How Future MCU Star Charlize Theron Stays Toned and Fit

Charlize Theron made a surprise appearance in the post-credit scene of this summer's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, looking fit and powerful as befits a future Marvel Cinematic Universe star. The Oscar winner — who is rumored to have a much larger role in the future of the MCU — eats well and exercises regularly to maintain the physicality fans of Mad Max: Fury Road and her other films have come to expect. Read on to see five ways Charlize Theron stays in shape and the photos that prove they work. And to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!

1. She Eats Organic When She Can

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Theron opts for organic vegetables and high-protein food and avoids processed and fried options. “The hardest thing for me was I wasn’t prepared for how that amount of processed food will affect your mood, and I dealt with depression for the first time,” she said. “What they say about, you know, what you eat is kind of who you are is so true. I ate like a person who just didn’t move, and I felt like that. That was a hard thing to break because it’s more mental than it is almost physical.”

2. She Sticks to a Mostly Plant-Based Diet

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Theron favors plant-based, vegan raw food in her regular diet. She might not be perfect, but tries to eat vegan whenever she can. Eating a plant-based diet makes her feel great and keeps her lean, she said.

3. She Loves to Be Active

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Theron was always active, but discovering Pilates was a game-changer. “It’s totally changed my body,” she said. “I’m always calculating my activity. If I haven’t been moving a lot, I can’t eat a lot. Or maybe it’s a cheat day. But I’m honest with myself.” When not doing Pilates, Theron does power yoga and cycling or spends time outdoors. “I love anything outdoorsy," she said. "My mom recently got me to play tennis, which I wasn’t good at, but really enjoyed it. If you do the exercise you enjoy you’re keeping yourself fit without even realizing it.”

4. She Mostly Avoids Alcohol

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Theron avoids alcohol when she can. “I have juices and kale and green salads every day,” she said. “When I’m eating healthily, getting enough sleep and not drinking alcohol, that’s when I look my best. That’s when I’m happiest, and I think it shows.”

5. She Indulges in Cheat Foods

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Like any other human being on the planet, Theron indulges herself from time to time. Ribs and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are among her favorite cheat foods. At one point, she needed to gain nearly 50 pounds for a role. “I ate a lot of everything, but my drug of choice is potato chips,” she said. “Everywhere. I had a bag in the car, a bag in the bathroom, a bag in the kitchen, a bag on the couch, a bag in my trailer. Everywhere I went, there was just a bag.”

Charlize Theron helped raise awareness for her Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project with a very fun charity tennis tournament called Desert Smash. Theron, 48, shared pictures and video of herself wearing a white tennis skirt and black shirt, posing with her fellow players. “This week I got to immerse myself in two of my favorite things: Tennis, and @CTAOP 😍 So grateful to everyone who came out, and the team who has kept this epic event going strong for 20 years!” she captioned the post. “👏👏👏,” commented fellow tennis enthusiast Courteney Cox. Here’s how Theron looks and feels better, both inside and out, with every year that passes.

1. Solo Hikes

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Theron works out for self-care as well as her physical health. “I really love getting the gym out of the way in the morning – it’s when I have the most energy,” she told Vogue. “For me it’s very motivational and it’s like the best caffeine in the world, my brain is not good when I don’t workout. Between 7am and 8am in the morning I’m always doing something. I’m either at the gym or I’ll do Pilates or a hike – that’s the one hour I tend to take for myself. It’s a way for me to start my day and feel balanced.”

2. Pilates and Weights

Theron loves Pilates and weight lifting. “I don’t do any exercise in my life that I hate,” she told Vogue. “Everything that I do I love, and I love switching it up. I love when I go and lift weights and I work with somebody who’s going to make me do things that I haven’t done before, so it’s constantly a challenge. I’m very into Pilates, I’ve worked with the same teacher for close to a decade now. I have a [reformer machine] in my house and she lives close to me, so most of the time our workouts are here at home.”

3. No More Weight Gain

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Theron refuses to ever gain weight for a movie again. “When I was 27, I did Monster. I lost 30 pounds, like, overnight,” she told Allure. “I missed three meals and I was back to my normal weight. Then I did it at 43 for Tully, and I remember a year into trying to lose the weight, I called my doctor and I said, ‘I think I’m dying because I cannot lose this weight.’ And he was like, ‘You’re over 40. Calm down. Your metabolism is not what it was.’ Nobody wants to hear that.”

