Natalie Portman's personal trainer has revealed that she endured almost a year of an intense diet and exercise program in preparation for her latest film, Thor: Love and Thunder.
The 41-year-old actress trained for 10 months and stuck to a strict high-protein meal plan in order to shape up for the new Marvel movie.
Portman’s trainer, Naomi Pendergast, said in an interview with Us Weekly: "Natalie did five sessions a week and did not miss one session for the whole time period we trained."
Pendergast explained that the Black Swan actress' main goal was to bulk up her arms and get shredded in the abdominal area.
The fitness trainer stated that the actress worked on "stability and agility for injury prevention" as she had "dynamic" stunt scenes that required her to "move, twist, and land in various positions".
"I was also really pleased she got through the challenging stunt process without any injuries," she added.
Portman's workouts mostly consisted of weightlifting, boxing, skipping, and core work. Due to her workouts being so rigorous, Portman also changed her diet so she could eat enough protein to gain muscles.
Pendergast shared that while filming the movie, the Closer actress would eat a vegan-based breakfast of oats and berries along with a protein shake. Her snacks on set included fruit, nuts, and salads.
The trainer then explained that Portman would also have a vegan falafel dish at lunch with another protein shake, a vegan curry, and a third protein shake for dinner.
"This amount of food was obviously way more than Natalie normally eats, but it was essential for her to maintain this throughout filming to keep the muscle she had developed," she said.
The RPX Fitness director emphasized that while she motivated the actress, Portman achieved her fitness goals because of her dedication.
In a recent interview with Variety, the actress discussed her new figure, saying that it gave her a different outlook on how body types can alter an individual's perception of themselves.
"On Black Swan, I was asked to get as small as possible. [For Thor] I was asked to get as big as possible," Portman said. "Here, I was asked to get as big as possible. That’s an amazing challenge – and also a state of mind as a woman."
She continued: "To have this reaction and be seen as big, you realize, 'Oh, this must be so different, to walk through the world like this.'"
"When you're small – and also, I think, because I started as a kid – a lot of times I feel young or little or a pat-on-the-head kind of person. And I present myself that way because of it," Portman added.
The Oscar winner's co-star Chris Hemsworth also had to prepare very hard for his role as Thor. His personal trainer revealed that Hemsworth ate eight meals a day to look like the God of Thunder, per PageSix.