When most actors take on a big blockbuster type film they usually have to change their appearance because they are either too skinny or too big, Total Film have come up with a list of stars who have buffed up for their roles in these movies.
Chris Evans
The Role: Steve Rogers/Captain America in Captain America
The Technique: Chris Evans did gym sessions a-plenty and ate lots of protein-rich foods. He said to MTV, “It’s the workouts that, you know, make you want to vomit. It’s horrible.”
Did They Keep It Up?:: In a word, no, again, to MTV, he said, “Oh my god, when shooting was done I just stopped going to the gym completely for about three months.”
Christian Bale
The Role: Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Begins
The Technique: Bale went straight from The Machinist where he was 130 pounds, and got to 230 pounds, 40 pounds more than what Christopher Nolan wanted. He said to IGN, “I couldn’t do one push up the first day. All of the muscles were gone, so that was a real tough time of rebuilding all of that.”
Did They Keep It Up?:: None of his weight-changes have been as drastic as this. However, he has since slimmed down for The Fighter, in the role of heroin addict Dickie Ecklund.
Hugh Jackman
The Role: Logan/Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine
The Technique: According to Mike Ryan, Jackman’s personal trainer, they would train in the morning, so for a 6am filming start, they would be in the gym at 4am, to do an hour and a half of training.
Did They Keep It Up?:: Jackman has to get even bigger for The Wolverine, he told the LA Times: “[Darren Aronofsky] said that Wolverine, in the comics, is powerful, stocky – you know, he’s short and thick. So he said, ‘I want you to go there, get bigger’.”
Sylvester Stallone
The Role: Rocky in Rocky
The Technique: For Rocky III, Stallone would do a two mile jog, 18 rounds of sparring, two hours of weightlifting and skipping. Then he would take a nap, go for a run and go for a swim.
Did They Keep It Up?:: After Rocky, Stallone’s body became instantly recognisable and he’s done another five Rocky films and four Rambo films since then. Plus a whole host of other action films.
Demi Moore
The Role: Jordan O’Neill in G.I. Jane
The Technique: Moore told Harper’s Bazaar, “I just wanted to be believable.” And believable she was, after her two hours a day pumping iron and breaking it up with a six-mile run.
Did They Keep It Up?:: Well, after 1997, Demi Moore took a break for three years. She said that preparing for the role nearly killed her, but her body isn’t looking too bad at all these days.
Christopher Reeve
The Role: Clark Kent/Superman in Superman: The Movie
The Technique: High-protein, weights and 90 minutes on a trampoline. Reeve said to a magazine in 1981, “I put on thirty pounds, all muscle, in fact, I found muscles I never knew I had.”
Did They Keep It Up?:: He continued the role for another three films, so had to keep in ship-shape for those.
Mark Wahlberg
The Role: Micky Ward in The Fighter
The Technique: In 2008, he said, “‘I get up everyday at 5am to train for a movie that might not even happen. It’s depressing.” Training for a film that isn’t even definite, there’s dedication.
Did They Keep It Up?:: Wahlberg didn’t keep up quite as intense a workout, but with a Fighter 2 likely to happen, he’ll have to get back into shape.
Robert De Niro
The Role: Jake La Motta in Raging Bull
The Technique: De Niro became La Motta. He trained with him, followed his regime and even fought in three organised boxing fights, winning two of them.
Did They Keep It Up?:: De Niro has been gaining and losing weight for his roles long before Christian Bale became renowned for it. His rolls have come and gone with his roles.
Gerard Butler
The Role: King Leonidas in 300
The Technique: The whole film has Butler in nothing more than a cape and some pants, so he needed to be flawless. Mountain climber and conditioning coach Mark Twight bulked the stars up. The workout involved pull-ups, deadlifts, pushups and flipping tyres. Once Butler was done with his co-stars, he’d then do another training session on his own. We need a sit down after hearing all that.
