Better late than never is clearly a phrase which applies to Top Gun: Maverick. The original was already over 30 years old when it was confirmed that a sequel was in the works, and then the pandemic delayed it’s release by a further two years. Yours truly saw it during opening weekend, and I was far from disappointed… and ever since, my YouTube feed seems to think that I want to know how the actors “got in shape” for the updated version of the infamous volleyball scene.
Either I’m getting my metrics wrong and YouTube hasn’t figured out I’m a personal trainer who’s more than capable of planning an appropriate workout… or it thinks I’m thirsty. Whatever: it’s given me something to blog about.
Getting in shape for acting roles: let’s discuss
During the last few decades, much has been made of actors shapeshifting to suit the role they’ve been cast in. With the immediacy of internet culture and the accessibility of camera equipment in order to record a hot take, this has only intensified. From Renee Zellweger gaining weight to play Bridget Jones (and, in sequels, choosing not to), to Matthew McConnaughey turning himself inside out to play an HIV/AIDS patient and advocate (and then going straight to The Wolf of Wall Street set still looking like one), and Beyonce intentionally taking a break from shooting Dreamgirls in order to alter her physique, there are a lot of conversations to be had.
This kind of behaviour is being met with increasing criticism. One factor is the health of the actors undertaking these missions – sometimes, they complete these transformations quickly, and take them pretty far in order to increase the contrast on camera. It’s also not uncommon for them to do it several times during their career, and crash dieting and exercising is not good for our bodies, particularly when done repeatedly and as we continue to age. Although they tend these days to change their bodies with the help of fitness and nutrition professionals, that doesn’t mean it’s a particularly good idea.
The other justified critique is that it means that people of different shapes and sizes lose out on opportunities – something often levelled at Zellweger in particular, as some believe she “took” a role from a woman whose body was naturally the “right” shape to play Bridget – because their face literally doesn’t fit. Along a similar train of thought, and getting to the real thrust of my post – this behaviour perpetuates a certain beauty and body type standard.
The Top Gun workout
Before I wrote this post, our friend The Algorithm, had gifted me YouTube videos detailing the preparation that Miles Teller (who plays Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick) and Glen Powell (Hangman) went through. In addition to them both undertaking scenes that involved being airborne in fighter jets, they appear in various states of undress throughout the movie, showcasing the prototypical bulging biceps and rippling abs that are deemed popular, attractive, and desirable.
Even as I watched the film at the cinema, I thought to myself, “There are going to be videos about their body prep”, and I was right. Because they get asked about it at press junkets and on talk shows, as has always been the way of the world. And now, they get roped into creating social media content too plus, as I said before, every dickhead who owns a shaker bottle and thinks they know what BCAA stands for, has also got a smartphone and an internet connection.
The problem is this: it’s not (just) about the workouts.
The “we all have the same hours in the day” myth
This shit statement is the bane of my life. Yes, unless it happens to be the day we’re born or the day we die, we do all live 24 hours each day. But just as eight hours in bed does not necessarily equal eight hours of restful sleep, your 24 hours is not J Lo’s 24 hours (with her documentary out on Netflix today, I’ve got a feeling she’ll be next under my microscope), or Beyonce’s 24 hours, or Zac Efron’s (he’ll be back in a minute).
I’ll say this slowly and clearly: it is their job to look the way they do, and they have a lot of help to do it.
Not just in terms of a literal kick-ass personal trainer. Not just in terms of a bullshit PDF meal plan. Oh no. They likely have either a meal delivery service or a chef. A masseur, and any other number of assistants. A personal assistant who drives them to every single appointment and errand, as well as opening their post, paying their bills, booking their travel, doing their laundry, flushing the toilet for them… you get me?
What happens when you watch Baywatch with your boyfriend
Yes, he falls for the moment when Alexandra Daddario jiggles her bust (I truly didn’t care, it was the entire point of the shot), but he also says this when Zac Efron’s character lines up in a strength contest versus The actual Rock’s character: “Well he didn’t eat or drink anything for a week before shooting this.”
And do you know what? Then-boyfriend probably wasn’t wrong. Efron was the definition of ripped for that scene, and looked great throughout the film. As do Teller, Powell and their other castmates. But they all looked that way for a moment in time, and with a lot of hardcore preparation.
What are the results of a Top Gun workout like?
Teller is on the record stating that the cast were cranking out exercises to get a pump on before the cameras rolled, and that they consumed no water, then raced to the food trucks afterwards. When they discovered re-shoots were necessary, they all immediately hit the gym having relaxed a little after the original shoot. Several years on from Baywatch, Efron has openly stated that he never wants to achieve that physique again, because he found it unhealthy.
Much like bodybuilders who participate in physique competitions, it is an extreme which is only possible thanks to an all-out dedication to that pursuit. It is not replicable in everyday life, and nor should it be.
How do I get in Top Gun shape?
According to the video I saw of Powell training, your routine is deadlifts, weighted pull ups and tricep dips, hanging leg raises, chest presses, sled pulls, and a few more besides. The video completely neglects to mention sleep, nutrition and hydration, body makeup and tanning, and the one that every photographer will tell you is the only thing that matters – lighting.
How do you do it? You don’t. You could do exactly what Teller, Efron, Powell, Zellweger, and The actual Rock do… and still not look like them. Because your body is not their body.
Decide what you want to get out of your workouts. Speak to a qualified personal trainer about your goals. Have them put together a plan which suits you. Go and live your best life, not the life of an over-trained dehydrated actor.