Skip to content

7 Female Stars Who Got Superfit For Roles

These stars have amped up their diet and fitness routines for their art. 

Celebrities are famous for losing and gaining weight in the public eye. However, sometimes there is professional ambition behind their body transformations. Christian Bale, Tom Hanks, and Anne Hathaway's drastic transformations for movie roles are some of the most talked about. However, there are other body makeovers that have gotten less, but equally deserved, recognition. Here are 7 stars who have transformed their bodies for roles. 

1

Halle Berry: Bruised

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Sure, Halle Berry has been known as one of the fittest female celebrities for almost her entire career. But the Academy Award winner was determined to get "ripped abs" for her MMA movie Bruised. She went viral when she shared an Instagram snap of her six-pack with fans. According to the 56-year-old, she worked out a whopping four hours a day, doing high-intensity MMA-style cardio workouts, strength training, plyometric training, running, and boxing, and did intermittent fasting while on the keto diet.  

2

Kate Bosworth: Blue Crush

JC Olivera/Getty Images-

Kate Bosworth, a former model, had a lean figure when she booked her career-changing role in the 2002 film Blue Crush. However, she needed to transform her body into a surfer girl. "That was the most intense physical experience I have ever gone through," she said. She has since revealed that she spent seven hours a day training for the part, doing high-intensity cross-training. "[It] took four hours of surfing and an hour of weight training and an hour of either running the beach or running under the water with a rock."

3

Jennifer Lopez: Hustlers

Emma McIntyre/WireImage

Jennifer Lopez upped her already intense training game for her role as a stripper in Hustlers. "It's rough on your body," Jennifer, who installed a pole in her home said, about training for the film in a YouTube vlog. She worked with choreographer and instructor Johanna Sapakie for six weeks, claiming it was one of the toughest training periods of her life. 

4

Gal Gadot: Wonder Woman

Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images

Not just anyone can play Wonder Woman, but Gal Gadot understood the assignment. The Israeli actress trained for six hours a day for six months to get in superhero shape for the role of her lifetime. "I did two hours gym work, two hours fight choreography, and two hours horseback riding. Which is super hard," she said during an appearance on Live With Kelly And Ryan

5

Blake Lively: The Shallows

Cindy Ord/Getty Images

While Blake Lively is known for having one of the best bodies in Hollywood and normally wouldn't have to do much to get in shape for a role, even one that required her to be in a bikini nonstop, the timing of The Shallows was a little bit different: Filming started just months after welcoming her daughter, James. "I was working out 13 hours a day because shooting was working out," she told Entertainment Tonight. "It was neat to be able to do that, and it was neat to have that challenge after having a baby, because you think your body is so different—you think no matter what, it's never [going to be] totally be the same. I thought, 'That's really encouraging.'" She trained with Don Saladino and made some serious dietary changing, eliminating soy and gluten. "It's all in moderation," she explained People. "You just have a balance of protein, carbs, and vegetables. And it wasn't the worst. Like, I was eating rice and sushi."

6

Hilary Swank: Million Dollar Baby

ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

Hilary Swank worked hard to gain 19 pounds of muscle and transform into a boxer for Million Dollar Baby. According to the star, she spent 2.5 hours of boxing and 2 hours of weightlifting every day, six days a week for three months. She would also have to wake up in the middle of the night to consume protein in order to sustain the workouts. "There was a point where I could only eat 50 grams of carbs a day," she said. "Just to give you an example of that, an 8-ounce glass of apple juice has 30 grams of carbs in it." The hard work paid off: She won an Oscar for the role. 

7

Brie Larson: Captain Marvel

Kristy Sparow/Getty Images

Brie Larson got famously fit to play Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel. She trained with Jason Walsh, who put her through rigorous workouts lifting heavy weights, rock climbing, doing mixed martial arts, and boxing. She even got so strong she was able to push a "5,000 [pound] Jeep (with a full tank of gas)" for 60 seconds.

Leah Groth
Leah Groth has decades of experience covering all things health, wellness and fitness related. Read more
Filed Under