These Actors Took "Looking The Part" To The Next Level

While it may seem desirable to have a shredded body, it actually takes a ton of hard work, determination, and eating nothing but boring foods to get movie muscles. Although not all of them won Oscars for their efforts, these actors deserve some credit for all the hard work they put in to "look the part." Here's what these 20 ripped actors had to go through to get in shape for their roles.

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1. Christian Bale for Batman

Christian Bale went from having an extremely frail 120-pound figure for his role in The Machinist to being totally jacked, weighing 220 pounds in six months. He did this by going to the gym for three hours a day, six days a week, doing cardio every day, and binge eating. 

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2. Gerard Butler for 300

To convincingly play a Spartan in 300, Gerard Butler and the rest of the cast needed movie muscles fast. He worked out six hours a day for four months straight doing bootcamp-style exercises.  He would even do reps between takes to make his muscles pop.

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3. Chris Pratt for Guardians of the Galaxy

Chris Pratt shocked the world when he went from being a pudgy everyman in Parks and Recreation to a ripped superhero in Guardians of the Galaxy. He went on a carefully constructed diet plan and an exercise regimen that was mostly upper-body conditioning and cardio. He also gave up beer for six months. 

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4. Zac Efron for Baywatch

To play alongside The Rock in Baywatch, Zac Efron had to acquire a shredded beach body in 3 months. His workout consisted mostly of back-to-back body weight exercises with no rest so he would work his cardio as well. 

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5. J.K. Simmons for Justice League

J.K. Simmons is nearly unrecognizable since playing the dad from Juno thanks to his huge biceps. His routine consists of a lot of protein and weightlifting at the gym. Moreso than his role in Justice League, he attributes the transformation to his desire to bulk up and get healthy following an earlier role which he had to lose a lot of weight for.

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6. Demi Moore for G.I. Jane

In order to play a Navy SEAL in G.I. Jane, Demi Moore trained like a Navy SEAL with an actual Navy SEAL instructor. She would wake up at 4 a.m. and go for a run followed by either weight training or calisthenics so she could kill those one-armed pushups in the film. 

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7. Jake Gyllenhaal for Southpaw

Jake Gyllenhaal turned heads when he transformed his usually scrawny frame into a burly fighter for his role in Southpaw. To get in shape for the role, the actor trained like a real fighter with Muhammad Ali’s former coach. He was at the gym twice a day doing a combination of explosive high-intensity and resistance training workouts, and of course, boxing. 

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8. Chris Hemsworth for Thor

Chris Hemsworth has a naturally athletic build. Still, each time he plays the thunder god, he has to pack on about 20 extra pounds of muscle. How does he do it? With a combination of heavy-weight, low-rep bodybuilding-type workouts and circuit-based cardio.

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9. Henry Cavill for Superman

In order to convincingly play the man of steel, Henry Cavill had to look big and strong. He did it by eating a mostly protein diet of up to 5,000 calories a day and following a weightlifting-based workout routine performed in a circuit fashion to build endurance.

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10. Edward Norton for American History X

To prepare for his Oscar-winning performance as a bone-chilling neo-Nazi in American History X, Edward Norton put on 30 pounds of muscle in three months. To achieve the fearsome build, he had five meals a day with protein shakes in between and followed a workout routine consisting of non-stop compound lifts. 

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11. Michael B. Jordan for Creed

To comprise the role of the fictional boxer Adonis Creed in Creed, Michael B. Jordan had to get into incredible shape. He ate up to six meals daily made up of lean proteins, veggies, and whole grains, and a workout routine comprised of cardio and strength-building exercises focused on tightening and building lean muscle.

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12. Ryan Reynolds for Blade: Trinity

The turning point in Ryan Raynolds’ career can be traced back to when he got insane abs to play the vampire hunter in Blade. To completely change his physique to a superhero-worthy build, he kept a 3,200-calorie daily diet and trained six days a week at the gym doing intense cardio and weight training. 

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13. Kit Harington for Pompeii

Kit Harington’s abs were so perfect in Pompeii that people assumed they were CGI. They were actually the result of an insane 5,000-calorie-a-day diet plan and four-hour workout routine that consisted of combat training, weightlifting, and cardio.

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14. Taylor Lautner for Twilight: New Moon

It’s not easy to transform yourself into a wolf, but that’s just what the then-skinny teenage boy had to do for his role in Twilight: New Moon. He was eating 3,200 calories a day and working out twice a day five times a week to achieve that werewolf bulk.

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15. Hilary Swank for Million Dollar Baby

For her Oscar-winning role in Million Dollar Baby, Hilary Swank unveiled some serious acting chops along with some newly acquired 20 pounds of muscle. To transform her thin body into that of a boxer, she was eating 60 egg whites a day and hitting the gym five days a week doing dumbbell exercises, bench presses, and boxing.

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16. Will Smith for Ali

To play the most iconic boxer of all time, Will Smith had to transform his slim and lanky body to resemble Muhammed Ali’s robust and imposing build. He worked out with Sugar Ray Leonard’s trainer for six hours a day focusing mainly on weight training and eventually benching 350 pounds. 

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17. Kumail Nanjiani for Eternals

It became hard to buy his role as a nerdy app creator in Silicon Valley when his biceps were bulging out of his shirt by the final season. For Eternals, the comedic actor made his marvelous transformation by following a strict meal plan and weight training at the gym using the cable machine–a lot.

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18. Hugh Jackman for X-Men

In preparation for his role as Wolverine, Hugh Jackman went from being a muscular man to an absurdly ripped one. He did it by powerlifting, doing spurts of short cardio workouts, and eating a ton of chicken. 

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19. Emily Blunt for Edge of Tomorrow

The film Edge of Tomorrow was an action-packed thriller featuring invincible aliens and a post-apocalyptic world, but all we were looking at were Emily Blunt’s biceps. She got in shape for that role by training six days a week, two to three hours a day lifting weights, doing sprints, pilates, and martial arts.  

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20. Jeremy Allen White for The Iron Claw

To play real-life wrestler Kerry Von Erich in The Iron Claw, Jeremy Allen White gained 40 pounds of muscle and nearly broke the internet when shirtless photos of him jogging surfaced online. He did it by eating a lot of meat, doing short explosive cardio workouts, bodyweight training, and heavy lifting.

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