12 actors who got ridiculously ripped for a movie role

While being part of the Hollywood Elite is something we all dream of, it's sadly not likely to happen to the majority of us. It's easy to be envious of their lifestyle of excess and luxury, but there are some hard parts of the job.

Being a successful actor requires an extreme amount of commitment to the cause, with the best in the business having to undergo extreme body transformations in order to get into the role. Whether it's Tom Hardy packing on the pounds to play Bane, or Christian Bale becoming stick thin for The Machinist, the workout routines of male actors are well known. However, there have been many female leads that have had to undergo gruelling regimes in order to slim down or tone up for a role. Here are 12 of the best.

1. Emily Blunt

In order to play her role of a soldier in Edge of Tomorrow, Blunt decided to undergo military level training. The actress hit the gym at 5 am every day, partaking in eye-watering weightlifting and gymnastic routines.

2. Jenifer Lawrence

To prepare for her role as Katniss Everdeen in the four-film series The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence's personal trainer had her hitting the treadmill hard. On top of this, she followed a strict keto-diet, practised yoga regularly and hit the running track to improve her endurance.

3. Shailene Woodley

Much like the actor herself, Shailene's character in Divergent has no idea how to fight. But, luckily for Shailene, she enlisted the help of one of the best in the business and booked herself in with Grant Warren - the man who trains The Rock. Shailene undertook a gruelling regime which saw her learn mixed martial arts.

4. Mila Kunis

Mila had to get into shape for not just one, but two movies. The 34-year-old had to be lean for Black Swan and then was asked to bulk up for the sci-fi epic Jupiter Ascending. Speaking to Ellen DeGeneres, Mila said that she worked out twice a day in order to slim down then bulk up. However, according to her, she'll never be that fit again due to her love of food.

5. Angelina Jolie

Jolie had to get ripped for her roles in Tomb Raider and Mr and Mrs Smith. How did she do it? By practising kickboxing, yoga and MMA. Not only this, but Jolie also insists on doing her own stunts.

6. Anna Paquin

For her role in True Blood, Anna Paquin is required to get her kit off a lot. So in, order to stay in shape, she works out as often as possible. "My favourite workout by far is boxing," Anna told CNN. "It's so much fun. You do a full proper boxing workout. You start jumping rope, and you do the pads, where your trainer calls out the combinations and you do them."

7. Kate Beckinsale

Kate Beckinsale appeared super-svelt when she appeared in Underworld and that was down to one man: Ramona Braganza. Braganza, who is Jessica Alba's PT, said: "Selene, Kate's character in the film, is a beautiful vampire warrior, with superhuman physical abilities," speaking to Health & Fitness magazine. "She performs spectacular leap, and strikes her enemies with tremendous force, which means Kate has to look super fit. To achieve this, we used my 3-2-1 training method, using cardio, circuits and core work."

8. Mila Jovovich

Starring in The Resident Evil Franchise isn't an easy task, but for Mila Jovovich, the workouts are part of the fun. "For me, I love it. Martial arts is something I've always loved doing. It's the only form of exercise that I can deal with. Everything else is really boring and mind-numbing."

9. Hilary Swank

After being given 90 days to get fighting fit for her role in Million Dollar Baby, Hilary Swank undertook an extreme workout plan. "My training was two and a half hours of boxing and approximately an hour and a half to two hours lifting weights every day, six days a week," she told Movieweb. "The producers asked me to gain 10 pounds of muscle. I gained 19 pounds of muscle. I started at 110 and went to 129. And in order to do that, I had to eat 210 grams of protein a day."

10. Scarlett Johansson

Not that I've ever had to do it, but I can imagine fitting into a lycra bodysuit isn't the easiest thing in the world. However, it's something Scarlett Johansson had to be prepared to do for Captain America and The Avengers. In order to be able to slip into the suit, Scarlett worked her way through 90-minute circuits and hardcore weightlifting.

11. Anne Hathaway 

Another woman, another lycra bodysuit. Anne didn't have to slim down for her role as Catwoman, but she did have to tone up. "I've always thought that skinny was the goal," Anne told Harpers Bazaar. "But with this job I also have to be strong." Hathaway worked out five days a week alongside rigorous stunt training to make that catsuit look so good and be capable of doing all those action sequences.

12. Uma Thurman

Having recently given birth, Uma faced an uphill task to get fit and ready for her role in Kill Bill. The star was whipped into shape by Christel Smith, who worked her body hard for several hours a day, six days a week. Not bad for a new mom!

All of the transformations are incredible in their own right and deserve recognition. However, after reading the above, I think I'll give up on being famous and opt for eating chips on the couch.