Sacha Baron Cohen, 53, admits to using Ozempic to help him achieve his revenge body for new Marvel role
The actor, 53, who is starring as Marvel's newest supervillain Mephisto, underwent an incredible body transformation for his role, which he revealed this week.
As he showed off his chiselled abs in the new issue of Men's Fitness UK, Sacha, who split with Isla Fisher in 2023, after more than two decades together, re-shared the photoshoot to his Instagram Story and got candid about how he achieved his results.
He wrote: 'Some celebs use Ozempic, some use private chefs, some use personal trainers. I did all three.'
Sacha's representatives later insisted to MailOnline that the Borat star was 'only joking' and his new buff physique 'all down to hard work'.
In a second post, Sacha added: 'This is not AI. I really am egotistical enough to do this. Debuting my new character. Middle aged man who replaced beer with protein shakes.'
Sacha then thanked his personal trainer, writing: 'Thanks @theangrytrainer for doing the unthinkable - putting up with me for 25 minutes a day.'
He revealed he had just three weeks to get into superhero shape, putting in the 'hard work' ready to portray Mephisto, a devil-like figure who makes Faustian bargains.
Speaking to Men's Fitness UK, the actor revealed he turned to Matthew McConaughey to get the phone number of celebrity trainer Alfonso Moretti, who has well-established reputation for transforming physiques on impossible deadlines.
Sacha went on to have a FaceTime meeting with Alfonso, who got him to strip down to his underwear during their first chat.
Due to the short time frame and Alfonso workout methods, Sacha was tasked with being 'consistent' by doing '100 push ups a day'.
Sacha's incredible transformation was far from marathon workouts and extreme dieting, as they concentrated on short workouts and a diet high in fibre and protein as well as low in sugar.
He said: '25-minute workouts that were sustainable. Even while filming, the workouts happened. In the past, I would've thought you needed hour-long sessions'.
He admitted at the beginning of the regime he 'had the core strength of an arthritic jellyfish... but the short sessions made it so much easier to stay consistent - even with the demands of being on set.'
By the two-week mark, Sacha's wardrobe team had to spend $5,000 (£3,600) altering costumes because his body had changed so significantly. He was leaner, stronger, and fitter than ever before.
His trainer also shared the magazine's photos to Instagram and wrote that he 'could not be more proud' of Sacha after working out with him.
In a recent press conference, Marvel chief Kevin Feige confirmed that Sacha will be portraying MCU character.
Sacha first rose to fame in the 1990s with his Ali G character, the infamous spoof wannabe gangster who became a comedy star.
He also starred as Borat, a journalist from Kazakhstan, and played the role of flamboyant Austrian fashionista Bruno.
The actor made his Mephisto debut in the finale of miniseries Ironheart earlier this month, marking the first appearance of the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after years of speculation.
One of Marvel's key villains, Mephisto is a demonic entity who acquires souls by making pacts with mortals and has battled the likes of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.
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BBC News
12 minutes ago
- BBC News
Tan lines are back in fashion. But can you get the look safely?
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"This year it's risen to a whole other level - they're even on the catwalk."Some fake tanners are even using masking tape - the type I use on my skirting boards - to create that crisp line across their skin."My videos are about getting that tan line safely," Jemma says. "I feel pretty captivating, the look is eye-catching - especially the contrast between the darker skin and the white tan lines."Jemma is one of thousands extolling the virtues of tan lines, with posts notching up more than 200m views on alongside fake tanners like Jemma, there are just as many heading outdoors and under the hot sun, determined to create real tan lines - even if that means burning themselves and suffering the painful such as #sunburntanlines, #sunpoisoning and #sunstroke are popping up alongside videos of young men and women - some in tears - revealing deep red, almost purple, often puckered skin. Some are asking for help and advice, others actually want to show off their badly sunburned bodies. I've even seen one young woman proudly stating, "No pain no gain". Having a visible tan in Victorian times was a clear sign you were poor working class and probably spent most of your time hawking barrels of hay for very little the 1920s, a few freckles and a well-placed tan line would probably mean you had moved up a social class or two, and suggested health, wealth and luxurious the 1960s and 70s sun lovers were using cooking oil and reflective blankets to deepen their tans. But the links between ultraviolet (UV) radiation and skin cancer were becoming more widely known - and marked the beginning of a complex relationship with the desire to change our skin colour - and while tans are still sought after by millions of us, there is now little doubt a natural one carries with it a hefty element of risk. If someone had lectured Jak Howells about the risks of sunburn a few years ago those warnings would likely have fallen on deaf - and probably sunburnt - ears."I know it seems strange to be addicted to lying