9 Insane Ways Oscar Winners Trained For Movie Blockbusters

By Jack Pooley /

8. Nicolas Cage Worked Out Over 30 Hours A Week (Ghost Rider)

Columbia Pictures

In order to play much-loved superhero Ghost Rider back in 2007, Nicolas Cage put himself through an intense training regimen, with his weekly time in the gym amounting to almost a full week's work for any regular person.

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Cage said, "It was awful. Every break I was in the gym maybe four or five hours a day on shooting days and then all day on the weekends."

Was It Worth It?: Well, Columbia Pictures apparently didn't think so, because despite Cage's praise-worthy efforts, they opted to CGI his abs for the famous mirror scene, making him look almost comically shredded.

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And to make matters worse, the movie wasn't even very good, but at least it was a moderate financial success, enough to earn a sequel and give Cage another paycheck to fend off the IRS with.

In an age where VFX houses can just fix your gut in post, why even bother? Just think of everything else Cage could've done with all that time.

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