— Photo: Leon Bennett/Getty Images
Mehcad Brooks is opening up about the intense diet and fitness regime he adopted ahead of filming “Mortal Kombat“.
The actor took some extreme steps in order to beef up before playing Jax in the action movie, which HBO Max dropped on Friday, April 23.
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Brooks revealed how he prepared for the role while appearing on Global’s “The Talk” on the same day as the film hit screens.
“I went from eating vegan to eating a small organic farm, more or less,” said the “True Blood” star. “I was doing boxing training five days a week and I think the one thing about gaining that much weight that fast, I gained 45 pounds…your jaw hurts because you’re chewing, you’re processing so much food.”
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He added, “I was gaining weight so fast, I was like falling up the stairs. I was super clumsy. None of my clothes fit. It was too much too fast.”
When co-host Elaine Welteroth asked how his girlfriend felt about the transformation, Brooks replied, “In some ways she hated it because I guess I’m not as a calm sleeper as I thought I was.”
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“So, I’d roll over on her, but I was the size of a baby elephant… she was like ‘get off of me…I can’t breathe, you’re on me’…It was like wearing a muscle suit.”
“The Talk” airs weekdays at 2 p.m. on Global.