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Louise Thomas
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Joey King was whipped into shape by Nicole Kidman and her “epic, awful” butt workout.
The Hollywood favorites are more than just co-stars and leading ladies in the new Netflix movie A Family Affair, they’re exercise buddies. According to the 24-year-old Bullet Train star, Kidman’s expertise isn’t limited to her performance behind the camera – she knows what she’s doing with her glutes in the gym, too.
On July 8, King joined Jimmy Fallon on his eponymous late-night talk show, detailing how the 57-year-old actor motivated her to build her butt muscles. “She taught me the most epic, awful butt workout I’ve ever learned in my life. It was, like, so intense,” King told Fallon.
“I was like, ‘I’m a youngster. I can hang. I’m young, and I’m agile.’ I thought I could hang, but I couldn’t hang,” she added.
For King, the most challenging part of the workout circuit that included donkey kicks, rainbows, and fire hydrants, was keeping her leg up. She noted: “You have to keep your leg in the air for, like, 12 years. It’s so hard.”
King and Kidman spent time in the gym during filming, but The Kissing Booth lead has since continued her fitness journey, practicing the regimen she learned. “I do it still because it’s the most effective workout, so I send her photos when I do it,” King confessed.
The young star still jokes about how difficult the routine is to Kidman in their messages. “I’m like, ‘Call an ambulance, love you!’” King admitted.
In addition to the Eyes Wide Shut actor, King’s fitness push was inspired by another co-star, too. According to her, being around Zac Efron on the set of A Family Affair forced her hand to become a “tubular gym rat.” Efron and Kidman were two “hot” models for King.
“Her and Zac, they’re both, like, so hot. They’re so hot. They’re the fittest people I’ve ever met,” King confessed to Fallon.
Efron may not have imparted on King’s workout regimen, but he influenced her eating habits. “He was also, again, so fit, and he helped teach me about my protein intake. He’s very helpful with the wellness tips,” the Ramona and Beezus lead said of the High School Musical heartthrob.
As for Kidman’s diet, the Moulin Rouge actor has openly admitted she doesn’t limit herself. In a 2014 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kidman confessed: “I’m actually not that strict with my diet. I pretty much eat anything, but all in moderation.”
In 2013, the actor further explained to Women’s Health magazine: “It’s walking a path that’s ultimately 80 per cent healthy, 20 per cent … sometimes it falls to 70.”
“But that’s why I think you have things like natural health remedies – you find out what works for you. And I do a lot and I have a lot of energy,” she continued.