Actors Who've Gone Big - from Empire Online

Subject: Actors Who've Gone Big - from Empire Online Sat Mar 14, 2009 12:15 am

http://www.empireonline.com/features/buffed-up-actors/9.asp

Actors Who've Gone Big - from Empire Online Gerard-butler-300

Gerard Butler - 300

This. Is. Buffing! Gerard Butler showed the true Scottish grit whilst shaping up for the role of Leonidas in 300. Eschewing a CGI six-pack, the main man honed that physique for real, putting himself through four months of intensive training with a top class mountain-climber and an iron-chewing Venezuelan body-builder. This is Empire's idea of hell, but Butler says the 300 rep workouts strengthened his mind as well as body, and helped him give Leonidas that big-cat presence. "You know that every bead of sweat falling off your head, every weight you've pumped… the history of that is all in your eyes."

Whilst I'm glad 300 is so well-remembered, I wish critics and fans would not always focus first on the physical changes in the cast.

It was a vital part of the movie, though. I remember seeing one of the first behind the scenes videos, the one where it pans down G's stomach and going, "Wow!" It wasn't what I expected and it blew me away.

At least the critics lessened their ragging on POTO.

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