Sacha Baron Cohen's Pumped Transformation From Borat To Marvel's Mephisto: Photos
Compared to Borat's rather hairy visage in the lime green singlet, Baron Cohen's transformed physique is buff, and well, bald. The changes he made through hard and consistent training, coupled with a diet high in fiber and protein and low in sugar, are startling. Maybe not quite as startling as when Deadline unveiled Jake Gyllenhaal's washboard abs transformation to play the boxer in 2015's Southpaw, but a decided change from what Baron Cohen looked like in comedies like Borat and Talladega Nights, and dramatic turns in The Trial of the Chicago 7, and the miniseries The Spy.
More from Deadline
Who Is [SPOILER]? The Latest Big Marvel Reveal Explained
Sacha Baron Cohen's Next Scripted Film Comedy Shopping For New Home: The Dish
Rebel Wilson Loses Bid To Have 'The Deb' Producers' Defamation Suit Nipped In The Free Speech Bud
Deadline got a peek at the Men's Fitness UK article that comes out later this week and details how Baron Cohen reached out to buff peer Matthew McConaughey to get the phone number of a trainer capable of getting an actor buff and shredded in a hurry. McConaughey suggested Moretti. In their first Zoom call, Moretti made Baron Cohen strip down to his underwear. The trainer described the actor's body this way: 'He looked like a ruler, straight up and down,' but he also detected in Baron Cohen 'an athlete in hiding.' The actor was not a slouch as for years he has been working with a kickboxing trainer when time permitted in his busy production schedules.
Moretti took on the challenge, and Baron Cohen applied a method actor's discipline to the task, starting with 100 pushups per day. He was disciplined and consistent in the short but intense training sessions the trainer put him through, even while he was away filming. The results came quickly, enough that Baron Cohen's Mephisto costume had to be altered a time or two to reflect the improvements in his physique.
Mephisto originated in the Silver Surfer comics, and factored into comic book storylines including Avengers villain Thanos, and Spider-Man. Feige said the character is a devil who presents Faustian bargains to hero characters, but the Marvel chief would not elaborate on how the character will fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is undergoing a reset with two new Avengers films. Baron Cohen made a surprising debut as Mephisto in the finale of the Disney+ series Ironheart.
The actor described his own condition at the start of his workout regimen as 'having the core strength of an arthritic jellyfish.' But he said that the short but intense sessions have left him feeling in the best shape of his life. He believes it is something others can emulate, tailoring their workouts to their own physique goals and time limitations.
Best of Deadline
'Wednesday' Season 2: Everything We Know About The Cast, Premiere Date & More
Everything We Know About 'Only Murders In The Building' Season 5 So Far
'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Soundtrack: From Griff To Sabrina Carpenter
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jeremy Renner Is ‘Sure' Hawkeye Season 2 Will Happen
Jeremy Renner is 'sure' that will happen. Renner has played Clint Barton/Hawkeye in the MCU since 2011's Thor. In 2021, the character got his own Disney+ show that sees Renner reprise his role alongside Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop, Tony Dalton's Jack Duquesne, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, and Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk/Kingpin. What did Jeremy Renner say about Hawkeye Season 2? While there was some doubt that Hawkeye Season 2 would ever happen following salary disputes and Renner's snowplow accident, the actor told Empire Magazine he's quite sure they'll 'end up doing Season 2, and do other [Marvel Studios] things.' 'I'm always happy to be in that world, man,' he said. 'I love all those guys, I love the character…And I'm happy to do it. My body's getting ready for something like that. I don't know if anybody wants to see me in tights, but my body will look good in the tights.' Renner further said he's now 'more than 150 per cent' of where he was physically prior to the snowplow incident. He continued, 'Having health and wellness be such a central part of my life, that's what's gotten me back. And even as I age, I just feel stronger than I've been. I have some issues, and tendon issues and certain limitations of flexibility and mobility, but I spent a lot of time on getting better and stronger, and I wouldn't if I didn't get crushed.' There has been no official word about Hawkeye being renewed for a second season from Marvel at this time. It's also not clear if Renner will appear in any of the forthcoming Avengers movies — Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars — as he has not been part of the announced cast up until now. The first season of Marvel Television's Hawkeye is available to stream on Disney+. Solve the daily Crossword