4. Beauty With Age

Theron feels more beautiful with every passing year. “And when I try to figure out why, it's because I feel like I have found more power,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “I don't have time for [bs] anymore. I just feel more comfortable the older I get. And I think a lot of that is because I have found my power and I have real true happiness.”

5. No Facelift

Theron loves that her face is changing, and gets exasperated when people ask if she had a facelift. “I’ve always had issues with the fact that men kind of age like fine wines and women like cut flowers,” she told Allure. “I despise that concept and I want to fight against it, but I also think women want to age in a way that feels right to them. I think we need to be a little bit more empathetic to how we all go through our journey. My journey of having to see my face on a billboard is quite funny now.”

Charlize Theron’s acting resume is pretty extensive. She played Aileen Wuornos in the 2003 film, Monster, where she received an Academy Award. She’s appeared as the Evil Queen in Snow White & The Huntsman and the sequel, Winter’s War. She also appeared in the 2015 Mad Max film, Fury Road. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 7 ways Charlize Theron stays in shape and the photos that prove they work—and to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!

1. She Adjusts Her Exercise to Her Diet

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Theron opened up about her approach to diet and exercise in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. She says that the amount of exercise she does each day is determined by what she eats. “I’m always calculating my activity,” Theron explained. “If I haven’t been moving a lot, I can’t eat a lot. Or maybe it’s a cheat day. But I’m honest with myself.”

2. She Eats Healthy

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Theron talked about her wellness routine in an interview with Red Magazine. She says that eating healthy is extremely important to her. “I have juices and kale and green salads every day. When I’m eating healthily, getting enough sleep and not drinking alcohol, that’s when I look my best. That’s when I’m happiest, and I think it shows.”

3. She Does Workouts She Enjoys

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Theron opened up about her favorite exercises in her interview with Red. She says that she does exercises that she enjoys. “My mum recently got me to play tennis, which I wasn’t good at but really enjoyed,” she said. “If you do exercise you enjoy, you’re keeping yourself fit without even realising it.”

4. She’s Comfortable

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In her Red interview, Theron opened up about her mental health and wellbeing. She says that she is a lot more comfortable with herself now, and is working on her anxiety. “Not that my twenties were terrible, but I think I would have been happier if I just took a breath and slowed down a bit,” she said. “I didn’t know how to be good to myself. I was in such a rush, it put me in a constant state of anxiety. I wish I’d taken the time to enjoy everything.”

5. She’s Grateful

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Theron talked about her upbringing in her Red interview. She says that she was taught a lot from her mother, and she is extremely grateful for it. “I was very lucky to be raised by a single parent who wanted that for me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without that kind of a backbone. I learnt that from a very young age.”

6. She Knows Her Priorities

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Theron has a busy life, however, she doesn’t let it overwhelm her. She revealed her secret to Red. “Once you know what your priorities are, you can juggle the rest of it,” she says. “It’s crystal clear to me that my family comes first. And, trust me, every day, I realise that I’m doing something that’s probably going to screw them up forever.”

7. She Does Pilates

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Theron tells Harper’s Bazaar that she’s a big fan of Pilates. “It’s totally changed my body,” she says. Pilates has a lot of benefits. Better Health reports that Pilates is able to, “Increased muscle strength and tone, particularly of your abdominal muscles, lower back, hips and buttocks (the ‘core muscles’ of your body).”

In the world of big-budget blockbusters, movie stars often undergo incredible transformations to portray iconic characters. From intense workout routines to specialized diets, these actors commit themselves to becoming the physical embodiment of their roles. In this article, we'll take a closer look at 25 Hollywood stars who got fit for their major blockbuster performances. Discover the dedication and hard work behind their stunning on-screen appearances, as they share their fitness journeys and wellness secrets. Prepare to be inspired by their determination to bring beloved characters to life on the silver screen.

