If the weekend box office is any indication, fans still enjoy watching Scarlett Johansson beat up bad guys as Black Widow in "The Avengers." The actress is playing the character for the second time, and she certainly holds her own with a cast of heroes that includes Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. As it turns out, it takes a lot more than movie magic to make ScarJo look so tough. In preparing for the role, she had to go on an intense diet and exercise program. In addition to the combat and weapons training, the beauty also had to endure a mostly vegan diet. According to her trainer, she spent most of her time eating things like oatmeal and vegetables. The actress joins a list of many other stars that went on unique diets in order to prepare for a role. Here is a look at what some other actors did in order to commit to a character.
Christian Bale
The British actor is in amazing shape when he plays Batman, but he has no problem shedding the pounds for other performances. He managed to starve himself until he lost more than 60 pounds for the 2003 thriller "The Machinist." He did so again for his Oscar winning role in "The Fighter" when he had to play a drug-addicted boxer. The actor joked that he did coke in order to lose the weight, but he really accomplished it through intense running and dieting.
Russell Crowe
The Oscar winner went the opposite way of Bale when he prepared for his role in the 2008 film "Body of Lies." Instead of losing the weight, the Australian actor had to pack on more than ! 60 p ounds to play a CIA veteran. According to Crowe, it was fun to gain the weight but it did make him worry about his own health. "At one point I worried about it from a health point of view because I had my cholesterol checked," said the star. "It had reached dangerous territory. I was surprised that my body was taking all of it so seriously. I was enjoying myself, because I was eating and drinking what I liked, but my body was objecting."
Matt Damon
Before he rose to fame for his work on "Good Will Hunting," the actor dropped 40 pounds for his role as a soldier in "Courage Under Fire." He did this by running more than 10 miles per day and eating a diet consisting of chicken, egg whites, broccoli, and baked potatoes. The intense diet came at a price as Damon had issues with his adrenal glands during the process. Fortunately for him and his fans, he recovered and has gone on to an incredible career.
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