{"id":171217,"date":"2025-09-26T21:11:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T21:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/171217\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T21:11:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T21:11:08","slug":"these-13-actors-got-brutally-honest-about-their-wild-diet-and-exercise-regimens-for-movies-and-its-making-my-insides-hurt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/171217\/","title":{"rendered":"These 13 Actors Got Brutally Honest About Their Wild Diet And Exercise Regimens For Movies, And It\u2019s Making My Insides Hurt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Content Warning: This post discusses restrictive and extreme eating habits, as well as body image issues and depression.When a well-known actor undergoes a physical transformation for a role, it pretty much always becomes a massive topic of discussion, with the biggest question often being: \u201cHow did they do it?\u201dOver the years, we\u2019ve seen some pretty wild transformations in instances of both bulking up and slimming down. And the lengths that stars go to achieve the onscreen results are sometimes so extreme \u2014 and potentially dangerous \u2014 that they intentionally never reveal<\/a> what they did or exactly how much they lost.However, a number of actors who\u2019ve drastically changed their bodies for movie roles have detailed their strict regimens \u2014 more often than not, with the intention of emphasizing how truly miserable and inadvisable it is.<\/p>\n

Before we get into it, let\u2019s first make it very clear that extreme dieting can be incredibly dangerous. The majority of these celebs will have had guidance from a professional while undergoing their transformations, and these regimens are not to be replicated. If you or someone you know needs support, you can find resources here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Without further ado, here\u2019s a list of very dedicated stars who\u2019ve gone to huge extremes for their art. Prepare yourself, because it\u2019s a lot to take in.<\/p>\n

Emma Mcintyre \/ Getty Images, Paramount Pictures<\/p>\n

When you think about people looking super ripped in movies, Zac\u2019s Baywatch body is undoubtedly up there. However, the physique came at a price. During a 2022 interview with Men\u2019s Health<\/a>, Zac got real about how his extreme diet and exercise regimen \u2014 which involved waking up at 4:00 a.m. every day to train and taking \u201cpowerful diuretics\u201d to look extra lean \u2014 actually damaged his health on a much deeper level.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat Baywatch look, I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s really attainable. There\u2019s just too little water in the skin. Like, it\u2019s fake; it looks CGI\u2019d,\u201d he said. \u201cI started to develop insomnia and I fell into a pretty bad depression, for a long time. Something about that experience burned me out. I had a really hard time recentering. Ultimately they chalked it up to taking way too many diuretics for way too long, and it messed something up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephane Cardinale – Corbis \/ Getty Images, \u00a9 Warner Bros. \/ courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that Austin seriously pushed himself to play the King of Rock and Roll. However, away from the mental dedication<\/a> he showed \u2014 and that memorable voice transformation \u2014 Austin also went to extreme measures to gain weight to play the older version of Elvis. \u201cI would go get two dozen doughnuts and eat them all. I really started to pack on some pounds,\u201d he said on Variety\u2019s Awards Circuit<\/a> podcast<\/a> in 2023, admitting that he felt \u201cawful.\u201d Austin also said he took inspiration from Ryan Gosling<\/a>\u2019s Lovely Bones transformation by drinking \u201cmicrowaved H\u00e4agen-Dazs\u201d ice cream. But more on that later.<\/p>\n

3. Rosamund Pike \u2014 Gone Girl (2014)<\/p>\n

Mike Marsland \/ Getty Images, \u00a920thCentFox\/Courtesy Everett Collection \/ 20th Century Fox Licensing\/Merchandising \/ Everett Collection<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve seen Gone Girl, you\u2019ll already know how brilliantly terrifying Rosamund is as the villainous Amy Dunne. So just wait until you hear that she lost and gained about 14 pounds \u201cthree times over\u201d during filming to perfect Amy\u2019s various transformations in the story. \u201cThey scheduled around it, so I had two weeks each time for each fluctuation. It was quite intense,\u201d Rosamund told Vulture in 2014<\/a>. \u201cIt was like turning your body into a chemistry lab, and I couldn\u2019t escape it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She trained with a boxer, Holly Lawson<\/a>, who later broke down exactly what they did. For the weight gain weeks, it was all about lifting super heavy, eating lots of \u201cgood fats,\u201d and then tons of carb-heavy meals in the last days before shooting. For the weight-loss cycles, she ate a ton of leafy greens, drank loads of alkaline water, and did high-intensity cardio sessions up to four hours a day, including a daily five mile run<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was very extreme, and not something Rosamund would recommend. \u201cTo a certain extent, my body cooperated, but I don\u2019t know how good it is for you,\u201d she told Vulture. \u201cIt\u2019s probably better to be gaining weight steadily over a long period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Beyonc\u00e9 \u2014 Dreamgirls (2006)<\/p>\n

