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[entremet]

Muscles have become a requirement to lead a movie franchise, and more than ever there’s an entire cottage industry of physical trainers and nutritionists (as well as supplements, steroids, and hormones) designed to help actors and their body doubles “get into superhero shape.” We noted the trend back in the summer of 2014, when Chris Pratt unveiled his very un-Andy Dwyer body in Guardians of the Galaxy, but the significant moment came almost two years prior, when Pratt snapped an underwear selfie of his new body after shooting Zero Dark Thirty. The actor had lost out on roles for films like G.I. Joe because he was “out of shape,” but after getting superhero swoll, Pratt was able to vault onto the A-list, joining Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans in the elite group of famous men who have fantastical bodies and also all happen to be named Chris. (The fourth and arguably best Chris, Pine, has embraced a more realistically athletic look for his own shirtless scenes.) The Chrises stood proudly alongside Henry Cavill in Man of Steel and Hugh Jackman in X-Men Days of Future Past, who evolved from the fit and furry Wolverine into a veined and leathery one over a decade later. Now there’s an “anyone can do it” quality to getting swoll, with Michael B. Jordan bulking up for Creed, John Krasinski reinventing himself for 13 Hours, and Paul Rudd getting cut for Ant-Man. In the only instance of an effective trickle-down economy, muscles today are ubiquitous to the point of pointlessness: Why does Ben Stiller have abs? Does Kevin Hart need to be so jacked? Does the depressed, alcoholic small-town police chief on The Leftovers need an eight-pack?

http://www.vulture.com/2017/05/zac-efrons-muscles-are-way-too-much.html

 

[FZZ]

I blame the rock

 

[What A Time To Be Alive]

I blame the rock

Real shit

 

[J_Viper]

Sounds like insecurity

Is being in great shape really being looked down on?

 

[Switch Back 9]

I blame the rock

Blame Arnold. He started it.

 

[RBH]

 

[Hidden One]

Came in to post I blame the rock. Hollywood is like WWE now you push the tall guys with the best bodies.

 

[Manu]

Woman IRL like beer guts anyway.

Or at least I hope they do.

 

[PeskyToaster]

The dad bod is hotter anyway. Science knows this.

 

[crimzonflame]

I admit I am very curious about HGH. Someone I know said it costs about $1000 (Canadian) for a month's supply.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Well, they're playing superheroes.

Also, I don't see how they're too buff. What's wrong with buff?

 

[Rhomega Beta]

As opposed to, say, the '80s where two of the biggest stars were Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger?

 

[H.Protagonist]

Sorry, gents. You can only be an average-looking schlub 50% of the time now. Still a better percentage than the ladies, I'd warrant.

 

[privitsan02]

It's true. Male stars in general look incredibly unnatural. Hopefully the follow the same path as the rising amount of "more normal" looking female stars lately.

Best wishes.

 

[opricnik]

Sounds like insecurity

Is being in great shape really being looked down on?

No this feels like counter part of womans are so beatiful in these hollywood movies. Get fit and shape fat people instead of whining online
for your own good

 

[Yoda]

The dad bod is hotter anyway. Science knows this.

Lol dad bod only works for people who are already famous.

 

[Bulk_Rate]

I agree; it breaks character for me in a sense -- we all know how much work, time, $$$ and possibly drugs it takes to achieve those bodies. I understand for Thor, Cap America, etc.

Old school movie toughs like Charles Bronson, William Smith, etc. had brutal, intimidating builds that looked realistic and scary without being a Gym nerd.

 

[entremet]

Blame Arnold. He started it.

In a sense, but during Arnold's reign you still had the likes of Micheal Keaton, Steve Guttenberg, Eddie Murphy (Eddie's always been rather fit to be fair but not buff), Don Johnson, Tom Selleck, Kevin Costner, and so on.

None of these guys were buff in the modern sense.

 

[illamap]

Well, they're playing superheroes.

Also, I don't see how they're too buff. What's wrong with buff?

Creating unrealistic beauty standards for men only attainable with steroids.

 

[Kayhan]

Drugs are a marvelous thing.

By the time you lost your hair and your testicles shrunk to the size of peanuts you will hopefully have made enough money to last.

 

[Paz]

It's sorta funny to see this happen to male actors after women have had it so bad for so long, the point about the small town alcaholic with an eight-pack reminds me of how even the 'weirdo' or 'ugly' women characters are almost always played by extremely attractive and fit women.

Edit - For the record I find both can be unnerving at times, though some examples cited by the writer are odd, of course he had to get gym-ripped to play a boxing champ ffs.

 

[Count Dookkake]

Nah. It's good to have ideals to strive for.

 

[Figgles]

Crazy that these guys couldn't get roles as superheroes, spec ops, and boxers without getting in shape.

 

[rekameohs]

 

[Fantastical]

Standards of attractiveness in general in Hollywood are ridiculous.

It's sorta funny to see this happen to male actors after women have had it so bad for so long, the point about the small town alcaholic with an eight-pack reminds me of how even the 'weirdo' or 'ugly' women characters are almost always played by extremely attractive and fit women.

... but she's wearing glasses...

 

[Bobby Roberts]

The article seems to have been prompted by Efron's physique in Baywatch.

which is legitimately fucking unnerving. Startling. Like watching a plastic action figure move under its own power. I said once that if you grabbed under his armpits and lifted straight up you'd see the rubberband connecting his torso to his legs.