Did They Keep It Up?:: He’s not a real Spartan, you’d be mad to keep a training regime like that up.
Ed Norton
The Role: Derek Vinyard in American History X
The Technique: High protein and strength building exercises were the order of the day to get Ed from being a weak looking skinny fella to a neo-Nazi prison worn warrior.
Did They Keep It Up?:: Not really, Norton had to split his personality into himself and Brad Pitt to start fighting anyone in Fight Club. He still threw his own punches around though.
You have to admire their dedication, it certainly wouldn’t be me.
Happy Friday the 13th! For this Friday’s best celebrity quotes, we’ve got Mark Wahlberg saying he’ll make a return to rap, but only for Justin Bieber, Snooki calling Obama a liar and Zac Efron being a total douche. Enjoy!
“No, not a chance. Actually, I’ll take that back. If Justin Bieber asked me, I’d do that for my daughter.”
– Mark Wahlberg (formerly known as Marky Mark), on the only way he’d pick up the mic again, to Time magazine
“I just take comfort that if I’m this old, Richard Gere is a whole lot older than me.”
- Julia Roberts, on being 42 compared to her Pretty Woman costar, who’s 60, on Live! With Regis and Kelly
“I know he knows who I am… He has to stop lying.”
– Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, calling out President Barack Obama on his claim that he doesn’t know who the pint-size reality star is, to E!online
“It all worked out for the best since I don’t look good in spandex holding a Ray gun.”
– Expendables star Sylvester Stallone, on his failed audition for Star Wars, to aintitcool.com
“Believe me, I rack my brain thinking, ‘Why am I not out there playing the field?’”
– Zac Efron, on staying in a long-term relationship with High School Musical sweetheart Vanessa Hudgens for four years, to Details magazine
“When we were growing up, our mother taught us never to have your belly button exposed.”
– Fashion designer Mary-Kate Olsen, explaining the foundation of her and sister Ashley’s design sensibility, to Harper’s Bazaar
“He’s a snapper. He just sways back and forth and snaps his finger.”
– Kellie Pickler, on why she and fiancé Kyle Jacobs are skipping the traditional first dance at their wedding, to People Country
“If only she had a bump on her nose.”
– Barbra Streisand, remarking on Jennifer Aniston’s homage to her in a Harper’s Bazaar photo spread, on her Web site
“The other day I realized as long as I’m in this business, I’m going to be hungry.”
- True Blood’sKristin Bauer Van Straten, acknowledging the sacrifices actresses have to make in Hollywood, to Popeater
“I’m not pregnant right now. But that can change tomorrow or the next day or next week. That is out of my hands.”
- Michelle Duggar, who’s open to the prospect of having a 20th child, to People
What was your favorite quote this week? I have to say that Zac Efron really came off as a total douchebucket with that “playing the field” comment. If I were Vanessa Hudgens, I’d tell him to go play the field then…but he’s probably in the closet anyways, so it doesn’t matter. She’s only using him to further her career, so it’s a win-win.
As we all know the summer brings all the big Hollywood blockbuster movies, which for the moviestars is a vital time because if there movie becomes a smash hit then they can ask for a bigger salary – if not then they will forever be tied to a movie bombing.
With this in mind, Forbes have put together a list of 15 moviestars who are in need of a hit with their summer blockbuster, be it to cement their career of a top grossing actor or redeem their fading career.
1. Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man 2
The first Iron Man took Hollywood by surprise with its mix of rapid-fire dialogue and hard-hitting action. Audiences loved the film, spending $585 million on tickets at the box office. The sequel looks like it will live up to the original–it’s already earned $100 million abroad.
2. Tom Cruise, Knight and Day
Cruise hasn’t had a major hit since 2006′s Mission: Impossible III. The star needs Knight and Day to bring in the crowds this summer. The actor earned some good buzz with his comedic cameo in 2008′s Tropic Thunder. Knight and Day (co-starring Cameron Diaz) could be just the mix of comedy and action Cruise needs for a comeback.
