Movies - TV
Actors Who Totally Rebuilt Their Bodies For A Single Role
By JENN ADAMS
Jonathan Majors
“Magazine Dreams” is based on the life of body-builder Killian Maddox, who hopes to capture an image of physical perfection that will live forever on the cover of a magazine. Actor Jonathan Majors insisted on a natural transformation and dedicated himself to multiple training sessions a day and a 6,100-calorie diet.
Emma Stone
Fresh off her Oscar win for “La La Land,” Stone signed on to play real-life tennis player Billie Jean King in “Battle of the Sexes” and underwent an intense training regimen to prepare for the role. She managed to add 15 pounds of muscle to her small frame by completing grueling workouts and increasing her calorie intake.
Jake Gyllenhaal
At the beginning of filming “Southpaw,” Gyllenhaal was understandably nervous, but the actor took his workouts seriously. The actor began each morning with an 8-mile run and 1,000 situps before beginning one of two three-hour workout sessions; he trained seven days a week and has said the training helped him gain confidence.
Robert De Niro
De Niro trained for a year before filming “Raging Bull,” going 1,000 rounds in the ring with Jake La Motta, on whom the film was based, and adding 20 pounds of muscle. Then, to show how his character was out of shape later in life, De Niro traveled to Italy, binged the rich local cuisine, and packed on an additional 70 pounds.
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman was already thin when she got the lead in “Black Swan,” but she still managed to shed 20 pounds to recreate the long and lean physique prized in the ballet world. She worked out eight hours a day for six days a week, including ballet lessons, and was on a severely restricted diet of little more than vegetables and almonds.