Tom's Guide
an hour ago
- Tom's Guide
5 reasons ‘Fantastic Four' is better than ‘Superman'
Not since the summer of 2012 have Marvel and DC gone toe to toe like two comic book titans are right now. The battle for the big screen is currently being fought by DC's 'Superman' and Marvel's 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps.' And, at least for me, the winner is clear. There's no doubt, my more lukewarm reaction to 'Superman' is something of a hot take. And if I didn't already know that based on its 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the myriad of less-than-impressed comments on my recent opinion piece certainly made that point clear. However, having now seen Marvel's tentpole blockbuster for 2025, in my eyes, there's no denying that the MCU's First Family soars higher than the Man of Tomorrow (and for what it's worth, FF's RT viewer score is 93%). The margins are somewhat slim. Both movies have clear faults, falling into many of the predictable superhero tropes that have seen the genre grow stale over the past 15 years, but if you can only see one in theaters this summer, I'd recommend spending your money on Fantastic Four." So, here are the five reasons I believe that 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' beats 'Superman.' 'Fantastic Four's' biggest strength is how it successfully balances its four main players, the eponymous quartet, ensuring that each is given their moment to shine, while also feeling part of a superhero team as well. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn are all well cast in their roles, and I really enjoyed how each brings something to the comic book collective. Which isn't to say 'Superman' isn't also well cast and stuffed with acting talent, David Corenswet is a promising Clark Kent, and Rachel Brosnahan nearly steals the whole movie as Lois Lane. However, 'Superman's' struggles to balance its roster of heroes, with some upstaging the titular cape-wielder (Edi Gathegi's Mister Terrific is the focus of the flick's best action scene), while others are relegated to barely background extras like Isabela Merced's Hawkgirl. 'Fantastic Four' juggles its heroes significantly better, ensuring that all of them feel developed and play a key part in the overall story, and of course, contributing to saving the universe. Audiences have been treated to (or in recent years forced to endure) a lot of superhero movies since the MCU debuted in 2008 with 'Iron Man.' With dozens upon dozens of big-budget flicks all mining similar source material, it's increasingly hard to stand out in such a crowded field. From a narrative, tone, and character perspective, 'Fantastic Four' is largely more of the same. It sticks to the largely quippy vibe of the MCU without any real deviation. However, where it does stand out is in its 1960s aesthetic and its retro-futurism setting. Inspired by the Golden Era of Comic Books, which birthed many of the heroes we love together, and the 'Fantastic Four's' own debut in 1961, 'The First Steps' has a charming retro look which intentionally feels like a '60s-era idea of the far future. Yes, that does mean that 'Fantastic Four' drive a hovercar at one point, and the Baxter Building TVs remain delightfully chunky. This visual design helps elevate 'Fantastic Four' and ensures that even when the narrative falls into predictable tropes, there's a novel quality about the proceedings that kept me hooked. Plus, the cast's supersuits are just the right amount of dorky for me to love them. I often find that modern-day superhero movies hinge on their villains. After all, a compelling superpowered protagonist needs an equally well-considered antagonist to defeat in the grand finale. 'Superman' offers up the mack daddy of comic book foes in Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor, and while this take on the character has been met with much praise, it did little for me (through no fault of Hoult). His whiny tech bro persona grates, and the attempts to make him seem threatening feel manipulative. The less said about the army of trolling monkeys, the better. In this third 'Fantastic Four' reboot, the First Family faces off against an equally legendary villain: Galactus (Ralph Ineson). And oh boy, does this big purple boi feel intimidating. The first scene where the four encounter Galactus in his hulking ship sent a shiver down my spine, and his cold-blooded approach to consuming whole planets feels befitting of an enemy that is supposed to strike fear into the hearts of even the most powerful heroes. That Julia Garner's Silver Surfer is also thrown into the mix is a