Related article from Vulture: Joaquin Phoenix is an action hero but is keeping a belly

 

[Easy_D]

Lol. Men finally getting a taste of over the top beauty ideals

 

[oxrock]

As opposed to, say, the '80s where two of the biggest stars were Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger?

This was my first thought

 

[Yamibito]

Nah. It's good to have ideals to strive for.

Looking like your body is made of connected ovals isn't an "ideal"

getting a six pack is cool but when you look like you're about to burst it's bad, and definitely not healthy

 

[sikkinixx]

Nah. It's good to have ideals to strive for.

Totally. We should all aspire to take HGH

 

[broncobuster]

Seems like it comes and goes. 90s and parts of the 2000s you had action stars slimmed down from the buff 80s action stars. Now with superheroes and all, it's about getting buff and that V aesthetic.

 

[Alcotholic]

Nah. It's good to have ideals to strive for.

I look at UFC guys for fit bodies to strive for. They have working muscle and they don't look ridiculously cut.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Meanwhile:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1377651

 

[Astral]

Nah. It's good to have ideals to strive for.

If they're natural, yes. But don't most Hollywood stars use drugs because of time constraints? Then you see them kinda deflate once it's over.

 

[Gouty]

Who exactly is this a problem for, other than Hollywood actors? They can chase whatever "beauty standards" they want. I'll stay normal looking and deeply unconcerned.

 

[elrechazado]

Came in to post I blame the rock. Hollywood is like WWE now you push the tall guys with the best bodies.

Yeah because stallone and Arnold never existed

 

[entremet]

If they're natural, yes. But don't most Hollywood stars use drugs because of time constraints? Then you see them kinda deflate once it's over.

Of course they do. Many are able to get stuff via doctor's prescription under the auspices of Hormone Replacement Therapy.

 

[Ryaaan14]

R u serious

My dad bod and I don't give a shit about this. If anything it helps promote having a healthy lifestyle

 

[Bobby Roberts]

As opposed to, say, the '80s where two of the biggest stars were Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger?

It is funny to watch action heroes from the 70s/80s/90s and see what peak male physique was portrayed. Burt Reynolds is basically a bar of soap with hair. Kurt Russell in Escape From New York looks like he was allergic to pushups.

Now Zac Efron and Paul Rudd and Hugh Jackman have to ingest pure HGH, piss ground beef, and swear off water for days just to look "passable"

Stallone/Schwarzenegger were considered genetic freaks, for the most part. People didn't really attempt to keep up with that.

The two best action films of the 80s were Raiders of the Lost Ark and Die Hard. The two stars of those films were not ripped, and apparently didn't even aspire to it. The stars that did aspire to it tended to land on the straight to VHS rack

 

[a Master Ninja]

I thought Harrison Ford and Kurt Russell found a good "believably fit" middle ground in their heydays.

 

[FallingEdge]

Creating unrealistic beauty standards for men only attainable with steroids.

depends on who you are comparing too, a lot of them are totally attainable natty, just not in the time range you expect

I look at UFC guys for fit bodies to strive for. They have working muscle and they don't look ridiculously cut.

usada ruined everything tho

 

[The Lamp]

Sounds like insecurity

Is being in great shape really being looked down on?

Being in the shape they're in is unrealistic for most people and even comes with risks (particularly steroid problems, as well as the risks to your spine with heavy weightlifting, which I am now suffering).

In a conversation where meaningful representation in movies matters, it can be argued that too much muscle bodied unrealism in movies can contribute to body image issues in society stemmed from unrealistic expectations because of Hollywood.

 

[WadiumArcadium]

Who exactly is this a problem for, other than Hollywood actors? They can chase whatever "beauty standards" they want. I'll stay normal looking and deeply unconcerned.

Young guys who think they all have to look like that.

 

[jett]

Zak Efron just looks really strange.

I feel like this is going to be the natural endgame of superhero movie stars at this rate lol. Physique standards for male stars have gone through the roof.

 

[broncobuster]

If they're natural, yes. But don't most Hollywood stars use drugs because of time constraints? Then you see them kinda deflate once it's over.

Some do, some don't. If you watch behind the scenes features, they're constantly working out before takes to have a pump; and for shirtless scenes prepare days in advance. Jackman dehydrates himself when he knows there's a shirtless scenes coming up.

 

[Fury451]

Sounds like insecurity

Is being in great shape really being looked down on?

Nah, I think the point is that most of these stars don't look like that off camera because that regimen is unrealistic all the time, but now expected for men on camera. The article even mentions more realistic and fit athletic looks like Pine and the original Jackman look as Wolverine.

Being in great shape is awesome. Captain America is in ridiculous shape, which is great on screen but not possible for average joe always.

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

Don't take Chris Evans and Henry Cavill away from me.
I need my yearly dose of shirtless jacked-up superheroes. And Hemsworth and Pratt are just disgusting pretenders.

But yeah, Zac Efron looks unreal to the point that it's kinda disturbing. I'm always afraid his muscles are going to burst out Tetsuo style.

 

[Hoo-doo]

If it inspires kids and adults to take care of their bodies more, then I am all for buff/athletic movie stars.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Zak Efron just looks really strange.



I feel like this is going to be the natural endgame of superhero movie stars at this rate lol. Physique standards for male stars have gone through the roof.

Yep. We gotta get to 90s era Rob Liefeld proportions.

insert_captain_america.jpg

 

[CocaMantis]

I mean, currently we are getting a ton of superheroes movies. It makes sense that we are seing mostly muscular fellas on the big screen. Like when Hemsworth showed up on Ghostbusters. I'm pretty sure he was the most in shape male secretary in history.