Amy Sussman \/ Getty Images, \u00a9DreamWorks\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

For her role in Dreamgirls, Bey said she lost 20 pounds in two weeks<\/a> by doing something called the Master Cleanse. The cleanse \u2014 ironically sometimes called the Lemonade Diet \u2014 involves forgoing solid food for two weeks, and instead drinking a concoction of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup. The Master Cleanse has been criticized widely<\/a>, and it\u2019s fair to say that Beyonc\u00e9 didn\u2019t find it all that enjoyable either. \u201cI was very hungry; therefore, I was evil,\u201d she told Ellen DeGeneres<\/a>. \u201cWhen we wrapped the movie\u2026I ate a whole dozen of Krispy Kreme donuts.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Christian Bale \u2014 The Machinist (2004)<\/p>\n

Samir Hussein \/ Getty Images, \u00a9Paramount Classics\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one person in Hollywood who knows all about a physical transformation, it\u2019s our guy Christian. But it\u2019s safe to say that his extreme weight loss for The Machinist was on a totally different level. Each day, he\u2019d only have a cup of black coffee, a single apple, and a tin of tuna to round it off. \u201cI came up with the absolutely brilliant method of just smoking cigarettes and drinking whiskey to lose weight,\u201d he previously said<\/a>.Notably, Christian\u2019s weight loss became so extreme that the film\u2019s producers had to step in and ask him to stop and consider his health. More than two decades later, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s something he\u2019ll ever be doing again. \u201cI\u2019ve become a little bit more boring now, because I\u2019m older and I feel like if I keep doing what I\u2019ve done in the past I\u2019m going to die. So, I\u2019d prefer not to die,\u201d he said in 2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

6. Chris Hemsworth \u2014 In The Heart of the Sea (2015)<\/p>\n

Jeff Spicer \/ Getty Images, \u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

Chris is probably best recognized for his bulked-up Thor physique, but, for In The Heart of the Sea in 2015, the Aussie had to do a complete 180 on his diet to lose 33 pounds in four weeks. Eating about 500 calories a day, Chris survived on boiled eggs, salads, and \u201cnothing much\u201d else, leading him to \u201ca pretty moody existence and inconsistent emotions.\u201d \u201cYou play all sorts of games \u2013 if I eat this, maybe I don\u2019t eat that,\u201d he said on Good Morning America<\/a> while promoting the film. \u201cThe insanity is nuts.\u201d<\/p>\n

7. Matthew McConaughey \u2014 Dallas Buyers Club (2014)<\/p>\n

Neil Mockford \/ Getty Images, \u00a9Focus Features\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

Matthew is almost unrecognizable in Dallas Buyers Club, in which he plays a man who is diagnosed with HIV and given 30 days to live. \u201cIt was tough going, I\u2019m not going to lie,\u201d he said in 2014<\/a>. \u201cI was losing seven pounds every week. I\u2019d have a Diet Coke, two egg whites in the morning, a piece of chicken, then another Diet Coke.\u201d He continued: \u201cI was always hungry, and irritable. My body resembled a baby bird with its mouth open, crying, \u2018Feed me, feed me,\u2019 and you realize momma bird ain\u2019t going to feed you. It\u2019s hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

8. Ryan Gosling \u2014 The Lovely Bones (2009)<\/p>\n

Ethan Miller \/ Getty Images, Jeff Kravitz \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

I know what you\u2019re thinking, Ryan Gosling wasn\u2019t even in The Lovely Bones? And you\u2019d be correct! Which is what makes this story even more painful to hear. For context, Ryan was initially cast to play Jack Salmon (the grieving father ultimately portrayed by Mark Wahlberg), and believed that the character \u201cshould be 210 pounds.\u201d In preparation, Ryan began drinking melted H\u00e4agen-Dazs ice cream<\/a> whenever he was thirsty. When he eventually showed up to set 60 pounds heavier than his usual weight, he was fired by the film\u2019s director<\/a>, Peter Jackson. \u201cWe had a different idea of how the character should look,\u201d Ryan said in 2010<\/a>. \u201cI just showed up on set, and I had gotten it wrong. Then I was fat and unemployed.\u201d<\/p>\n

9. Tom Holland \u2014 Cherry (2021)<\/p>\n

Nbc \/ Getty Images, \u00a9 Apple TV+ \/ Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

