14 DAY TRIAL // After “I Am Number Four,” Alex Pettyfer has been flying a bit under the radar, but all that's about to change this weekend, when his latest movie, “Magic Mike,” comes out. To prepare for the part, Alex hit the gym hard – only to be told afterwards that he had to lose weight.
Alex has always been in great shape, but he imagined (justly so) that he would have to look his best if he wanted to play a stripper in a believable manner.
So, he tells Men's Health, he hit the gym, put himself on a diet and started working out religiously. At the end of the intensive training, he was 27 pounds (12kg) heavier.
“I put on a bit of weight for this film. I started off at 169lb (77kg) and went up to 196lb (88kg),” the actor says for the fitness mag.
However, what he did not consider when he started the training was that he'd be playing a novice in the film, which means producers weren't looking for a guy who looked like he was ripped from a fitness commercial.
Alex had to start working on losing weight immediately afterwards.
“They told me I was too big, so in the end I had to take it back down to 185lb (84kg),” he recalls.
Right now, the 22-year-old star is looking forward to taking a break from all this intensive working out, saying he only did it for the part and not because he was particularly fond of that much exercise.
“When you eat and train as a sportsman I found it very enjoyable,” he says.
“But at the same time, it was hard, particularly at the start and I still remember not wanting to be in the gym. That’s why I don’t want to train at the moment,” Pettyfer explains.
He's not the only one who had to beef up for the part either. Since this is a movie that has its leading men mostly shirtless for a big chunk of time, his co-stars also had to put in the extra hours at the gym to get a body that ladies would die for.
Matthew McConaughey and Channing Tatum were already ripped, as also was Joe Manganiello – but Joe got even bigger for the role. Matt Bomer also worked out more to be more toned.