In the movies, it’s not enough for an actor or actress to act tough. They have to look like they can take on murderous robots, deliver punishing haymakers, or jump across rooftops. But there are some effects that just can’t be faked with CGI.
All of the actors on this list spent time in the gym, pumping iron and counting their calories, in order to better portray characters who have to look like they’re at the very pinnacle of physical perfection.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
In order to pull this off, he had to run, squat, and sweat for months in order to transform his build from lithe to beefy. According to trainer Simon Waterson, a former Royal Marine, Gyllenhaal was made to run on a horserace track wearing a 20 pound coat in order to mimic what it would be like running in the desert with armor on.
Credit: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time [Blu-ray]
Gerard Butler, 300 (2006)
It wasn’t just star Butler who seriously buffed up for this ultra-violent comic book adaptation – it was almost the entire cast. In order to build abs of steel, a specialized crossfit workout was invented that consisted of 300 daily reps of pain for eight to 10 weeks.
Credit: 300: The Complete Experience [Blu-ray]
Angela Basset, What’s Love Got To Do With It (1993)
How did Bassett get those sculpted biceps in her intense and athletic performance as Tina Turner? According to an interview in Essence Magazine, Basset lifted weights for two hours a day, six says a week.
Credit: What’s Love Got To Do With It [DVD]
Ryan Reynolds, Blade: Trinity (2004)
This funny guy made the transition to action star in this movie by adding 22-pounds of muscle and reducing his body fat to a slim 3%.
Credit: Blade Trinity [Unrated Version]
Robert DeNiro, Cape Fear (1991)
As the diabolical Max Cady, Robert DeNiro got himself tattooed with vegetable dyes, paid for dental work to make his teeth look damaged, and worked out constantly before and during the shoot, bring his body fat down to 3%.
Credit: Cape Fear [10th Anniversary Edition]
Linda Hamilton, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The best part of Linda Hamilton’s follow-up performance as Sarah Connor is the story her body tells: in the movie Terminator, she was an ordinary woman. In the sequel, she can pump a shotgun with one hand. Months of judo, weight training, and a former Israeli commando trainer helped.
Credit: Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Skynet Edition [Blu-ray]
Ed Norton, American History X (1998)
How did Ed Norton go from scrawny geek to Neo-Nazi Hulk? A high-protein diet helped, but mainly, it was chest presses, pull-ups, and a whole lot of personal discipline.
Credit: American History X [Blu-ray]
Nic Cage, Ghost Rider (2007)
Nic Cage is a comic book fan, and he wanted to look lean and muscular like a comic book character. He worked out four or five hours a day in order to have the body of an avenging spirit who’s head is a skull on fire.
Credit: Ghost Rider [Blu-ray]
Kenneth Branagh, Mary Shelley'sFrankenstein (1994)
Being regarded by some as one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of his generation didn’t stop Branagh from wanting to take his shirt off and flex some Hollywood muscles for his underrated, and often unintentionally hilarious, turn as doomed genius Dr. Frankenstein.
Credit: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein [Blu-ray]
Tom Hardy, Bronson (2008)
You know Tom Hardy as the "Forger" in this summer’s hit Inception. You probably wouldn’t recognize him in Bronson playing Charles Bronson, a lifelong prisoner who specialized in bare-knuckle brawling. Hardy bulked up and trained with a US Marine who he used as a “walking gym,” according to an interview with AskMen.com.
Credit: Bronson [Blu-ray]
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