In a 2025 interview with Men\u2019s Health<\/a>, Tom\u2019s experience making Cherry was cited as one of the biggest challenges of his career thus far. In the 2021 movie, Tom plays a soldier whose life spirals into crime and drug use. \u201cI was trying to keep below 500 calories a day, I was working out like a crazy person, I was dropping weight really, really quickly,\u201d he told the outlet, admitting that his crash dieting bordered on dangerous. \u201cIt\u2019s not worth it, and it can actually promote quite considerable health concerns down the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

10. Jake Gyllenhaal \u2014 Nightcrawler (2014)<\/p>\n

Amy Sussman \/ Getty Images, Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

Nightcrawler is such an underrated performance from Jake \u2014 especially when you hear what he went through while making it. In pre-production, Jake decided that he wanted his character, Lou Bloom, to look \u201cgaunt,\u201d so he took it upon himself to lose 30 pounds by eating \u201cas few calories as possible\u201d and running 15 miles each evening. \u201cI knew if I was hungry that I was in the right spot,\u201d he said in a 2014 Variety<\/a> interview. There would often be evenings when he \u201cwouldn\u2019t eat at all,\u201d and if he was hungry, he\u2019d only eat \u201csmall pieces of meat, crackers or kale salad.\u201d \u201cPhysically, it showed itself, but chemically and mentally, I think it was even a more fascinating journey. It became a struggle for me,\u201d Jake recalled.<\/p>\n

11. Natalie Portman \u2014 Black Swan (2010)<\/p>\n

Brian De Rivera Simon \/ Getty Images, \u00a9Fox Searchlight\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

While playing a top ballerina in Black Swan, Natalie said<\/a> she was eating so little that \u201cthere were some nights that I thought I literally was going to die.\u201d Eating so little, she lost over 20 pounds. Notably, some people from the ballet world thought Natalie\u2019s character was too thin and criticized the movie<\/a> for its unhealthy portrayal of ballerinas.<\/p>\n

12. Mila Kunis \u2014 Black Swan (2010)<\/p>\n

Variety \/ Getty Images, \u00a9Fox Searchlight\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

Mila, who played Natalie\u2019s rival ballerina in Black Swan, has echoed similarly troubling feelings about her restrictive diet while working on the movie. \u201cI never watched what I ate [before]… And I’ll tell you this \u2014 I’m not promoting this at all \u2014 but I used to be a smoker, and so I smoked a lot of cigarettes and I ate a limited amount of calories,\u201d Mila told Howard Stern<\/a> in 2016. \u201c1200 calories and I smoked.\u201d Notably, Mila said she didn\u2019t \u201cstarve\u201d herself, but still found the experience \u201cawful.\u201d \u201cI don’t recommend anybody ever doing it,\u201d she said. \u201cI don’t advocate this at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

13. Ashton Kutcher \u2014 Jobs (2013)<\/p>\n

Bloomberg \/ Getty Images, Open Road Films\/courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s time to finish off with what is perhaps the wildest inclusion on this list: Ashton landing himself in the hospital after trying to replicate Steve Jobs\u2019 fruitarian diet. For context, the Apple co-founder \u2014 who died of pancreatic cancer in 2011 \u2014 was believed to be a fruitarian, which is a strict vegetarian diet that involves mostly eating fruit, along with some nuts, seeds, and grains. So, when Ashton played him in the 2013 movie, Jobs, his decision to replicate the diet led to a terrifying ordeal.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, the fruitarian diet can lead to, like, severe issues. I went to the hospital like two days before we started shooting the movie. I was doubled over in pain. My pancreas levels were completely out of whack,\u201d he told USA Today<\/a> in 2019, revealing he was diagnosed with pancreatitis. \u201cIt was really terrifying\u2026considering everything.\u201d Appearing on Hot Ones<\/a> that same year, Ashton revealed that he\u2019d tackled the diet by \u201cdrinking carrot juice nonstop all day long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Actors are wild. I have no idea how they do it. If you think of any more examples, let me know in the comments.The National Eating Disorders Association<\/a> helpline is 1-800-931-2237; for 24\/7 crisis support, text \u201cNEDA\u201d to 741741.The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org<\/a> is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.More on this<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Content Warning: This post discusses restrictive and extreme eating habits, as well as body image issues and depression.When…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":171218,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[64,59717,63,447,2021,108042,134,111687,528,76799,111688,19714,24481,66891],"class_list":{"0":"post-171217","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-austin-butler","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-celebrities","12":"tag-chris-hemsworth","13":"tag-christian-bale","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-everett-collection","16":"tag-getty-images","17":"tag-jake-gyllenhaal","18":"tag-physical-transformation","19":"tag-rosamund-pike","20":"tag-ryan-gosling","21":"tag-zac-efron"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}