The photo you see above is the first still image from the upcoming movie Southpaw, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. And, yes, that is Gyllenhaal pictured.
The actor has undergone a drastic body transformation for the film, which will tell the story of boxer Billy Hope, a title-winning boxer who has to piece his life back together after a personal tragedy sends his life spiraling downwards. As you can imagine, Gyllenhaal had to put in some serious hours at the gym to transform into his new role, especially considering his last job had him playing the scrawny Lou Bloom in Nightcrawler.
Here’s what Southpaw director Antoine Fuqua had to say about his leading man’s transformation, via Deadline:
“I’m so pumped, man,” Fuqua said. “Jake is going to change how people see him. I had him training twice a day in the boxing ring, he did two-a-days seven days a week. I pretty much had him with me and my trainer every day. I took him to almost every fight. I had him train at Floyd Mayweather’s gym in Vegas and we watched Floyd’s fights, and the Manny Pacquiao fight. He trained in New York at Church Gym with real fighters. We literally turned him into a beast… Jake, my god, he’s a very electric, powerful fighter in this movie, and a guy who fights for his daughter. I’m confident that this will change how people see Jake, as a leading man.
The film, which was written by Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter, will also feature Rachel McAdams, Naomie Harris, Forest Whitaker, Rachel McAdams and 50 Cent alongside Gyllenhaal. It is set to be released next year.
[Deadline]
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