very appreciated bonus. I do wish that Galactus wasn't defeated quite so easily in the third act. However, this is a problem with superhero movies in general. The villain is hyped up to be a near undefeatable threat to the whole world, only to be snuffed out and dealt with inside a studio-demanded two-hour runtime. If you didn't already disagree with me on my point above, now I'm really going to put the cat among the pigeons. Or should that be dog, because Krypto was one of my least favorite parts of 'Superman.' As I noted in my previous 'Superman' article, I find the modern blockbuster trend of including some form of 'cute' animal/creature very tiresome. The cynic in me can't see it as anything other than a calculated attempt to create a sidekick ripe for merchandising opportunities. 'Fantastic Four' doesn't escape this trend either, with robot helper H.E.R.B.I.E. on hand to assist the family throughout. And, to the surprise of nobody, you can now buy a Pop Vinyl figure of the adorable android for the low price of just $15. Still, at least director Matt Shakman shows a little restraint with H.E.R.B.I.E., and unlike Krypto the Super Dog, he's not used as a 'get out of jail free' card to save the heroes whenever they're in a sticky situation (Krypto is used for those purposes twice in 'Superman'). Frankly, I could probably do without either sidekick, but if I'm picking between the two, at least H.E.R.B.I.E. fits within the '60s aesthetic and isn't leaned on like a cheap crutch. Both 'Superman' and 'Fantastic Four' aren't shy about winking nods to future comic book movies in the pipeline at their respective studios. But while 'Superman' leans into sequel-baiting and universe setup pretty hard, 'Fantastic Four' mostly saves it for the post-credits stinger. 'Superman' is so busy introducing us to the Justice Gang that it forgets this is the viewer's first chance to get acquainted with a character who is supposed to be the lynchpin of the new-look DC universe going forward. Marvel, who admittedly have the benefit of a well-established universe already humming, focuses first on establishing the 'Fantastic Four.' In the post-credits scene, we get our first glimpse of Robert Downey Jr's return to the MCU as Doctor Doom, and this tease feels well handled. It's a great preview for next year's 'Avengers: Doomdays,' but it also reminds us that the Fantastic Four are part of a larger world. It's enough to get superfans speculating, but it doesn't dominate the actual movie.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Captain America's Anthony Mackie Teases Big MCU Changes in Avengers: Doomsday
Captain America star Anthony Mackie has shared some new insights about . Mackie plays Sam Wilson/Captain America in the MCU, with the character's last outing being in 2025's Captain America: Brave New World. He will soon be seen in Avengers: Doomsday, which is currently in production and has a December 2026 release date. What did Anthony Mackie say about Avengers: Doomsday? Speaking with Extra, Mackie said of Avengers: Doomsday, 'When you look at the Marvel characters in the universe that we've created, there's an idealistic nature of the type of story you want and the type of you want coming from those films. I've said it before and I'll say it again, that last moment in Endgame was probably one of the most poignantly realistic moments in film history. That was a true Marvel moment. I don't think any other studio, any other directors, any other group of actors could have contextually put that moment together and made it that real. 'That being said, I think this is a lot of carrying over, feel, and depth of that moment coming into the new universe. From my movie, we went out building on top of that to this just being a chaotic destruction of the world.' Plot details for Avengers: Doomsday — along with the 2027 sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars — remain heavily under wraps at this time. The cast of the movie also includes Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman, Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier, Letitia Wright as Black Panther, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Kelsey Grammar as Beast, Lewis Pullman as Sentry, Danny Ramirez as Falcon, Joseph Quinn as Human Torch, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Winston Duke as M'Baku, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, James Marsden as Cyclops, Channing Tatum as Gambit, Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, and Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday arrives on December 18, 2026. Originally reported by Brandon Schreur at SuperHeroHype. The post Captain America's Anthony Mackie Teases Big MCU Changes in Avengers: Doomsday appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Solve the daily Crossword
