Robert Pattinson has said he was “motivated” to work out for his role in The Batman due to “shame”.
In May 2020, the actor suggested he was ignoring the strict fitness regime put together by a personal trailer as he believed it sent a bad message.
“I think if you’re working out all the time, you’re part of the problem,” he said, referring to his fellow Hollywood actors. “You set a precedent. No one was doing this in the 1970s. Even James Dean – he wasn’t exactly ripped.”
Pattinson ended up training for the role, and had three months to get into shape for his shirtless scenes in the new film.
Speaking to People, Pattinson said: “I had about three months before the movie started, and then you’re working out before and after work all the time.”
He added: “You just cut down and cut down and cut down before the couple of scenes with your shirt off, and you’re counting sips of water.”
Amateur wrestlers count sips of water to help cut down their weight, with bodybuilders opting to use the technique ahead of a big show.
When asked if knowing he had to appear shirtless in the film helped get him into the right mindset for exercise, Pattinson said: “Shame is my biggest motivator, 100 per cent.”
Pattinson previously said that, while starring in the first Twilight film back in 2008: “The one time they told me to take my shirt off, I think they told me to put it back on again.”
The Batman is released in cinemas tomorrow (4 March).
