Hugh Jackman Is In Monster Mode Consuming Over 8,000 Calories for Deadpool 3

Commitment to looking the part is often something that leaves fans in bits over an actor’s transformation. Two of the greatest examples of bodily transformations are perhaps Christian Bale and now, of course, Hugh Jackman. While Bale rapidly undergoes body transformations losing and gaining weight, Jackman consumes great amounts and burns them out to look like everyone’s favorite mutant, Wolverine. 

Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds came together to announce the inclusion of Jackman’s Wolverine in Reynolds’ most famous superhero endeavor, Deadpool. Both actors will be present in the third iteration of the film, which will focus on different timelines where Wolverine is still very much alive. So Jackman had to get back into claw-sharp shape to play the character. What did he do to get that big and shredded? Let’s find out.

If Looks Could Kill

Jackman is bulking like crazy. He shared a picture on his social media handles which took his fans into a regular day’s meal. It included bass, salmon, chicken burgers, and two massive sirloins. All of it comes together to about 8,000 calories in a single day’s food. Jackman has been very open about his love for the character, so he leaves no rock unturned when it comes to preparing to look like Wolverine. The character is known for being inhumanly strong, fast, and shredded. Here’s what Jackman wrote in his post:

“Bulking. A day in the life,” Jackman wrote. “Thank you, Chef Mario, for helping me stay healthy and properly fed whilst… Becoming. Wolverine. Again.”

In January, Jackman appeared on The Late Show and told host Stephen Colbert about his massive 6,000-calorie diet he had to take up to prepare for Wolverine while also appearing in the broadway show The Music Man. He recalls having to wear a heart-rate monitor so he and his trainer could coordinate his body weight and training.  

“I’m building up. I’m on about 4,500-5,000 calories at the moment,” he said. “I wore a heart rate monitor because my trainer said, ‘I need to know what I’m working with here because I’m trying to bulk you up.’ I burned 1,500 calories in the show, eight times a week. So she goes: ‘Oh, you gotta eat.’ So I was eating 4,500 calories a day, it was not pretty. Now I’m just eating and training.”

Sure, just eating and training sounds worrisome, as well as just a lot of pain, but really, it’s a very fundamental part of playing roles and nothing Jackman hasn’t done before. For health reasons, the actor refuses to ever take steroids just to look all bulked up for a role. Jackman also appeared on the HBO show Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, where the host asked him whether taking steroids was an option he had considered before.

“No, I love my job. And I love Wolverine,” the actor responded. “I got to be careful what I say here, but I had been told anecdotally what the side effects are of that. And I was like, ‘I don’t love it that much.’ So no, I just did it the old-school way. And I tell you, I’ve eaten more chickens — I’m so sorry to all the vegans and vegetarians and to the chickens of the world. Literally, the karma is not good for me. If the deity has anything related to chickens, I’m in trouble.” 

Now, Jackman must sit back and eat one spoon at a time for Deadpool 3, which is set to release this November 8. Fans could not be more excited.