The Last of Us Star Rutina Wesley Shares Swimsuit Photo Looking “Gorgeous”

1. Angela Bassett Arms

Wesley does weight training and yoga to stay strong and toned. “For me, I have this tough exterior and these Angela Bassett arms, and people think, ‘Oh, my God, Rutina’s tough.’ But I’m just a little Juliet on the inside,” she says. “I look like I can beat you up. But I’m as soft as a flower. I do a mix of cardio and strength — the elliptical machine and weight lifting — three times weekly. But a lot of my agility comes from being a dancer; I trained at Juilliard. I also do yoga. It helps me relax and let go of the crazy character I play.”

2. Stronger Every Year

Wesley takes pride and joy in her health and longevity. “About every other day, I do a special 30-20-10 push-up circuit: 30 push-ups and 30 triceps dips, then 20 of each, then 10 of each,” she says. “My body is a reflection of how grateful I am for my life and my health; there are a lot of people less fortunate than me. And I still want to have these arms and legs when I’m 75.”

3. Peace At Home

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Wesley’s home life is a haven of peace for her. “My mornings are not complete if I don’t get in that steam shower for 25 minutes,” she says. “I used to dance a lot, so now my body needs to be moved and stretched. It also helps me reset if I wake up on the wrong side of the bed... After a hectic 12-hour day on set that leaves me exhausted, [fiancé] Shonda is there with arms literally wide open. I could choose to bring work home and unload on her, but instead we get a moment of peace and stillness.”

4. Playing Maria

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Wesley was immediately drawn to the character of Maria. “She’s a natural-born leader with this calm, fierce stillness,” she says. “I always say she is the kind of woman who, if she were to smile, it would be with her eyes. You would never see a wide grin on her face. She’s very cool and collected. Also, she’s a mother-to-be and a nurturer. Usually when you see women who are fierce leaders, especially in an apocalyptic world where everyone is just trying to survive, you don’t see a lot of the vulnerability.”

5. Walking In Her Truth

Wesley tries to live an authentic life, which she describes as walking in her truth. “I think what it means to walk in your truth is when you are walking in your most honest, most truthful self,” she says. “It’s not always easy to do because a lot of times we have shame or we don’t feel like we’re enough. We’re scared to walk in our truth, when in all actuality when you walk in that truth you become the best person that you’ve ever been. You become unafraid of being yourself.I think if you don’t walk in your truth. You don’t move forward. You can get stagnant and feel uninspired. I feel like that’s kind of something that I’ve still been trying to do, and I think it’s a learning process. I think it takes some time to navigate, but I think you’re always navigating it right––[as long as] you’re always trying to figure out how to be your best self.”

1. Strong Woman

Nuñez loves lifting weights and using resistance training machines. “I am naturally really skinny and because of that I was bullied in high school, so I started doing weight training since I was 16 years old,” she says. “I mean, I got really obsessed with muscles. I wanted to grow. Actually, I worked as an aerobics instructor for a couple of years in my hometown Tecate, Mexico. After a lot of hard work I finally accomplished the body that I wanted. I was ripped!! Funny enough, when I moved to LA, 4 years ago, my muscles were being a little bit of an obstacle. I was not booking and my managers told me to lose muscle mass. I did, and started booking after that.”

2. She’s a Runner

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Nuñez’s athletic prowess served her well on set. “I still workout of course but I don’t kill myself at the gym,” she says. “I stay in good shape, I run a lot now. In Bad Boys I had a scene in which I had to run really fast to catch up to a moving camera that was moving in front of me. After the first take everyone came to see if I was ok, if I needed oxygen or something. They couldn’t believe that I could run that fast and that I was not even out of breath. They were so surprised, that I was surprised too at their reaction. I guess I AM in good shape, better than I thought. We had a lot of fun action scenes that I really enjoyed.”

3. Lara Croft Dreams

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Nuñez loves playing tough female characters. “I’ve always been inspired by strong, independent women,” she says. “Usually women are represented as submissive victims, especially in Spanish Telenovelas, so I am encouraged to become a strong woman and take on more bold roles. I want to see more super women! I would love to play an action heroine, like Lara Croft. This is the perfect strong and powerful woman archetype that I admire and aspire to be, both professionally and personally. I love the high intensity and physical element that action roles demand.”

4. Politics and The Purge

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Nuñez says her role on The Purge reminds her of how intolerant society has become. “I think the theme of this decade is intolerance in general, and I think that’s why The Purge is so important right now,” she says. “It’s such an interesting movie, such a subject to touch, like how intolerant we are, feeling so much separation between us that we can’t even sit down and say, ‘I don’t understand but I get it.’ But now you can’t sit down with friends and have a normal conversation without it being super-heated up…politics, right?”

