Speaking of Under Siege – at least in terms of his clothing.
Former action star Steven Seagal has bulked up to more than 300 pounds since moving to Russia, where he now lives large, stills from a newly unearthed documentary show.
And the tension is telling for the one-time 6-foot-1 star, as he’s filmed barely able to wrap his arms around his burgeoning belly.
Seagal, 72, has done his best to keep the images of his release under control. Recent photos on his social media are from the chest up and he hasn’t posted himself on his Instagram since December 2021.
But a 30 minute Russian propaganda documentary about the war in Ukraine released this month with the title In The Name of Justice, revealed that his figure had changed drastically from the 90s, when he not only appeared in the two Under Siege films, but also in other hard-hitting films like Marked for Death and On Deadly Ground.
A 30-minute documentary directed by and starring disgraced action star Steven Seagal showed that his figure had changed dramatically since his heyday in the 1990s.
The 30-minute episode, publicly available on Russian website Smotrim.ru and operated by Russian state broadcaster VGTRK, was released on October 10 and featured Seagal looking big.
Seagal, 72, has done his best to tightly control the footage of him being released. Recent photos on his social media are from the chest up and he has not posted himself on his Instagram since December 2021
During the documentary, Seagal’s bloated belly is so big his unbuttoned shirt hung down from his waist and was pushed out by his enormous midriff.
The 30-minute documentary, publicly available on the Russian website Smotrim.ru and operated by Russian state broadcaster VGTRK, was released on October 10.
It follows the portly Putin partisan as he wanders through the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, amid drone footage of rubble and bombed buildings.
According to a description on the Smotrim site, written in Russian, Seagal “spoke personally with the victims of Ukrainian nationalists and saw with his own eyes what is happening in Donbas,” a region occupied by Russian insurgents in 2022.
Seagal left his life in America behind after obtaining Russian citizenship in 2016, which a Kremlin spokesman said was granted after numerous requests. His paternal grandparents had emigrated to the United States from Vladivostock in the far east of the country.
The man who executive producer Lorne Michaels called Saturday Night Live’s worst host ever has since become a strong supporter of President Vladimir Putin, personally presenting him with the Order of Friendship in May.
Seagal in the 2003 film The Belly of The Beast – a time when the martial artist desperately tried to hide his growing figure
Seagal started starring in action films in the late 80s. He was known as a martial arts instructor in Japan and as a seventh dan black belt in Aikido
According to a description on the Smotrim site, written in Russian, Seagal “personally spoke with the victims of Ukrainian nationalists and saw with his own eyes what is happening in the Donbas”
During the ceremony, Seagal said Ukraine is known for “organ trafficking, child sex trafficking and Nazism.”
The documentary says Seagal was able to meet with captured nationalists from the Ukrainian Azov Brigade – a formation of the Ukrainian National Guard stationed in the Sea of Azov that was integrated in 2014 – and “visit the sites of their crimes against civilians in Donetsk and Lugansk.”
The Azov Brigade is characterized as a terrorist organization banned in Russia.
The Azov Regiment was one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s cited rationales for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Its members were characterized by Putin as “neo-Nazis” due to their leadership’s white supremacist views.
The filmmakers didn’t shy away from showing Seagal’s full figure.
A source who worked with the action star in the 2000s was shocked by his appearance and estimated that he had gained “at least 50 pounds.” They also told DailyMail.com that Seagal would be furious if similar footage had been broadcast at the time.
“He would have outsmarted the cameraman for anything that made his hair or his weight look bad.
The source continued, “Seagal generally had a lot of control over the story during filming, as he emphasized certain camera angles and nothing that accentuated his weight gain.”
The actor-director’s long friendship with Putin is well documented. He has called Putin “one of the greatest world leaders” and told the Moscow Times in 2014 that he “would like to consider [Putin] as a brother’.
The actor-director’s long friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin is well documented. He has called Putin “one of the greatest world leaders” and told the Moscow Times in 2014 that he “would like to consider [Putin] as brother’
Seagal’s departure to Russia came after news emerged that the Los Angeles district attorney was reviewing a sexual abuse case against him, following decades of allegations by women who worked with Seagal.
The office ultimately declined to prosecute because the restrictions were running out.
It was far from the first time the Out for Justice star was accused of sexual harassment and other misconduct by women including Portia de Rossi, Julianna Margulies, Jenny McCarthy and Katherie Heigl. Dutch model Faviola Dadis and Inside Edition correspondent Lisa Guerrero.
Putin presented Seagal with the Order of Friendship at an awards ceremony at the Kremlin in May
Portia DeRossi (left) and Katherine Heigl are among a slew of actresses who have accused Seagal of sexual impropriety over the years
In addition to the sexual assault allegations, Seagal is also accused of promoting a hostile work environment on set.
Seagal had a reputation for doing stunt doubles on the sets of the films he worked on.
Actor John Leguizamo called the marriage artist a “bully” on set because of his experiences working together on the 1996 film Executive Decision.
He told the New York Post that no one liked working with him and that Seagal “kept hitting the stuntmen on purpose” until the late Gene LeBell, highly regarded as one of the most famous stuntmen in Hollywood, intervened by putting him in a chokehold.
Even Saturday evening live were disturbed by Seagal’s behavior after the martial artist starred in one of the most infamous episodes to air on the show in 1991.
The action star’s unwillingness to go along with the show’s plan and his terribly bad sketch ideas almost led SNL to consider replacing him as host and doing a cast show, according to former SNL actor David Spade in his book Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live.