Actors’ workouts and diets have become an integral part of the superhero journey – but is our idea of a healthy body becoming skewed as a result?
We’re so used to seeing the Marvel body. Muscular, yet thin; a lean package that is capable of packing a mean punch. It’s Chris Hemsworth’s glistening nudity in the latest Thor, or Natalie Portman’s much-talked about bulging biceps, or the star-spangled curvature of “America’s ass” (Chris Evans’). While Marvel stars, like Elizabeth Olsen, have defended the studio for never explicitly telling their actors to “get into shape”, the pressure on them to appear powerful has been sculpted over time.
“I want to look like someone who can take on Thor or Captain America, or any one of those people,” Kumail Nanjiani told GQ magazine, about his decision to beef up to play Kingo in Eternals. Motivated by his own desire to portray a strong south Asian hero, he gained about 28 pounds (12 kilograms) of muscle – against the wishes of director Chloé Zhao, who had cast him for his “mix of humility and charisma”.
