Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger is on its way but who is newcomer to the franchise Chrissy Metz?
It’s been a couple of years since we first met Burnley-born Dave Fishwick (portrayed by Rory Kinnear) in Bank of Dave who set up a community bank to support local businesses and his community.
The second instalment, premiering on Friday, January 10, will see Dave take on payday loan companies after discovering that some locals were being charged an astronomical 5,000 percent interest.
Alongside Rory Kinnear, actress Chrissy Metz will feature as dedicated US investigative journalist Jessica, who specialises in finance and becomes engrossed in Dave’s story and challenges.
Before the film hits our screens, let’s get to know Chrissy Metz, the star of Bank of Dave.
Inside Bank of Dave star Chrissy Metz’s life from This Is Us fame to dramatic 100 pound weight loss (Image: NETFLIX)
Actress Chrissy Metz portrays Kate in the hit NBC drama This Is Us. (Image: NBC)
Early life and career
Born in Homestead, Florida in 1980, Metz spent much of her early life in Japan, where her father, Mark Metz, was stationed with the US Navy.
Later, their family relocated to Gainesville, Florida, where she stayed throughout her education and worked as a preschool teacher from the age of 18 to 21.
At the age of 22, Metz took a bold step and moved to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming an actress and singer.
Massive weight loss
The 44-year-old star revealed to Very Well Mind that she suffered physical and emotional abuse as a child, leading to struggles with emotional eating and self-esteem issues growing up.
She tipped the scales at a staggering 399 lbs as an adult, but it wasn’t until her 30th birthday that she realised she needed to make a change after experiencing heart palpitations.
Metz revealed to People: “I’m like, What is this? Am I dying? What’s happening?. It was really scary – really, really, really scary.”
Instead of celebrating her birthday, she rushed to hospital where they quickly diagnosed her with a panic attack.
Metz recalled the doctors warning her: “‘You can’t continue on this path’, before she realised: “I’m like, ‘Oh, this is not just a physical thing. It’s like a soul/spirit/mind/body collective thing. Not everything’s connecting.'”
This realisation forced her to take her health journey seriously: “I was so gung-ho that I lost 100 lbs in less than five months.
“All I did was eat a 2,000-calorie diet and walk 20 minutes a day.”
American Horror Story
Metz got her first major break in 2014 when she landed the role of the big-top “fat lady” Ima Wiggles in FX’s American Horror Story.
However, she had to wear a fat suit for the part, which Metz described as a “sobering” experience.
She continued: “I thought, ‘What if I become that heavy and can’t walk around or get stuck in the doorframe?’ I was like, ‘I don’t want this for me.'”
Actress Chrissy Metz was behind Ima Wiggle in FX’s American Horror Story: Freak Show. (Image: FX)
This is Us
Metz’s most significant role to date is playing Kate in NBC’s drama This Is Us, a role that has completely transformed her life.
At the PaleyFest’s This Is Us panel in Los Angeles, she confessed: “[Before the show] I was broke. And broken…[But] through Kate’s healing, I am now healed.
“Because as a big girl from a small town, you just didn’t have that opportunity. And to bring people into my life, into my sphere, and to have people being healed through the character, through playing the character which I’m healing from is like, you can’t even. I couldn’t dream it.”
In a candid 2017 interview with Glamour, Metz revealed that before landing the role on This Is Us, she had a mere “81 cents” in her bank account.
She expressed: “I could cry right now just thinking about it. Getting the role of Kate has changed everything.”
Love life
Metz tied the knot with British journalist Martyn Eaden at a courthouse in Santa Barbara, California, in January 2008, but they parted ways in 2015.
She later entered a relationship with songwriter and author Bradley Collins, which lasted for three years.
However, in 2023, Metz took to to announce their separation, penning: “After three and a half years together, we’ve decided to end our romantic relationship amicably.
“While we continue to love each other very much, we believe this is the best path for us both.
“We still have books to write, songs to sing, and a special friendship to keep us in each other’s lives forever.”
Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger premieres on Friday, January 10, on .