3. Angelina Jolie, Salt
In her career, Jolie has vacillated between action flicks like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Oscar bait like The Changeling. It seems the actress might be settling into the action life. She follows up the 2008 shoot-’em-up hit Wanted with this summer’s Salt, about a rogue CIA agent. Hollywood will be watching the box office returns to see if they prove she’s an action star worthy of $15 million a film.
4. Russell Crowe, Robin Hood
Crowe has had a rough couple of years. His last two films, State of Play and Body of Lies, disappointed at the box office. So there’s a lot riding on Robin Hood, Universal’s new take on the old story. With Cate Blanchett along for the ride as Marion, the film is sure to focus as much on acting as on bow and arrow action.
5. Julia Roberts, Eat Pray Love
“Chick flicks” like The Proposal, Sex and The City and Mamma Mia have performed well over the past few summers, so hopes are high for Roberts’ newest film, Eat Pray Love, based on the best-selling book by Elizabeth Gilbert. Roberts could use a hit. Her last big box office winner (aside from the Ocean’s films) was 2001′s America’s Sweethearts.
6. Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City 2
The first Sex and the City film was a smash hit, earning $415 million at the box office on an estimated budget of $65 million. The filmmakers are taking a risk with the sequel by taking Carrie and her friends out of Manhattan. If the movie’s a hit, though, it will mean big bucks for Parker, who is also a producer on the film.
7. Jake Gyllenhaal, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Gyllenhaal is best known for his work in serious movies like Donnie Darko, Zodiac and Brokeback Mountain. It’s quite a departure for the actor to take on the lead role in Prince of Persia, which is based on a videogame. If the film is a hit, Gyllenhaal might have found a second career for himself playing action heroes.
8. Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception
Leo finally had a big hit with Shutter Island. He needs that streak to continue if he’s going to hold onto his reputation as an actor worth $20 million for serious adult movies. Few films have been as shrouded in secrecy as Christopher Nolan’s Inception, which hits theaters July 16. It has something to do with technology and dreams, but that’s as much as anyone knows. Considering Nolan was the man behind The Dark Knight, Inception could be a huge hit.
9. Jennifer Aniston, The Switch
Aniston has had a run of bad luck at the box office lately. Love Happens and The Bounty Hunter both bombed despite the presence of strong costars like Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart. She needs The Switch to do well to maintain her reputation as a solid romantic comedy star.
10. Will Ferrell, The Other Guys
Ferrell starred in one of the biggest bombs of 2009 last summer: Land of the Lost, which earned only $68 million on an estimated budget of $100 million. Ferrell needs The Other Guys to be a hit. It helps that the cop movie has a lower budget than the effects-heavy Land of the Lost.
11. Matt Damon, The Adjustment Bureau
Thanks to the Bourne movies, Damon has starred in some top-earning films. But he’s also been in his share of duds. Recent movies like The Informant, Green Zone and Invictus have disappointed at the box office. The Adjustment Bureau is the directorial debut of writer George Nolfi, who penned The Bourne Ultimatum.
12. Steve Carell, Dinner for Schmucks and Despicable Me
If Carell leaves The Office next year, as rumored, he’ll have a burgeoning career as a movie star–his films this summer could either add to his momentum or break it. His most recent film, Date Night, has had a respectable run, earning $109 million at the box office worldwide. Dinner for Schmucks, co-starring Paul Rudd, is getting good buzz, as is the animated Despicable Me.
13. Mark Wahlberg, The Other Guys
Wahlberg is one of those dependable actors who can go between action films like Max Payne and serious dramas like The Lovely Bones with no problem. But until recently he’s stayed away from comedies. His shirtless performance in the comedy Date Night has audiences excited for the upcoming film The Other Guys, which stars Wahlberg and Will Ferrell.
