I spent $100,000 on leg-lengthening surgery to help my career. It was unbelievably painful, but I have no regrets.

• Rich Rotella had limb-lengthening surgery to improve his career.

• He says it increased his height and made him feel better.

• He doesn't have any regrets and is making a documentary about it.

An as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rich Rotella, an actor from Los Angeles who had leg-lengthening surgery in order to get ahead in his career. It has been edited to make it clearer.

I felt like I needed to be taller as a teenager. When I was 5-foot-5, my mother and I sought medical advice from a doctor in Frederick County, Maryland, where I lived at the time. One option the doctor recommended was a growth hormone, but I didn't take it.

When I was 17 years old, an X-ray showed that my growth plates were sealed, despite the fact that I broke my arm playing basketball. I was told by my doctor that I wouldn't grow taller than 5 feet. I tried to move on.

I considered getting leg-lengthening surgery in 2013, but it seemed too expensive

I was married at the time and the surgery cost more than $100,000, but I didn't think about it at the time. It didn't make sense to spend that much money.

I've been an actor in Hollywood since 2009, and have worked with a number of famous people, including Betty White. I thought I was stuck in the sidekick role. On the eve of my 10th anniversary in Hollywood, I asked some directors and filmmakers to give their honest opinions about my career. They said I couldn't get lead roles because of my height.

The lead actors are taller than 5 feet. I felt like I was knocked down a few pegs when this happened. I took a while to think about it. I felt insignificant compared to what was happening in the world.

The next step was picking my surgeon

In October 2020, I came across a channel on the internet dedicated to information on limb discrepancies and limb lengths. After watching all of the videos, I decided to reach out to the creator, Victor Egonu, with the hope of making a documentary about my journey having the surgery.

NuVasive is the hardware company that makes the equipment used in the surgery. The documentary moved forward after the company came on board and provided the hardware for the procedure.

Dror Paley was my surgeon. I knew I could count on him to do great things.

I didn't tell anyone my intentions throughout the process. I told my girlfriend about my plans months before the surgery. After I got a divorce, I began dating her. Before I went in she was the only person I told.

You go into surgery perfectly healthy and wake up with broken legs

The institute requires a three-month rest period after surgery, during which you work with a physical therapist five times a week to rebuild your bones. It took four hours for the surgery to take place, but the recovery is more time consuming. I was on medication that made my mobility limited.

If physical therapy is included, the procedure's price may be different. I spent more than $100,000 doing a femoral surgery. I recommend that people include physical-therapy sessions in their cost analysis because my insurance didn't pay for the surgery. I went from 5 foot 5 to 5 foot 8.

I sent a mass email to my family and friends immediately after the surgery. A lot of people questioned my judgement.

It's an unbelievably painful experience 

It was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. It takes about 1 millimeter a day for your bone to grow back.

To be committed to the process, you need to do intensive research on the type of procedure you want, meet the healthcare practitioners who will work with you, and keep up every step of the way.

It's important for professionals to have a backup plan. You'll be unable to work for a long time because of this. You cannot do it on your own. My girlfriend helped me smooth out the trip.

This surgery has boosted my confidence for auditions

I'm trying to get in touch with executives from major studios in order to sell the rights to my story I have more than one film that I'm looking to work on.

I don't pay attention to the negative reactions I get from people who still think I was wrong to do this because limb-lengthening surgery is just like any other surgery. Even if my career in Hollywood didn't happen, I still would've done it because I've wanted it for myself.

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