From Thor to the skin-and-bones frame of a castaway, Chris Hemsworth swung to the other extreme in Ron Howard’s ‘In the Heart of the Sea.’ In the movie, Hemsworth plays First Mate Owen Chase, whose ship named Essex is crushed to bits by the notorious literary whale, Moby Dick. The crew is stranded for months.
Hemsworth lost 30 pounds to achieve the starvation look. The weight was stripped from the fit and trim frame we saw him don in ‘Black Hat,’ so it was particularly difficult to lose. He and his cast mates were consuming just 500 calories per day by the time the open sea shooting commenced. Like real castaways, Hemsworth said extreme weight loss made them kind of lose it. “We kind of went insane, weighing ourselves every day.”
Matthew McConaughey Plumped Up for ‘Gold’
Matthew McConaughey found getting into the character of Kenny Wells in 'Gold' was easier than he thought. The Oscar-winning actor packed on 47 pounds and went from a dashing athletic build to the physique of a middle-aged guy on the Donald Trump eating plan.
The eat-whatever-you-want diet was new to him. He said getting into the shape of a modern-day prospector scouring Indonesian jungles for gold was easy. McConaughey summed it up, “Cheeseburgers and beer will do the trick." He mused, “I wouldn’t even take the stairs to the second floor, that would be too much exercise.” His wife and kids loved the new chowing-down lifestyle while it lasted. “I was Captain Fun—that was my nickname around the house, because I was saying ‘yes’ to everything."
Taylor Lautner Bulked Up to Werewolf Proportions in ‘Twilight: New Moon’
In the Twilight sequel, 'New Moon,' Taylor Lautner comes back playing the part of a towering and muscular werewolf monster. To land the role, he had to gain 30 pounds of muscle, or as he says it, he had to “basically kill myself.” Lautner told Access, “I get into the gym every single day, seven days a week, two hours a day, eat as much as I possibly can."
Chiseling out the six-pack and a chest of beastly ripped flesh was a contingent for procuring the role. He met the challenge. “It’s motivation for my passion [for] the character. I knew it was a necessity for the character. I’m stoked to be a part of this,” Lautner said. After the $200 million success of 'Twilight,' he’s all in. “It’s mind-blowing,” he said of the massive teen supernatural sensation.
J.K. Simmons Gets Pumped for ‘Justice League’
J.K. Simmons couldn’t have done it without Aaron Williamson, his ex-Marine elite-level trainer. Although, embodying 'Justice League' Commissioner Jim Gordon took a lion’s share of the work from Simmons. On the other hand, Williamson is credited for bulking up the likes of Zac Efron, Sylvester Stallone, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jai Courtney, and Jamie Foxx.
None of Simmon’s previous roles had demanded a ripped-out physique. He took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 'Whiplash,' playing an abusive teacher, so playing the commissioner of Gotham City and Batman’s go-to guy required a flip. The strength he built impressed trainer Williamson, who posted a picture of his ripped client saying, “Every time we train together I forget he’s 61 years old. So much respect for this guy.”
50 Cent Drops Down in 'All Things Fall Apart'
Rapper 50 Cent took time out of his music career to work on a passion project. He wrote, produced, financed, and starred in 'All Things Fall Apart,' a movie about a Heisman-hopeful football star named Deon, whose fortunes are tackled by cancer. To prep for the role, the rapper from Queens lost almost 60 pounds. His motivation stemmed from losing a friend to cancer.
When a picture of the rapper got out, his gaunt visage shocked everyone. He weighed just 160 pounds. The sacrifice he undertook to star in the film directed by Mario Van Peebles was brutal. He went on a liquid diet and spent three grueling hours a day on the treadmill. This went on for nine months. “I was starving,” he said. He also went through the painful process of tattoo removal to play the part, joking, “It cuts down on the amount of time I have to spend in makeup covering them up.”