Joshua Jackson Reveals He Ate 4,000 Calories a Day to Gain 20 Lbs. for “Karate Kid: Legends”

Joshua Jackson said he underwent a awesome alteration for his latest role.

After wrapping up nan first play of Doctor Odyssey, he's starring successful Karate Kid: Legends, playing erstwhile boxing champ and pizzeria proprietor Victor. To embody nan character, Jackson, 46, said he gained 20 lbs.

"I locomotion astir astatine 175," he explained connected nan Tuesday, May 27, section of theToday show. "I was almost 195 for nan film."

Jackson said he "put connected each that weight" because Victor is an "ex-heavyweight" boxer. However, he was amazed to study that bulking up wasn't truthful easy: "It was harder than I thought it was going to be," he said. "I was eating 4,000 calories a day."

Still, Jackson said he welcomes nan situation that each caller domiciled brings.

"The training portion is nan nosy portion of my job," he told Today. "Every clip you prime up a caller job, you’ve gotta prime up a caller skill. But nan training hits different astatine 45, 46 than it did erstwhile I was successful my 20s."

The character antecedently gained weight for a different role, telling The Hollywood Reporter in April 2023 that he "went from 160 pounds to 190 pounds" while playing Christopher Duntsch successful nan Peacock existent crime bid Dr. Death.

Unfortunately, Jackson said, he besides suffered a backmost wounded aft moving connected nan show, which he suggested was a consequence of nan headspace he embodied arsenic nan corrupt neurosurgeon.

“A disc successful my backmost exploded aft finishing Dr. Death. I deliberation it’s because I was truthful stressed retired for truthful long, surviving successful that disfigured place," he told THR. "I couldn’t locomotion for six weeks."

While Jackson said nan 30-lb. weight summation was "really not very good" for his body, he added, "But besides carrying that benignant of accent and worry astir each nan clip is besides not bully for you."

Jackson — who dropped to 155 lbs. during his "physically aggravated and demanding" capacity for nan 2018 Broadway accumulation Children of a Lesser God — told THR that he's realized nan "emotional tax" tin beryllium higher than nan "physical tax" for caller roles.

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The begetter to 5-year-old Juno, whom he shares pinch ex Jodie Turner-Smith, said parenthood changed his position connected preparing for different character.

"My life is different now because I person a child," Jackson told THR, "but I utilized to beryllium capable to spell distant immoderate spot and beryllium disconnected nan beaten way for a while to thief purge myself of an acquisition and that helped.”

Karate Kid: Legends premieres successful theaters Friday, May 30.