14. Cameron Diaz, Shrek 4 and Knight and Day
The Shrek movies (which co-star Diaz as Princess Fiona) have been some of the biggest earners of all time, bringing in a total $2.2 million (EDIT: should read $2.2 billion) at the global box office so far. The fourth and final film is sure to be a box-office winner, especially because it’s being shown in 3-D. Audiences will be able to see Diaz in Knight and Day, which co-stars Tom Cruise.
15. Adam Sandler, Grown Ups
For his latest movie, Sandler brought along fellow Saturday Night Live veterans like Chris Rock and Rob Schneider for a big family ensemble comedy. The presence of Kevin James (hot off of last year’s Paul Blart: Mall Cop) could make the film a summer hit.
Hollywood gossip is something that has become so pervasive in our culture that we tend to take it all for granted. Whether we tend to listen to it all or shun it like the plague, we end up hearing more than our fair share, and stowing it away in memory without even realizing it.
Sometimes, the really good gossip slips through the mainstream and get slowly forgotten by the few people that ever knew about it to begin with. These are some of those bits of information; these are ten of Hollywood’s worst kept secrets.
1. Tim Allen served time
In 1978, Tim “the Toolman” Taylor was caught at an airport trying to smuggle 1.4 pounds of cocaine in his luggage. He was busted after plea bargaining his way out of the life sentence to a few years. He gave up the dealers and got out on parole.
2. Sylvester Stallone starred in a porn flick
The trailer for “Italian Stallion” was made in 1970, which was a full six years before Sly Stallone would be more well known as Rocky Balboa. The movie was originally titled as “The Party at Kitty and Stud’s”, but was renamed after he became a huge box office success as the famed boxer. As for why he did it? He was starving and needed the money.
3. Jack Nicholson’s sister was really his mother
Jack Nicholson was born in 1936 to a showgirl, but his mother wasn’t known to him as that for the longest time. His grandmother raised him as her own and his real mother was allowed to continue her work. A journalist from “Time” magazine broke the news in an interview in 1974, but by that time, they had both passed away.
4. Eric Stoltz was the original Marty McFly
Eric Stoltz had some pretty decent movie hits in the eighties, but the part he landed would surprise all of us. Apparently the actor filmed part of the “Back To The Future” movies as the character we’ve all come to know and love – Marty McFly. The part went to Michael J. Fox after Stoltz got the axe from the movie.
5. Don King killed two men, did time
Don King gets a lot of press for being, well, Don King. He’s got the support of some heavy-hitters (pun intended), but he’s also come to be known as something of a bastard by those who know him best. One of the little stories that tends to get forgotten involves two incidents in King’s past: he shot one guy in the back as he was trying to rob one of his gambling houses back in 1953, and then stomped another guy to death because he owed him $600. Nice guy, eh?
6. Winona Ryder is a natural blond
You gotta love Winona. She’s the bad girl who’s not the bad girl; she’s cute, bubbly, dark, light, shoplifts with the best (and worst) of ‘em and rolls with the punches. She played roles in some of the best movies of our time, including Edward Scissorhands and BeatleJuice. What most of us never stop to think about, given the fact that she’s nearly always appeared as a brunette (and a good one at that), is that Winona is actually a blonde. For those who never had an inkling, watching Edward Scissorhands again with this knowledge is like flipping the world upside-down.
7. Nicole Richie’s real dad was a member of Lionel’s band
Nicole Ritchie being Lionel Ritchie’s kid was always one of those things you just tend to forget about. The names match up, but little else does, and we sort of just make it work in our heads. Most people never stop to question it, and when they do, they find ways to justify it in their heads that they’re father/daughter instead of checking to be sure. Fact is, Nicole is Lionel’s adopted daughter; her mother was a bit of a deadbeat who worked wardrobe for Prince, and her biological father was actually a former percussionist in Lionel’s own band.
