Aaron Taylor-Johnson on preparing for Kraven The Hunter in six months: “It takes years to build muscle the way we did”

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is undoubtedly one of the fittest stars out there, and his physical transformation for his role as Kraven is a testament to his impressive fitness level. After being named the most handsome man alive earlier in 2024, the actor has already established himself as a Hollywood heartthrob. With a rigorous training routine and strict diet, he has achieved a chiseled physique that boasts impressive strength, flexibility and endurance. His dedication to fitness has enabled him to embody the iconic Marvel character with conviction and intensity.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson on preparing for Kraven The Hunter in six months: “It takes years to build muscle the way we did”

In a recent interaction, the actor opened up about the hard work it took to get in shape for this R-rated origin story.

To capture the aggressive, physical nature of Kraven’s character, Taylor-Johnson spent months building nearly 35 pounds of muscle with personal trainer David Kingsbury and nutritionist Nate Schmidt. “In the comics, Kraven is absolutely huge,” says Taylor-Johnson. “His abs and arms are literally part of his costume. His physical appearance is what fans will expect to see when the character from the comics comes to life on screen. One aspect of my job is to ask, how do we make this character believable? The transformation of my body was a crucial part of the costume.”

However, it was no mean feat. “It takes years to build muscle the way we did,” says Taylor-Johnson. “We only had six months.”

After that, Taylor-Johnson began to transform his mass into very defined muscles and continued his workouts as shooting began, using a mobile gym that traveled from location to location. “We had a huge truck that I filled with exercise equipment,” says Kingsbury. “We strength trained four or five times a week — upper body, lower body, upper body, split lower body.

“It’s very counterintuitive, the weight training side of things,” Kingsbury continues. “It’s pretty low volume, so we don’t do that many sets of each exercise. We also don’t necessarily do that many exercises per session. It creates a little bit of anxiety in you because you think, ‘Should we train today?’ ‘ But overtraining creates excessive muscle damage. It’s the stimulating reps that create muscle growth.”

Kraven the Hunter is the action-packed, R-rated, stand-alone story of how one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to not only become the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.

The film is directed by JC Chandor and also stars Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott and Russell Crowe.

Sony Pictures Entertainment India is releasing Kraven The Hunter on January 1 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Only in cinemas.

Also read: Unleash the Beast: Trailer for Kraven the Hunter starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson promises R-Rated mayhem

Tags: Aaron Taylor Johnson, Alessandro Nivola, Ariana DeBose, Christopher Abbott, Fitness, fitness transformation, Fred Hechinger, Gym, gym routine, JC Chandor, Kraven the Hunter, Marvel character, Marvel villain, Nikolai Kravinoff, Physical Transformation, Russell Crowe, Sony Pictures Entertainment India, Training

BOLLYWOOD NEWS – LIVE UPDATES

Catch us for Latest Bollywood News, New Bollywood Movie Update, Box office Collection, New Movies Release, Bollywood News Hindi, Entertainment News, Bollywood Live News Today & Upcoming Movies 2024 and stay updated with Latest Hindi Movies only on Bollywood Hungama.