5. Advice For Actors

Nuñez has advice for those trying to break into the entertainment industry. “I love being able to create something and see it on screen as a finished work,” she says. “After all the stress and obstacles you face, being able to capture magical moments while filming then relive them after it’s all said and done, by watching them. It’s an incredible feeling of achievement. You have to be strong in this business. A career in Hollywood will tempt your insecurities and emotions. You will be forced to confront yourself like never before. All that you don’t like about yourself will be brought to the surface, so that you can change, improve, and grow as a person and as an artist.”

Delve into the secrets and stories behind the impressive physiques of 20 female Marvel stars. Whether it's Ming-Na Wen's post-surgery rehabilitation or Karen Gillian's intense workout routine, these women have embraced various fitness approaches to prepare for their demanding roles. Join us as we explore their inspiring words on body positivity, wellness, and breaking new ground in the entertainment industry. Get ready to be inspired by the strength, resilience, and determination of these remarkable Marvel stars.

1. Ming-Na Wen

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Ming-Na Wen opened up about how she recovered from knee surgery in this post on her website. She says that she did a lot of squats, and made sure that she was doing them correctly. “After surgery, I had a limited ability to bend my left knee. And with the help of my physical therapist, I learned many small moves that make such a big difference. The key is to do it RIGHT. Position is super important to target the right muscles.

2. Hayley Atwell

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In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Hayley Atwell revealed what makes her feel beautiful. “When I feel my most beautiful is when I'm not really feeling myself; instead when I'm looking at or engaging with something beautiful, then that's lit up in my eyes or it generates a natural smile from within."

3. Karen Gillian

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Karen Gillian works with personal trainer, Scott Pearlman to get herself in shape for films. She shared this post on Instagram of the two of them. Gillian captioned the post, “Thank so much to my personal trainer Scott Pearlman who whipped me into shape for Jumanji! Sad to leave our Hawaii routine and continue my mission to swol without him!”

4. Danai Gurira

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Danai Gurira talked about her approach to fitness in an interview with Women’s Health. “As women, we’re not always encouraged to find the full extent of our physical power,” she said. “There’s something so exciting about tapping into that part of ourselves. It might be lifting weights, it might be boxing, it might be something a little less intense. There’s no need to break records tomorrow. It’s just about slowly finding what feels good and what feels rewarding.”

5. Tessa Thompson

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Tessa Thomspon talked about getting in shape to play Valkyrie to Comic Book Resources. “I gained about 15 pounds of muscle mass, which yeah, it was a lot for me,” she said. Thompson also said that she wanted to do this to change how people perceive women in movies. “I like sort of bucking this conventional idea of a woman is beautiful or sexy if she’s sort of thin. She’s felt, but you can’t really see her strength. I like the idea that she can just be ripped, like Valkyrie is in the comics. Yeah, I found that sort of essential, that not really caring about how I looked, but caring more about how I felt. I felt so strong, and in my skin."

6. Elizabeth Olsen

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Elizabeth Olsen has starred in many different Marvel projects, and she does different things to get in shape for each one. ​​“I do change it up depending on the gig,” she said to The New York Times. “For Captain America: Civil War, I was doing Muay Thai. It’s not the most comfortable thing, and I don’t do it anymore. I do love going to the gym. I love it because my brain works better, and I don’t want to think about eating restrictively.”

7. Krysten Ritter

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In 2016, Krysten Ritter shared how she got in shape to play the lead character in Jessica Jones with TrainForHer.com. “I’m big on juicing – all greens. Luckily, I don’t have a sweet tooth, so I’m more into kale, cucumber, spinach, parsley and celery. I’ve also cut out gluten, dairy and fish for the most part, and I’ve felt so much healthier and better since. Jessica Jones was an eight-month shoot so I needed the energy and my health to be on point. Also, with this. I increased my clean proteins with the working out.”

8. Adrienne Palicki

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Adrienne Palicki works with trainers Bobby and Alicia Storm to keep herself in shape. In 2013, Bobby and Alicia gave an interview to SELF, where they revealed how Palicki got in shape for G.I. Joe: Retaliation. "She did a lot of her own stunts, and much of the time it was in high heels! [The reverse lunge] works our glutes and legs and incorporates the core for a nice flat belly. And they get your heart rate up.”

9. Chloe Bennet

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In 2016, Chloe Bennet talked to Teen Vogue about starring in the ABC Marvel series, Agents of Shield. She said that she enjoyed representing the Asian community on the series. “I’m so proud of what the show has done, and I think we haven’t gotten enough credit for the amount of diversity we bring to our show. Our showrunner is an Asian-American woman, and our two lead females are Asian-American women. 90% of stunts and the ass-kicking and the saving on the show are from the women. I don’t think it’s talked about enough! We’ve quietly been breaking new ground.”