on a sunbed," the 26-year-old from Swansea says, "but I was."It began when Jak was 15, with a few of his older mates in school using them. By the time he was 19 Jak was on sunbeds five times a week, for 18-20 minutes at a time."My skin was so burned - my face looked like a beetroot. But I kept on going back for more," he says. "I knew in the back of my mind that there was a risk - I wasn't oblivious - but I didn't take it says he used to enjoy when people complimented him on how he looked and remarked on his tan."It gave me such a buzz, I loved it," he it was seeing the look of horror on his mum's face, as she examined a bleeding mole on his back, that made Jak realise his love of sunbeds had gone too far. Just before Christmas 2021, Jak was diagnosed with melanoma, one of the most dangerous types of skin cancer, which can spread to other parts of the followed, he says, were two years of "hell and horror". Jak had a complicated operation that involved surgeons cutting away two inches of skin from his lower back, chest and groin. But three months later the cancer was back. Jak then had immunotherapy - which uses the body's own immune system to fight the cancer - and was told if that didn't work, he had only a year to live."The sickness was horrific - I would lie in bed for days," Jak says. "It felt like I had been hit by a bus. I had such a damaged body, I was a shell of a human. I lived for the next scan, the next treatment." 'Massive backwards step' Melanoma skin cancer rates in the UK have increased by almost a third over the past decade. I asked Megan Fisher from Cancer Research UK why this is happening in an era where the risks posed by harmful rays from the sun and the links to skin cancer are now well known."It's partly down to those people who may have burnt several decades ago," she explains. "You only need to get sunburnt once every two years to triple your risk of getting skin cancer."As a population, we are growing older, so are "more likely to see more cancers" and "we are spotting them more quickly", she there are also concerns part of the increase could be down to the volume of misinformation doing the rounds online."We've taken a massive backwards step," says Dr Kate McCann, a preventative health specialist. "The message that the sun is good and sunscreen causes cancer is a complete loss of health literacy." She says the current trend to create tan lines by burning in the sun, coupled with false claims that suntan lotion is responsible for the very cancer it's trying to prevent is a "perfect storm"."If I see a child or a young person with sunburn now, I know they have an increased risk of cancer in 20 or 30 years."While there are some ingredients in suntan lotions - like oxybenzone - that can cause environmental damage to coral reefs, there is not evidence to suggest it poses a risk to humans, Dr McCann says."If you don't want to use a suntan lotion with certain chemicals there are plenty of more natural ones on the market - zinc and mineral based ones - but you can't just stop wearing sunscreen." As a young man Jak relished his tan lines. Now he says he's frightened by the sun and lathers himself up in SPF before even thinking about stepping the all clear from cancer in December 2022, he now has a career he loves making content and talking about his experiences to raise back he says he realises what happened to him was "probably self inflicted". "For a long time I blamed myself and I beat myself up about it," he says. "But I have been lucky enough to live through the consequences - and they were horrendous. So maybe now I feel like I've done my time."Back on TikTok, in her own way, beauty influencer and fake tanner Jemma is also trying to prevent others from going through what Jak did."Skin damage is real," she says. "We're not doing that." A list of organisations in the UK offering support and information with some of the issues in this story is available at BBC Action Line
BBC News
12 minutes ago
- BBC News
Bend It Like Beckham 'made me feel heard and seen'
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I didn't think it would be as soon as the age of 13."In the 23 years since the film came out, women's football in the UK has changed massively, says Prof Hanya Pielichaty of the University of Lincoln, who researches gender and reasons the film is still iconicBend it Like Beckham inspires footballer's careerWhy we need to talk about periods, breasts and injuries in women's sport"Finally, people are starting to take women's football seriously, injecting it with sponsorship, with cash, with facilities, allowing women to be full-time footballers rather than a full-time lawyer and a footballer on the side," she says. "It didn't seem like it would ever happen."There have been changes in grassroots football, too, she says. 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She hopes to give girls from South Asian communities the opportunities she didn't have when she was younger."Girls don't see it as a boys' sport anymore," she film's fans say they're excited for the sequel, which they hope will see Jess and Jules return to screens while marking the Lionesses' success, and hope will inspire a new generation of fans wonder if a sequel could live up to the original, though. "Another Bend It Like Beckham would be amazing," Riya says," but would it be as good as the first one?"
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Joanne Robertson's beautifully murky folksong and the best of the week's new tracks
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