Ben Affleck has impressed the audience with his diverse acting work for different genres. He is quite serious about his craft as he makes sure to give his best effort to become what his project demands. From his role in the light-hearted film, Dazed and Confused to playing the gritty Batman role in the DC franchise, he has done it all.
Given that he has often garnered acclaim for his portrayal, it is surely worth it since he had to work extremely hard, especially when it comes to physical transformations to get into his role. Even his bodybuilding expert was astonished when he saw the actor’s dedication in The Town.
Ben Affleck’s Transformation Left His Bodybuilding Expert Stunned
Ben Affleck started to work with his longtime trainer, Walter Norton Jr. of the Institute of Performance and Fitness, when he was preparing for his role in 2010’s The Town.
The latter was highly impressed by the former’s dedication to achieving a certain body frame. By the time, the filming started, he was able to get 198 pounds, with 6.8% body fat. Norton Jr. commented on his transformation stating that “he probably lost 12 pounds for The Town.”
He continued,
“But he was stronger in every lift and physically bigger everywhere except his waist. He put on a ton of muscle and lost a lot of fat.”
It was definitely his sheer hard work that made his transformation possible but it didn’t mean he had it easy. Norton used to create a new regime every week which the former followed to keep his frame in shape. The duo continued to work together through movies with one project being, Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Ben Affleck Worked Hard for Muscle Gain to Play Batman
The Pearl Harbour actor had to gain a super ripped physique to become the caped crusader. It was because the film director had decided to make Affleck’s caped crusader different from previous portrayals as they wanted someone who could emit a formidable aura with his presence.
The trainer talked about his training process stating,
“With Batman, we had to get a physically imposing, powerful look and that takes a lot of reps. You have to be in the weight room day after day after day, so it certainly was a process.”
For over a year, the duo trained from 90 minutes to 2½ hours a day, for six days on and two days off. The Gone Girl actor continued his training even while filming his film despite the demanding schedule. However, he knew that it was all a part of his job.
“You’re not going to have a ton of success if you’re scared by the number on the clock, and he certainly is not,” said Norton. “He gets it done, and it doesn’t matter what time it is. We often worked out at 5 in the morning, or late at night.”
Eventually, his labor paid off after training for a long time. Even his trainer has nothing but great words for his trainee.
“He got very good at chinups and pullups. He’s very good at inverted rows. He added a lot of weight to his glutes and his legs that he hadn’t had before. His calves got a lot bigger. Certainly he’s got a great frame.”
Given that Batman had no actual superpowers, they needed massive physical strength for him to do justice to the character. However, building a mass-like canon character was not easy but he eventually pulled it off.
Meanwhile, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice eventually grossed $873.6 million worldwide and is available to watch on HBO Max.
Source: Muscle and Fitness
