Certain roles demand intense physical training, pushing actors to their limits. While it’s often assumed that men are the ones who need to get in top shape for tough roles, many actresses have also put in the hard work to transform their bodies for their characters.
These days, getting buff is common for superhero roles, but it’s not limited to Marvel and DC. Actresses playing action heroes in game adaptations, athletes, and characters driven by revenge all require some serious muscle-building.
1. Gal Gadot — Wonder Woman
After Wonder Woman earned a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, many expected a bright future for the comic book movie genre. Although the franchise faced challenges later on, Gal Gadot was undeniably captivating as she took down enemies. Gadot dedicated six months to prepare for her role, including rigorous exercise, strength training, and stunt choreography. Before acting, she served as a combat fitness instructor in the Israel Defense Forces, giving her a head start. Her hard work was evident, especially since her costume left little to the imagination compared to her male counterparts.
2. Alicia Vikander — Tomb Raider
Before 2001, Lara Croft was just a character seen in ads and gaming posters in teenagers’ rooms, but Angelina Jolie brought her to life in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. After Jolie reprised the role in the 2003 sequel, the franchise took a 15-year hiatus until Alicia Vikander starred in the 2018 reboot, Tomb Raider. This was Vikander’s first lead in a major action film, and she added 12 pounds of muscle, trained in mixed martial arts, and consumed five meals a day. Her background as a ballet dancer helped her handle the intense physical demands of the role.
3. Alison Brie — GLOW
Alison Brie, known for her roles in Community and Mad Men, proved she could be a force to be reckoned with in Netflix’s GLOW. The show, inspired by the real-life Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling from 1986, featured Brie as Ruth “Zoya the Destroyer” Wild. Brie admitted to ET Online that she never saw herself as athletic until she began working on GLOW. Impressively, she and her co-stars performed all their own stunts without any doubles.
4. Zazie Beetz — Deadpool 2
Zazie Beetz, who played Domino in Deadpool 2, had to look the part, with her costume exposing her shoulders, neck, chest, and arms. She trained for two months before filming and continued with four-hour daily workouts during production. This was a significant change for Beetz, who admitted she didn’t work out at all prior to this role. She told The Hollywood Reporter that it was a huge emotional and physical transition. While she might not appear in Deadpool and Wolverine, she could return as Domino in future X-Force movies.
5. Brie Larson — Captain Marvel
While many female superheroes deserve their own movies, the MCU’s first solo female superhero film was not Black Widow, but 2019’s Captain Marvel. Brie Larson worked tirelessly to embody Carol Danvers. Initially feeling like an imposter, Larson was determined to push her limits, eventually deadlifting 200 pounds, hip thrusting 400 pounds, and even pushing a Jeep. Larson continues to reach new fitness milestones, now capable of performing one-armed pull-ups and push-ups.
6. Daisy Ridley — Star Wars
Although Star Wars fans have mixed feelings about the sequel trilogy, the hard work of many talented individuals, including Daisy Ridley, deserves recognition. Early in her acting career, Ridley joined The Force Awakens as Rey, a character with surprising ties to Emperor Palpatine. In The Rise of Skywalker, Rey became the first female main protagonist in a live-action Star Wars movie, and the workout routine she endured was grueling: five hours a day, five days a week, for three months. Today, they call it the Skywalker routine.
7. Hilary Swank — Million Dollar Baby
Swank’s intense training for Million Dollar Baby resulted in a serious foot blister that developed into a potentially deadly staph infection. To prepare for the role, she trained six days a week for three months, spending over two hours on boxing and another one to two hours on weights each day. Although she was only supposed to gain 10 pounds of muscle, her dedicated workouts and strict diet nearly doubled that. Her trainer, Grant Roberts, was amazed that she could even stand after all the boxing.
8. Margot Robbie — Birds of Prey
It’s rare for a spin-off to surpass the original, and Birds of Prey was no exception. Despite the film’s shortcomings, Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn was, as always, exceptional. Robbie fully embraced Harley’s personality and didn’t shy away from the physical demands of the role. She trained intensively with ballet dancer and trainer Andie Hecker for Suicide Squad and took it to another level for Birds of Prey, including learning to roller-skate for the role.
