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If you watch '300' on mute, it's basically just a group of ridiculously buff men jumping around in underpants and capes, and Gerard Butler is the leader of the pack! He trained intensively for four months to get in shape for the role. His fitness regime was even popularized as the '300 diet' because his results were so impressive.
Alicia Vikander inherited the role of Lara Croft from Angelina Jolie for the 2018 'Tomb Raider' remake. Those are some big shoes to fill! Vikander trained hard to take on the heavily physical role. She gained 12 pounds (5 kg) of muscle through an intensive exercise regime and strict diet.
Adam Driver is one tall fellow. This makes it difficult for him to widen his frame for an imposing role like Kylo Ren, but luckily, Driver had a secret weapon. He previously served as a Marine in the US military and was able to use his training to get in shape (it might have also helped him master a lightsaber...).
Paul Rudd is not your typical superhero, but neither is Ant-Man. He didn't need to go to Christian Bale lengths for the role, but he definitely got leaner and buffer. Rudd was reportedly quite dedicated and got up at 5 am daily to get into the best shape of his life.
Sources: (Watch Mojo) (Men's Journal) (Elle Australia) (Muscle and Fitness)
See also: Fitness tips from Hollywood's favorite personal trainers
Chris Pratt bulked up like crazy for his leading role in 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (2014). It was even more impressive because he had recently gained 60 pounds (27 kg) for his role in the movie 'Delivery Man' (2013).
Chris Evans is naturally pretty slim but he's managed to increase his weight and muscle mass to an impressive degree for his Captain America role. He has maintained this extra weight on his small frame for a decade now, and seemed to add definition with every movie.
Christian Bale is a notoriously extreme method actor who's not afraid to push his body to the limit. Anyone who's seen him in 'The Machinist' (2004) knows that. This role left him emaciated and starving, and he had just six months to turn himself into Batman.
Getting ripped for a role is nothing new for Jake Gyllenhaal, however, as he previously transformed his body for 'Southpaw' (2015). He gained 15 pounds (7 kg) of pure muscle through his boxing training and in the end his performance as an actor and a boxer was critically acclaimed.
Daniel Craig is by far the chunkiest of all the James Bonds, and we're not mad about it! When he got the role, he contacted an ex-Royal Marine who had previously trained Pierce Brosnan. He quite smoking, ate lean protein and greens, and trained daily in preparation.
Sylvester Stallone wasn't exactly scrawny in the first 'Rocky' movies, but number three was where he really reached his fitness peak. He reportedly dropped to 2.8% body fat by working out twice a day, six days a week.
Emily Blunt had two and half months to turn herself into a warrior woman who fights extra-terrestrials with ease. She trained in weighted vests to to prepare herself for filming in an 85 pound (39 kg) exoskeleton. Tom Cruise said he'd never seen someone arrive so well prepared! And that's coming from the action movie king who does his own stunts.
John Krasinski circa 2013 is a very different John Krasinski to the one who played Jim in 'The Office.' He took on the role of a Navy SEAL in this 2016 Michael Bay epic and packed on 25 pounds (11 kg) of pure muscle.
Brie Larson was the first female lead in a Marvel movie, and she wasn't about to look weak! She trained for nine months to increase her strength and gained 15 pounds (7 kg) of muscle to get into superhero shape. That's particularly impressive for someone who says they're “not super athletic."
Mark Wahlberg has always been pretty jacked, but when he got a starring role as an eccentric bodybuilder alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, he pushed himself even further. Wahlberg is famous for his insanely strict daily routine. For this role, he started eating 12 meals per day and weight training intensively. He gained 40 pounds (18 kg) in just two months!
Tom Hardy took on the role of notorious criminal Charles Bronson in 2008. Bronson has spent a great deal of his life in prison, so Hardy built muscle by performing exercises that can be done in a jail cell. He ate a diet of chicken, rice, pizza, ice cream, and cola, and gained 42 pounds (19 kg) in just seven weeks.
Unlucky for Hemsworth, he got cast as a race car driver in the movie 'Rush' in 2013, so he had to lose all of the weight and slim down. Then he had to gain it all again for 'Thor: The Dark World' (2013).
Hilary Swank's Oscar-winning role in 'Million Dollar Baby' (2004) required her to get to the level of fitness expected of a boxer. She worked out for four to six hours per day and followed a diet that helped her gain weight. She gained 19 pounds (9 kg), which is a lot for her petite frame!
Michael B. Jordan was pretty slim prior to his role as Apollo Creed's son in the 'Rocky' spin-off. He gained 24 pounds (11 kg) of muscle over the space of a year by training two to three hours per day and eating an incredibly bland diet. That's serious dedication to the craft.
