Actor Alexander Skarsgard attends the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' 'The Legend of Tarzan' at Dolby Theatre on June 27, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Alberto E. Rodriguez)
Alexander Skarsgard has revealed that he had to eat an "insane" amount of calories (7000 calories to be specific) everyday to prepare for his role in "The Legend of Tarzan."
The actor said he had to follow a strict diet in order to bulk up and get the washboard abs that we can see in the David Yates-directed film as he slings from one vine to another.
In the three months leading to the start of production, the 39-year-old star had to eat three times the amount of food he consumed in a day and go through intense weight training in order to gain 25 lbs. Skarsgard was trained by fellow Swede and trainer-nutritionist friend Magnus Lygdback.
"When you have to see the same person every morning at 4:30 am, it's important you get on well with them," Skarsgard told Mr. Porter.
Alexander, who is the son of actor Stellan Skarsgård, added that once they arrived in London for the first schedule of filming, he was put on a sugar-free, gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free and alcohol-free diet that consisted of six smaller meals throughout the day combined with two training sessions daily.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Alexander's "Legend of Tarzan" co-star Margot Robbie said that the 6-ft 4-inch actor would ask her to give him a detailed description of the meals she had over the weekend when they met on set on Monday.
She recalled the one time that he was allowed to eat an apple and Alexander was so happy that he actually kissed the apple before eating it.
"It hit me how deprived you are if you're that excited to see a piece of fruit," she said.
After wrapping up production, the actor said he headed straight to his father's house in London, where he indulged in some of Mr. Stellan's cooked pasta, bone marrow, fried mozzarella along with lots of alcohol, describing it as the most incredible weekend of his life.
Check out the trailer of "The Legend of Tarzan" below:
