Actor Tom Senior has embodied one of the most unique characters in musical theatre as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast - which requires him to bulge his biceps very dramatically on stage every night. He plays the cartoon villain brought very much to life on stage and leaving the audience in stitches as the outrageous "paragon of manliness".
Playing such a physical character on stage requires Tom to maintain in peak physical condition - which is not a problem for the 32-year-old theatre star. He has been dedicated to health and fitness since teenage years, and alongside his career as an actor he also helps others to get into muscular shape for film and TV roles.
Former Pendleton College student Tom has been winning rave reviews for his performance as Gaston in the hit Disney musical, which has been playing for a spectacular three month run at Manchester's Palace Theatre. And he admits that he is often asked if his biceps are REAL after stunned theatre-goers have seen him on stage, singing the famous lines: "As you can see I've got biceps to spare".
Read more : Why Disney's Beauty and the Beast is an absolute must-see
Tom laughs: "Lighting does play a big art, people always say if they see me after 'oh you look much taller and bigger on stage' - and I think the lighting is very clever it creates shadows that aren't there. But yes it is all me on stage, I do keep in shape, it's part of my lifestyle, it's part of who I am.
"The costumes do an awful lot, they create the sort of triangular shape. But I do also work incredibly hard on my fitness as well."
Tom's muscular physique and stunning singing voice led to friends urging him to go for the theatre role of Gaston. He said: "Friends had been saying to me for years that I should play Gaston. I did always want to play this part because he's so funny, he's so self-absorbed it's untrue, it's such a caricature of what you shouldn't be in a person.
"I wanted to make the audience laugh with the outrageous things that Gaston does and say, it's all part of the fun of the show."
Tom, who grew up in Hayfield near Glossop, is a qualified personal trainer and is passionate about health and fitness. So much so, he helps other actors who need to get into a certain bodyshape for film and TV roles and believes anyone can do it if they put their mind to it.
He runs his own instagram account @TomLivingFit sharing his own fitness tips as well as some of the success stories of people he has helped to train on his Powerful Performer programme. Tom says: "'I help performers to grow their body and their career, because I know what I'm doing in terms of the fitness thing.
"A lot of people get into shape just for a role, but that's not me I do this for fun but I love helping others. I don't just train actors, it's also drag queens, presenters, models - people trust me because they know I've come from that background as well and I know the unique challenges you face in showbiz to get in shape.
"I have clients who will say "I'm on a film set, what do I eat? They keep shovelling cakes down me" I know the experiences they've been through, how hard they have to work on a film set, and I have the tools to help them get through it."
Tom's own personal fitness journey started in childhood and he was always into sport at school. But watching a certain movie made him interested in working towards a more muscular physique.
He recalls: "I watched Gladiator as a kid and saw all these 'muscle marys' and thought that's interesting, I want to look like that.
"When you get into this sort of lifestyle of health and fitness, it's the way I want to live my life now. And it gives me really great energy, for over 10 years now. I want to pass that on to other people."
As far as his own regime is concerned, he says it is the "classic well-balanced lifestyle". He says: "I don't cut out alcohol, I don't cut out bread, It's just about being well balanced in my lifestyle.
"It's not one size fits all, I ask people 'what do you value? You need to think when do I have time to eat, to train and make it a bit of a priority for a bit.
"I always say what is the minimum I can do? Even with 3 sessions of 40 minutes a week I could turn your life around. Obviously if you want to look like Superman in 90 days of course you need to be more strict but in three months you can make huge changes."
Beauty and the Beast's incredible run comes to an end this weekend in Manchester, before heading to the London Palladium for a summer run of shows. Tom says it has been a magical show to be a part of.
He says: "Everyone in Beauty and the Beast is all part of a machine creating this incredible magical buzz. It's the audience reaction at the end, when you get the standing ovation, when you see in all the young Belles coming in their costumes, you're part of a culture because everyone watched this film as a child.
He beams: "When you feel that you've made someone's night, that it such a magical feeling. It's a reminder of how special this job is."
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