10. Jessica Henwick

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Jessica Henwick opened up about her acting career and her wishes for the industry in an interview with Glamour. “It's not important to me that I become anything,” she admits. “But it's important to me that we keep pushing forward and it's shocking to me that I was the first, considering it was 2009 and how long British television has existed. When I was growing up, I would've loved to have seen someone who looked like me on screen. All I got was stunning English roses. So I absorbed that and thought that was the ideal way to look. When I was a kid, I totally wanted to look like that. I was like, why can't I be blonde and have really pink cheeks and have curly hair? It would've been healthy for my self-image if I had been able to look at someone else and think, I could also look like me. So it’s definitely important. But it’s also just more interesting. I'm bored of seeing the same story told over and over again. I want to hear from new creators, something that I've never seen before. There are woman rejuvenating the industry by sharing their own stories: Michaela Coel, Phoebe Waller Bridge, Brit Marling. These are the women who inspire me and, uh, who I would love to be like one day when I grow up.”

11. Olivia Holt

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Olivia Holt’s many projects include the Marvel series, Cloak and Dagger. She shared some of her skincare routines with E! News. “If my skin is feeling extra dry or tired, I'll simply take some greek yogurt and use it as a face mask to wake up my skin. Then I'll use the Shani Darden's Facial Sculpting Wand to depuff under my eyes or around my face. Then I'll use a Sonya Dakar Blue Butterfly Balm. Then apply some SPF.”

12. Rosario Dawson

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Rosario Dawson has done a lot in her career, including starring as Claire Temple in Marvel products, specifically the Netflix show Luke Cage. Dawson shared her wellness secrets in an interview with Us Weekly. “I walk everywhere. I drink a lot of water. I try to get as much sleep as possible. Everything else about my schedule and routine is inconsistent, so if those types of things I can do, they’re really important… I can always take the stairs rather than use the elevator or the escalator.”

13. Natalia Cordova-Buckley

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In addition to being a Marvel star, Natalia Cordova-Buckley wants to be a role model and speak out about things that are important to her. “I’ve always been very politically driven in my country,” she says to People. “My father is too, and I think he unconsciously installed that in me. I’ve always been very outspoken about the injustices that the government of Mexico has distilled upon its people and country.”

14. Carrie-Anne Moss

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Carrie-Anne Moss talked to The New York Times about reprising her role in The Matrix. “It was important to me that I let go of any construct in my mind that I needed to look like I did when I was 30,” she said. “I find that thinking makes desperation as a woman, and I didn’t want any desperation. I knew I wanted to look good, but I didn’t want to do a juice cleanse, I didn’t want to do all these extreme things. I laugh because at times I would just feel so cool, I got this.”

15. Brie Larson

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To help her eat right for films, Brie Larson works with nutritionist Dr. Phillip Goglia. He told People that he has Larson eat bridge meals. "You're using fat metabolism and that will be your bridge meal to get to dinner,” Dr. Goglia explained. “So that dinner is an appetite environment that will not allow you to crave carbs because you've already eaten… you're kind of full. You're not in low blood sugar."

16. Scarlett Johansson

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To prepare for playing Black Widow in the Marvel franchise, Scarlett Johansson works with trainer Eric Johnson. Prior to starring in the 2021 film, Black Widow, Johnson opened up to Shape about Johansson’s workout routine. "She already had this great training base, this huge foundational strength base," says Johnson. "We had a big quote-unquote offseason, we had a lot of time to prepare, almost a year, so I could really get her foundational strength and condition really up to where we wanted it to be."

17. Rachael Taylor

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Rachael Taylor opened up about her body image in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. She says that she was once on a restrictive diet, but went off it. “I ate mostly salad and fresh air. I looked dreadful. It wasn’t for me.” Taylor also said that she has a better sense of self now. “I haven't always been at peace with my self-image, although in the back half of my 20s, I've become a lot more comfortable.”

18. Gwyneth Paltrow

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Gwyneth Paltrow shared some of her wellness tips in an interview with Shape. "I notice that the older I get, the more drawn I am toward monitoring my health,” she revealed. “Doing blood work, and collecting data about inflammation levels, blood sugar levels, sleep, vitamins, etc. Your body rebounds a little less quickly from overindulging — staying healthy takes a little more intentionality."

19. Lupita Nyong’o

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While filming Black Panther, Lupita Nyong’o and her cast members ate healthy on set. Marvel hired personal chef, Brandi Patten, for the cast. “It was only once we wrapped that I realized I was on a sugar-free diet,” Nyong’o tells ESSENCE. “We could have fruit, which is a good sugar, but no fructose or refined sugar. But we could have carbs, which are good when you work out as much as we did, and we weren’t eating less. We actually had to eat smaller meals every three hours. I never got bored. I’ve never worked on a project like this where there is a diet and a workout plan.”

20. Zoe Saldana

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Zoe Saldana works with trainer, Jason Walsh to help her stay in shape. Walsh opened up about working with the actress to Shape. "Zoe is always willing to put in the work," says Walsh. "She stays motivated by her own goals and understands what she needs from her body. It is not about motivation with Zoe; it is always there."