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Heavy D loves acting so much that he was willing to lose weight to fit into more roles.

And that's precisely what he did. Rap music's original "overweight lover" has shed 160 pounds and has the lead role in the Hollywood stage production Medal of Honor Rag, executive-produced by Will Smith.

"I didn't want to be typecast. I wanted the doors to open up for myself," says Heavy. "I looked at it like if you're going to play the game, there are certain rules you have to respect. I said I can continue to be this person and have this okay career or I can lose the weight and be able to fit into many more roles and have more audition opportunities."

Medal of Honor Rag, a two-man play, details the relationship between a troubled Vietnam veteran, Dale "DJ" Jackson (played by Heavy D), and his New York psychiatrist.

Written in 1975 by Tom Cole and inspired by the true story of Dwight "Skip" Johnson, the play draws from the experiences of DJ, who has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery in Vietnam, and the traumatic impact of his being a survivor.

In June, the show first went up at the Egyptian Arena Theater in Hollywood with actor Delroy Lindo making his directorial debut. Heavy received such praise for his performance that the show was remounted due to popular demand. It is scheduled to run until Nov. 13 at the same venue.

"Stage is really like a whole new muscle," says Heavy. "It's the most mentally fatiguing thing. When I leave rehearsals, I feel like I've run 10 miles. It's that tiring. In every show, I'm wiped out. It's a good feeling."

Denise Dowse, who co-starred in Ray and Coach Carter, directed the remounting. Heavy was so touched by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that he and the other members of the production made a commitment to donate 100 percent of the proceeds to benefit victims.

This isn't Heavy's first time doing a stage production. In 1996 he made his Off-Broadway theatrical debut in Rift Raft, written and directed by Laurence Fishburne. That performance earned Heavy a nomination for a prestigious Drama Desk Award, the equivalent of a Tony Award for Off-Broadway.

Fishburne was so impressed with Heavy's performance that he suggested he do Modal of Honor Rag next, but Heavy refused.

"It took me 10 years to do it because I just simply wasn't ready," admits Heavy. "It's a huge taking on. It's really emotional and you want to do it justice."

Tom Cole, the play's writer, believes he did. "He has a kind of excitement and magnetism that you can't replace," says Cole. "He is a real force physically. He may have lost 160 pounds, but he's still a big guy with a lot of rank. He's a very serious artist and was serious about this commitment. He served the play and the memory of this tragic hero beautifully."

Heavy's hip-hop cohorts have been equally supportive of his career. Jay-Z and Andre Harrell bought out the whole house for a special invited guests' evening.

"Heavy is a great friend of mine and his performance was so riveting and out of the box that it introduced me to another side of him," says Diddy, who was introduced to the music industry by Heavy. "His performance was stellar."

In the early '90s Heavy first began acting. While still rapping, he landed a recurring role on "Roc." He also had a recurring role on "Living Single" and "Boston Public." More recently he was a regular' on "The Tracy Morgan Show." His movie appearances have included Life, The Cider House Rules, Larceny and Big Trouble.

Though Heavy was able to get roles, he didn't want to limit himself to big man roles. He got serious about losing weight and he did it the good old-fashioned way, by exercising and watching his diet.

"I'm working out five to six days a week, two to three times a day and eating properly," says Heavy, who is single and the father of a 5-year-old daughter, Xea. "I just think of things in terms of portion. I was never an unhealthy eater. I just didn't eat at the right times, and I ate bad because of the fast foods when I was on the road."

At his heaviest, 10 years ago, Heavy weighed 395. Standing at 6'2", he says he lost 160 pounds in three years. "I do cardio in the mornings, 45 minutes on the treadmill. I lift weights three or four times a week and then I do cardio again either by boxing, running or walking a steep hill."

Shedding pounds doesn't mean that he plans to shed his famous moniker. "I've been Heavy D since I was 15. Honestly, I can't see it any other way. I spent more time with that name than with my real name."

Heavy ushered in the era of the hefty rapper. The Jamaican-born Dwight Errington Myers made it cool to be big as the lead of Heavy D & the Boyz (Troy "Trouble TRoy" Dixon, Glen "G-Wiz" Parrish and Eddie "DJ Eddie F" Ferrell).

His hits included Mr. Big Stuff, Overweight Lover's in the House, We Got Our Own Thang, Somebody For Me, Gyrlz They Love Me, Is k Good To You and Nuttin' But Love.

In 1990, Dixon died in a freak accident. They released the album, Peaceful Journey, which featured Now That We Found Love, after his death. A few years later the remaining members called it quits.

Heavy then turned his attention toward working as a record executive at Uptown Records. He first worked as vice president of A&R. Later he was named president, making him the first major rapper at that time to do such. While in that top position, he still managed to record, dropping the 1997 album Waterbed Hev.

Next year he is planning to release his first new album in six years. It will focus on the mature audience and include a lot of reggae-influenced songs. The tentative title is Still.

"I'm still the same Hev. I lost 160 pounds, but I'm still the same cat. I'm still good at what I do and in love with what I do. When people hear the album, they will get it."