1. Chris Pratt

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Chris Pratt made a large body transformation after transitioning from starring on Parks and Recreation to starring in several action movies. Notably, Pratt lost 60 pounds in 6 months. He opened up about how he got in shape for Guardians of The Galaxy to Best Fit. “They held up the selfie from Zero Dark Thirty and said, ‘You’re too fat for Star-Lord. How long will it take you to look like this?’ They gave me five-and-a-half months.”

2. Hugh Jackman

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Hugh Jackman is preparing to play Wolverine in Deadpool 3. On Instagram, he revealed that he is bulking up and eating 8,000 calories a day. He captioned the post, “Bulking. A day in the life. Thank you, Chef Mario, for helping me stay healthy and properly fed whilst… Becoming. Wolverine. Again.”

3. Gal Gadot

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In order to play Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot works with Magnus Lygdback. He shared how the actress got in shape for Wonder Woman 1984 to the Hollywood Reporter. “Both [director] Patty Jenkins and Gal had a vision of how Wonder Woman should look, and they didn’t change much. They had the same for this one, but it was more about making sure that Gal was as strong and as healthy as possible.”

4. Scarlett Johansson

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Scarlett Johansson’s trainer, Eric Johnson, shared how the actress gets in shape to play Black Widow with the Hollywood Reporter. “What is the Black Widow able to do? Lift 500 pounds. We’re trying to create this crazy comic book hero in real life with somebody who’s normal.”

5. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

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No matter what role he plays, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is always in great shape. He tells Muscle & Fitness that his father, pro wrestler Rocky Johnson, inspired him to workout as a kid. “Other dads took their kids to the playground,” said Johnson. “Mine took me to the gym, and the gyms he took me to were very hardcore. Weight rooms? Really? But it was important bonding time for us, and it was there that I learned at a very young age that there’s no substitute for hard work.”

6. Charlize Theron

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For Charlize Theron, staying in shape is easy. She shared her biggest tip for exercising consistently with Red Online. “I’ve always believed that if you find something you love, exercise won’t be a chore. I love anything outdoorsy. My mum recently got me to play tennis, which I wasn’t good at, but really enjoyed. If you do exercise you enjoy you’re keeping yourself fit without even realising it.”

7. Will Smith

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Will Smith’s personal trainer, Aaron Ferguson, shared how the actor got in shape for Suicide Squad with Men’s Journal. “Using very controlled motions with not too much weight, but perfect form, because we couldn’t chance anyone getting injured again. We were trying to build up the shoulders and slim down the waist to give that real action-figure look, which I think we accomplished.”

8. Tom Hardy

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Tom Hardy opened up about how he gets in shape for roles in an interview with askmen. "When it came to conditioning my body for the role of Charles Bronson, there was no official regime: I did very non-specific exercises such as press ups, push ups, abs work and resistance training. My approach was to do a lot of repetitions in order to send messages to my muscles: this helps them start to grow in a way that you can’t make them in the gym."

9. Jason Momoa

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Jason Momoa’s trainer, Damian Viera, shared how the actor stays in shape in an interview with Men’s Journal. “We’ll clean the organs—the liver, kidneys, gall bladder, and intestines. And in the process of cleaning, the water weight drops and we achieve that skin-to-muscle ripped look you’ll see in Aquaman.”

10. Emily Blunt

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Emily Blunt has to stay healthy, and avoid getting sick, to keep up with her schedule. She shared one of her tips for doing so with Glamour. "I would say if you feel yourself coming down with a cold, which I'm like the worst person to nominate this because I sound horrible today - tail end of laryngitis. But... oil of oregano. You sort of just throw a few drops down there. It's disgusting, you burn your throat but I do tend to find it shortens the cold."

11. Jennifer Lawrence

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Jennifer Lawrence works with Dalton Wong to help her stay in shape. Wong shared some of his biggest wellness tips in an interview with Well + Good. "When you give your body the foods, exercise, and rest it needs, the complaints hush up, those unhappy symptoms vanish, and you feel good.”

12. Henry Cavill

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Henry Cavill shared some of his wellness tips that helps him stay in shape with GQ. “The protein shakes before bed, they are a real lifesaver for me. Especially with the amount of work, with the amount of output I have. It's important to make sure that all the right stuff is getting in at the right time so you don't lose anything and you're not wasting any time at the gym.”