8. Janet Jackson was secretly married for eight years
People elope all the time; it’s much more common than most of us realize. When an individual as famous as Janet Jackson does it, and manages to keep it a secret for eight years; well that’s an accomplishment. Apparently she had to keep her marriage a complete secret because she wanted to keep it from her father, who we all know is not the greatest guy on earth. She and her husband, Rene Elizondo, had to act like “close friends†the entire time. It was his hands in the photo shoot above. In 2000, Rene had officially had enough of the secret life, and since Janet wouldn’t budge, he filed for divorce. It got pretty ugly after that point, and since he was suing her for millions, we’re pretty sure her father found out anyway.
9. Charlize Theron watched her mother kill her father
Charlize Theron is South African by birth, and lived there her entire young life. She led a somewhat normal life into her pre-teens, but then things changed a bit. Her father was an abusive alcoholic, and her mother was the chief punching bag around the house. When Charlize was 15, her father came home especially drunk one night. A scuffle broke out and she witnessed her mother pull a gun and shoot her dad dead. At least this makes it a bit easier to understand how she can play such messed up roles so well — and if the picture of her from Monster scared you a bit, here’s a nicer one to reset the memory.
10. Mark Wahlberg is living on borrowed time
It’s pretty common knowledge that Mark Wahlberg is either blessed or just among the luckiest guys on earth by natural circumstances. Either way you cut it, the guy has made out pretty well time after time, despite beginning his public life as Marky Mark (an unforgivable sin). What most people don’t know is that the morning of September 11, 2001, Wahlberg was a ticket-holding passenger on one of the planes that struck the World Trade Center. He, on the other hand, was miles away attending a film festival in Toronto. He was invited at the very last minute by some friends who happened to be there, and he missed his flight. Lucky is an understatement for this guy.
These are all surprising to me except for the one about Eric Stoltz, I thought that one was common knowledge.
Mark Wahlberg has finally made it official! The actor and his longtime girlfriend, model Rhea Durham, tied the knot on Saturday.
The couple, who have three children – Ella Rae, 5, Michael, 3, and 10-month-old Brendan Joseph – were married Saturday in an intimate and romantic ceremony attended by their children and about 12 close friends and family at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills.
I wonder if Marky Mark had rap music involved? Or perhaps, like this couple?
Relive the funny, silly – and sometimes TMI! – things the stars let slip at the Globes…
“I’m so sorry Anne, Meryl, Kristin – oh God, who’s the other one?”
– Kate Winslet, accepting the Globe for best actress and naming her fellow nominees Hathaway, Streep and Scott Thomas – but momentarily forgetting Angelina Jolie.
“Hello? Hello? Mama talking! Mama talking!”
– Jennifer Lopez, shushing the crowd as the night’s first presenter. She gave the prize of best supporting actress to Kate Winslet (The Reader)
“Ru, I’m very proud of you and I love you. And don’t hunch. Shoulders back!”
– Demi Moore, mothering daughter Rumer Willis – this year’s Miss Golden Globe – from the stage before announcing the best supporting actor winner (Heath Ledger)
“I still have a cold. It’s not the other thing it used to be.”
– Presenter (and later winner) Colin Farrell, referencing his less-sober days while sniffling onstage
“I’m just wondering if this mercury poisoning is contagious.”
– Mark Wahlberg, teasing Entourage star – and recent mercury victim – Jeremy Piven, while on the red carpet with NBC’s Tiki Barber
hat was your favorite quote of the night? Are there any that you feel should have been on the list, but were not included?
So with Halloween on Friday, it is time for those scary lists to start pouring in from every website on the internet.
Here is what Yahoo says is the ten least scary horror movies:
THE HAPPENING
There’s a fine line between being atmospheric and just being boring. This film — about killer tree pollen — is filled with long lingering pastoral shots of trees and tall grass punctuated by laughably spectacular mass suicides. In what is supposed to be a gripping suspense sequence, the heroes run away from the wind. Oooh, scary, scary wind. By the time the credits roll, you’re more likely to be nodding off instead of contemplating the movie’s “deep” ecological meaning.
