Actors playing superhero roles need to be extremely strong and have a lot of power and endurance to display the unbelievable heroics as a superhero and to display superpowers. Taking everything into account, the rigors of living up to a superhero persona can be intimidating. Not only that, they need to deal with a demanding fitness routine to keep playing the same character years down the line in sequels and other films. There are some actors who adopt shortcut muscle gain tricks like steroids to get into the shape, others opt for the workout routines and diet control to get the desired results.
Here we will take a look at ten such actors who didn’t use steroids and have worked on their bodies to attain the ideal superhero physique needed to play their respective roles.
10. HENRY CAVILL
Playing the strongest man in the world didn’t come easy for Henry Cavill. He knew he had to do a lot and he opted for demanding fitness regime for six straight months with Mark Twight before starting filming so that he looked every bit the way Superman should. As a result, he was really happy with his naturally built physique.
9. JASON MOMOA
Jason Momoa has spent last many years bulking up for several challenging roles such as Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones and Conan the Barbarian. He was recently seen as Aquaman in last year’s Justice League and would reprise the role in his upcoming solo movie. To play all of these roles which generally keep him shirtless, Jason Momoa has to work extra hard. The fans don’t mind it either.
8. CHRIS PRATT
Chris Pratt has evolved from being a funny guy to becoming a comic book inspired character with toned body. Pratt played the muscular hero in Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequel as well as the recent Avengers: Infinity War. He is quite proud of having been able to naturally gain mass and confessed that he had to give up a lot of the foods that he loved to eat, to maintain that shape.
7. CHRIS HEMSWORTH
Ever since the Australian actor started playing Thor in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor and Avengers movies, he had to commit to a difficult workout routine involving heavy strength training, interval training workouts, and a high protein diet. He had a great frame to start with, so it was a bit easier for him to add muscle to his body naturally.
6. CHRIS EVANS
Chris Evans was famous for his roles in romantic comedies, but, after he was cast as Captain America, the need to authentically display the traits of moral impeccability and physical strength made the actor undertake extreme weight lifting routine for six months before the commencement of filming to get the right shape.
Prior to picking up the shield, Chris Evans had played the role of superhero Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), in The Fantastic Four, but, back then he was not needed to look as muscular as needed by Captain America.
5. BEN AFFLECK
Affleck’s version of Batman was inspired by the Dark Knight series by Frank Miller from the 1980s where the Batman was a middle-aged hero. This version of Batman needed to look like a grim and bulked up hero. To achieve that shape, Ben Affleck trained under Walter Norton Jr. from the Institute of Performance and Fitness who made him go through workouts with 60 pounds of additional weight strapped to him throughout. His hard work paid amply, and his version of the Dark Knight has been totally mind-blowing.
4. CHRISTIAN BALE
Christian Bale was another iconic Batman actor who didn’t use steroids to add muscle. Bale endured the toughest physical routine and maintain it whenever a new Batman movie was made. He worked out every day and maintained his diet routine to develop muscle.
3. ZOE SALDANA
Zoe Saldana has a reputation for playing sci-fi roles in Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy movies. To keep her chiseled from stone physique, Joe had to endure workout regimes including pilates and yoga. She follows a healthy eating lifestyle.
2. RYAN REYNOLDS
Ryan Reynolds first played a superhero role when he portrayed Hal Jordan in the DC movie The Green Lantern, which was CGI heavy and didn’t need him to do much. However, once he started playing Deadpool, he started following a compelling fitness routine where he had to compete with Hugh Jackman as the inspiration to become bulkier. He has naturally disarming looks, witty dialogues, and a charismatic on-screen presence. Therefore, he proved to be the ideal Deadpool.
1. HUGH JACKMAN
For seventeen long years, Hugh Jackman played Wolverine in the X-Men franchise as well as his solo Wolverine trilogy. Therefore, it doesn’t surprise us to find out that he has spent most of his acting days in the gym.
He worked in tandem with David Kingbury, who made Jackman a mix of regular weight lifting workouts (twice daily), cardio, and a protein-rich diet. By following this workout routine, he managed to play Wolverine until the age of 48.
