Chris Hemsworth knows a thing or two about changing his body for a role. Throughout his career, the Men’s Health cover institution has played a range of roles that challenged both his physical strength and his overall health.
From packing on muscle for the Thor and Avengers franchises to dropping tens of kilos for In The Heart of the Sea and convincingly portraying a spec-ops soldier in both 12 Strong and Extraction, Hemsworth’s scorecard isn’t one to be sniffed at.
His latest challenge, however, takes things to the next level. Speaking to Total Film, Hemsworth recently revealed that he will undergo a huge physical training programme to ‘transform’ into 80s wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, as part of an incoming Netflix biopic directed by The Joker‘s Todd Phillips.
I will have to put on more size than I ever have before, even more than I put on for Thor”, said Hemsworth. “There is the accent as well as the physicality and the attitude… I will also have to do a deep dive into the rabbit hole of the wrestling world, which I’m really looking forward to doing.”
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However, Hemsworth is yet to start training for his role as 12-time world champ Hogan (real name Terry Bollea) — with the move still “quite a way away” and without a script. “I haven’t even seen a script yet. The project is deep in development. Todd Phillips and I met to chat about it maybe a year or two ago,” he said. “We talked about the idea for the film, which I think was going to be a TV series at one point.”
Earlier this year, wrestling fans and Hulkmaniacs alike took to the internet in anger after Hemsworth’s role as Hogan was announced, with wrestling commentator Bryan Alvarez saying Hemsworth was of “regular size” and thereby not suited to playing a man of Hogan’s physical stature. “Chris Hemsworth just looks like a normal guy,” said Alvarez, making comparisons to Brad Pitt’s physique for his role as Achilles in Troy. “He’s big, and yes he’s got long blonde hair, but… have you seen Hulk Hogan in the ’80s? He’s at least twice the size of Thor.”
Clearly, that hasn’t stopped Hemsworth from steaming on with the role and his appetite for exercising and staying healthy remains undeterred. In an interview with Men’s Health, he debunked the “I don’t have time to work out” theory, saying that “it’s about prioritising what’s important… I live an incredibly busy life, but trying to find 20 or 30 minutes a day to train, I can see the benefits.”
“I’d remind people to force themselves to find that [time], whether it’s waking up 20 to 30 minutes earlier, because once you feel the benefits, it’s hard to ignore. I think if you really look at your clock or the day, you can squeeze it in somewhere.”
Previously, Hemsworth shared one of his go-to workouts on Instagram. A session that’s perfect when he’s strapped for time, ‘the Devil’s Workout’ is a “punchy little circuit” that burns fat and builds muscle. Take a minute’s rest between each round or, if you think you’re up to Thor’s god-like standards, “just throw up and power through.” It’s a brutal circuit consisting of six rounds of six moves for six reps:
- Deadlift Press to Triceps Extension
- TRX Inverted Row
- Kettlebell Lunge to Press
- Ring Pull-ups
- Bosu Ball Banded Squat
- Med Ball Slam
This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.
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