THE WICKER MAN
The 1973 original, which was hailed as “the Citizen Kane of British horror,” has an ending that still shocks. The only shock to be found in Neil LaBrute’s unbelievably bad remake is the realization that well-paid movie professionals actually thought that dressing up Nic Cage in a bear suit would elicit anything other than laughter.
PULSE
After watching the original Japanese version of the flick, a genuinely spooky flick about technology and loneliness, you’ll never look at your computer in the same way again. This version, on the other hand, just felt stale. Moody lighting? Check. Freaky music video-like dream sequences? Check. Overbearing soundtrack? Check. Wildly over-produced special effects? Check. Vacant, gym-sculpted teens stumbling around in the dark? Check. The resulting movie, like most J-Horror remakes, was so dull that you could say it, um, lacked a pulse.
HOUSE OF THE DEAD
A band of hapless, nubile teens who venture to a remote island for a rave soon find themselves zombie bait. The characters, however, prove to be so bland and annoying that by the end of the flick, you’re rooting for the undead — at least they have personalities. Directed by German hack extraordinaire Uwe Boll, this movie doesn’t have a tenth of the scares as the videogame it was based on, even though footage of the game is spliced into the action for no good reason.
CURSED
Director Wes Craven has helmed horror masterpieces like Nightmare on Elm Street. Screenwriter Kevin Williamson wrote Scream. And star Christine Ricci is great at playing cute and creepy. So why is “Cursed” such a bore? It plays out like werewolves on the CW. The characters are all whiny, spoiled 20-somethings, and after the studio cut down the violence to get a PG-13 rating, there weren’t any thrills left over. The only frightening thing about the flick is the bizarre Scott Baio cameo.
THINNER
Stephen King has been responsible for some of the most terrifying books of all time. But, he’s also be responsible for some of the dullest and silliest movies ever. When lists are compiled of people’s biggest fears, “dropping a few extra pounds” isn’t generally on there. But that’s what happens to the overweight lawyer who gets a gypsy curse placed on him until he withers away to nothing. To break the spell, his mobster buddy strong-arms the shaman into transferring the curse to a pie. “The Shining” this ain’t.
HALLOWEEN III: THE SEASON OF THE WITCH
The original “Halloween,” about a masked killer lumbering after babysitters, is pretty much the godfather of slasher flicks. In this installment of the franchise, the filmmakers jettison its original, financially-lucrative formula in favor of face-eating Halloween masks, shamrocks, and one of the most annoying commercial jingles ever written. Not surprisingly, the knife-wielding maniac returned in Halloween 4.
JAWS 4: THE REVENGE
You’d think that escaping from a shark with a Charles Bronson-esque taste for vengeance would be easy. Just avoid the ocean. But this didn’t seem to occur to the Brody family. Instead, they stubbornly remained in the Bahamas where they were terrorized by the shark’s biologically-impossible roars. This movie is so dull that even the actors look bored, particularly Michael Caine, who couldn’t collect his Oscar because he was stuck filming this dud.
TROLL 2
By pretty much any measure, this film has to be ranked as one of the worst films ever made. Describing the mind-bogglingly idiotic plot might very well induce a migraine, but it does include oozing chlorophyll, militantly vegetarian goblins, and some of the worst line readings in history. The main thing the movie lacks: a single troll.
PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE
To criticize this movie’s staggering incompetence is like criticizing a child’s drawing for not understanding perspective. Sure, the film features gasoline soaked paper plates posing as UFOs, ghouls terrorizing housewives in cardboard cemeteries, and talk of a bomb that causes sunlight to explode, but director Ed Wood’s vision is so laughably juvenile and pure that the “Plan 9″ seems strangely wholesome. And it’s no more frightening than your average episode of “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood.”
What are you doing or dressing up for this Halloween?