Deadpool is a bit of anti-superhero, but he still has that superhero shape. Reynolds managed to add an additional seven pounds (3 kg) of muscle to his already ripped body for the role.
In 2011, Chris Hemsworth took on the role of Thor, one of the most formidable superheroes in the Marvel universe. He bulked up to add an additional 30 pounds (14 kg) to his massive frame.
In that six months, he managed to put on a whopping 100 pounds (45 kg). Apparently he achieved this through training and eating pizza and ice cream!
Hugh Jackman had already appeared in several films as Wolverine, but he decided that the 2013 instalment was the time to get as ripped as his comic book character! He reportedly followed a diet plan recommended by Dwayne Johnson that required him to eat 6,000 calories a day, while following a rigorous workout routine.
Bradley Cooper packed on 40 pounds (18 kg) of mass in 10 weeks to accurately portray Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. He took on a 5,000-calorie diet, worked out twice a day, and even trained as a sniper. He reportedly had to eat every 55 minutes.
These days Henry Cavill is the definition of a superhero bod, but it wasn't always that way. The actor used to be teased about his weight as a kid. He got lean for his role in the 2011 film 'Immortals,' and then bulked up in a major way to take on Superman.
Ben Affleck had to work hard to get himself ready for his role as Batman. He was 43 years old when he started training, but he managed to increase his weight by 33 pounds (15 kg) and reduce his body fat to 7.7%.
Channing Tatum revealed that he nearly turned down the third 'Magic Mike' movie because of the physical strain. In an interview with Kelly Clarkson, he shared how difficult and unhealthy it is to look camera-ready for a role like that. "It's not natural," he told Clarkson, "You have to starve yourself. I don't think when you’re that lean it's actually healthy for you." Tatum says he has to cut out sodium completely in the run-up to filming. Then there are the workouts! "Truly, I don't know how people that work a nine to five actually stay in shape because it's my full-time job and I can barely do it," Tatum marveled. Despite his trepidation, Tatum decided to sacrifice for the fans and give us one more 'Magic Mike' movie.
Jake Gyllenhaal made a surprise appearance at the UFC 285 weigh-in in Las Vegas on March 3, 2023, while shooting scenes for an upcoming remake of the 1989 movie ‘Road House.’ The actor showed off his ripped physique as he took part in a weigh-in alongside former UFC fighter Jay Hieron, who will co-star in the film. Footage on social media showed Gyllenhaal stepping onto the scales, flexing his muscles, and shouting towards the crowd, getting hyped up with former UFC champion Conor McGregor who will also co-star, CNN reports. Gyllenhaal was then involved in a scripted altercation with Hieron, his opponent in the movie, in which he slapped the UFC fighter on stage. It was certainly a nice surprise for UFC fans.
Linda Hamilton has been with the 'Terminator' franchise since the beginning. She undergoes a serious transformation over the decades as her character evolves and becomes tougher and stronger. Hamilton has reached her peak strength in her sixties!
Josh Brolin made an impressive transformation for his role as Cable in 'Deadpool 2' (2018). The guy was pushing 50 and managed to do it in 11 weeks, making it all the more impressive. He worked out for three hours a day in the gym and completely cut sugar out of his diet to achieve the dramatic change. He joked that it would have been preferable to use steroids!
The beautiful leading men and women of Hollywood are often fitness idols. They seem to maintain impossibly svelte physiques well past the age that the rest of us just give up! Their perceived physical perfection is wildly romanticized and coveted by the general public, but the reality is not so glamorous.
Actors are expected to transform their bodies at the drop of a hat to achieve the perfect look for a role. They put themselves through grueling fitness regimes and restrictive diets that are totally unhealthy in the long run. They may achieve that superhero look, but the price is high.
Let's take a look at the other actors who went to great (and painful) lengths to bulk up for a movie.
Actors who got seriously buff for movie roles
The transformation they've achieved is really impressive
CELEBRITY Characters
The beautiful leading men and women of Hollywood are often fitness idols. They seem to maintain impossibly svelte physiques well past the age that the rest of us just give up! Their perceived physical perfection is wildly romanticized and coveted by the general public, but the reality is not so glamorous.
Actors are expected to transform their bodies at the drop of a hat to achieve the perfect look for a role. They put themselves through grueling fitness regimes and restrictive diets that are totally unhealthy in the long run. They may achieve that superhero look, but the price is high.
Let's take a look at the other actors who went to great (and painful) lengths to bulk up for a movie.