Hugh Jackman Told to Pack 25 Pounds of Muscle for ‘Wolverine 2’

He’s always been in top condition, especially in the “X-Men” movies, but Hugh Jackman is now facing the challenge of his life with the upcoming “Wolverine” film, for which he’s been told he must really beef up.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly just the other day, the Australian actor says that even he was shocked when director Darren Aronofky told him that he must gain muscle mass for the new film.

Of course, he knew he’d have to train harder and even go on a diet, but Jackman was taken by surprise when he learned that Aronofsky literally wanted to make of the upcoming film the biggest (literally) Wolverine to date.

It “is more than I ever have for the role,” Hugh says for EW. Moreover, he has to get in this buff condition before shooting starts in the spring of 2011, which means he really doesn’t have that much time at his disposal.

“It’s not easy for me. Because I’m actually quite long and lean,” Hugh reveals. Luckily, he knows people who’ve already done it, so he can turn to them for help – like, for instance, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who recently gained muscle mass for his role of an ex-con in “Faster.”

“I had a chat with Dwayne Johnson, who did 25 pounds for his movie. I rang him up and was like, Okay, tell me what’s going on,” Hugh explains.

After they talked, they came up with a plan to get the job done: gain a pound a week through a 6000-calorie a day eating plan, which includes “an awful lot” of chicken, brown rice and steak.

Even if he finds his mission somewhat difficult, Jackman isn’t complaining: not only does he get to reprise a role that’s very close to his heart, but he’s also doing so with a director with whom he’s worked before, therefore, knows and appreciates.

“I love every one of his movies,” he says of Aronofsky. “He’s a visionary. I’ve been trying to get Darren since X-Men 3, really. We’ve been talking about this and Wolverine for so long.”

In another recent interview, Jackman promised fans that the new “Wolverine,” which is actually not a traditional sequel but rather a stand-alone film, would be darker, deeper and better. We’ll see about that when it drops in theaters, sometime in 2012.