10 Comedy Actors Who Became Ripped Action Stars
7. Alison Brie
From one Brie to another, here we have another actor who stepped completely out of her comedy comfort zone in order to convincingly portray a highly physical character on screen. However, instead of piling on the muscle to play an individual capable of matching Thanos blow-for-blow, Community star Alison Brie was faced with a different challenge; Creating a physique tough enough to withstand the gruelling world of professional wrestling for the Netflix series GLOW.
To do this, Brie enlisted the help of fellow 'Brie' Larson's trainer Jason Walsh who proceeded to harden her 5'3" frame by putting her through a mix of cardio and strength workouts for four days a week (with one session coming in the morning, and another usually arriving in the afternoon). Through heavy bag slams, deadlifts, farmer walks, and even piggyback rides (with the 220lbs Walsh on her back), Brie was able to successfully morph her body into that of Ruth Wilder...or "Zoya the Destroya" as she's also known.
The actor has credited her preparation for GLOW throughout its three season run for helping the star with her relationship with her body, telling Women's Health, “It helped with my relationship to my body times a million. Before, I always felt at odds with it; I wanted it to be something it wasn’t. But I didn’t have the tools to do that in a healthy way.”
Despite Brie and the rest of the cast's hard work behind the scenes, though, GLOW was ultimately cancelled in October 2020.