them. It’s hypocritical in a way to put me down for being in these commercials.

JM: Are your children old enough to recognize you in the ads and understand the implications of the dialogue in the ads? Have you discussed the ads with them (or will you in the future)? If so, what have you said/will you say?

SAG: My daughter is two, and she has seen the “Pop Up Hottie” commercial once. She recognized me right away and thought the ending was funny. She is definitely not able to comprehend what is going on–all she knows is that there was a cute puppy and Mommy made funny faces. I will definitely show the others to her in the future, but not any time in the near future.

I myself didn’t like to watch them because I didn’t realize I had gained so much weight! I feel that the whole experience was a wake up call for me. I found that I needed to lose weight, whether this guy helped me or not.

JM: What did you take away from the work you did with The Anti-Gym?

SAG: All in all, this was a learning experience both personally and professionally. I am definitely not ashamed of it, but I do think that next time I will have a wealth of information to pull from to make sure I know more about what exactly I’m getting myself into!

I stay positive with the knowledge that this 250-pound mother of two is following her dreams of acting and has her first regional commercial under her belt! Many people don’t have the drive that I have to achieve their goals. I am thankful that I do.