13. Tom Holland

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Tom Holland works with trainer George Ashwell to help him get in shape for playing Spiderman. Ashwell tells Esquire that he had Holland do a lot of weight training. "It'd be a whole-body circuit split into perhaps a posterior chain legs exercise with a horizontal push and pull, (so chest and back) then anterior legs (like a squat) with a vertical push and pull."

14. Zoe Saldana

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Zoe Saldana revealed on Facebook how she eats healthy for her role as Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “I am going to remove the word 'diet' from my life. I am going to remind myself that it is not about losing weight, it is about being healthy, feeling healthy, for the rest of my life. I am gonna try to focus on what weekends are really for-resting and making time for your loved ones ... And when chow time arrives? I will make amazing and healthy decisions.”

15. Vin Diesel

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Vin Diesel makes sure to work out on a regular basis. He shares a lot of his favorite workouts on Instagram. Diesel makes sure to do a variety of things. In this photo, Diesel is seen using the elliptical. He also shared this video of himself using a circle to get himself in a plank. Diesel captioned that post, “There are times when a specific role calls for great physicality... Cage is one of them. Welcome to the Xander zone.”

16. Margot Robbie

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Margot Robbie opened up about how she got in shape to play Tonya Harding in I, Tonya with Body & Soul. “[I did] as much as we could possibly do before production started. I think I did about three or four months of skating, like five times a week for a couple of hours a day. Even if I had 10 years to practice, I could never do a triple axel.”

17. Constance Wu

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Constance Wu shared some of her wellness secrets with Health magazine. In it, she talked about her approach to eating. “Understanding the difference between pleasure choices and stress choices. One piece of chocolate is pleasure. Ten pieces of chocolate is stress."

18. Mark Wahlberg

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Mark Wahlberg opened up about his diet in an interview with Men’s Health. He says that he eats a plant-based diet. “I was just eating chicken, fish, steak, pork. I found myself toward the end of the movie, after 6 months, having a leaky gut. So I did a bone broth fast, and I’ve been eating just plant-based for about three weeks now. I’ve got to tell you, I feel really good.”

19. Anne Hathaway

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Anne Hathaway has gotten in shape to play different roles. For her role as Rebekah Neumann in the series WeCrashed, Hathaway decided to change her diet to the characters’. "I became a raw vegan,” she said on The Late Show. “Rebekah is a very passionate vegan.”

20. Chris Evans

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Chris Evans shared how he stays in shape to play Captain America with Men’s Health. Evans says that he keeps things simple. “It's as simple as stretching in the morning," he said. "Things like that. Making sure you're drinking water, that you go to bed at a reasonable time, making sure you're not drinking too much coffee or beer, simple things, but they add up."

21. Brie Larson

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Brie Larson works with nutritionist Dr. Phillip Goglia to get her in shape for her role as Captain Marvel. Dr. Goglia told People that Larson drank a lot of protein shakes in the morning. "The most recent science has shown that a little bit of fat and a little bit of simple sugar will actually increase intensity while you train early in the morning… and allow you to still continue to train and burn fat. That really does start your engine for you."

22. Ryan Reynolds

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Ryan Reynolds opened up about how he got in shape to play Deadpool to Muscle and Fitness. “Most of it is self-preservation. You want to still be able to get up after take 50 of falling off some ledge and landing on cement. As I’ve gotten older, falling on cement has become less and less hilarious.”

23. Matt Damon

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Matt Damon’s trainer, Jason Walsh, shared how the actor stays in shape to play Jason Bourne with Muscle and Fitness. “He loved Bulgarian split squats. And those were really good for him because they helped him with mobility, but they also helped with strength. Try it. It’s a huge demand on the lungs and the metabolic system.”

24. Chris Hemsworth

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Chris Hemsworth revealed how he got in shape for Thor: Love and Thunder to Disney. “We’d try more swimming then try more martial arts and adjust calories. It was a really fun exploration. I got really big and fit but then just had to hold it for four months, which was very hard.”

25. Gemma Chan

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Gemma Chan shared how she got in shape for her role in Eternals with Vogue. "I like doing yoga. I’ve just started Pilates which is brutal–so brutal, deceptively so. But I do enjoy that and I have a mini morning routine."