Getting ripped and staying fit is serious business for actors who are playing superheroes within the DC Universe. Shazam!’s Zachary Levi revealed his routine, which consists of both intense workouts, and eating a ton of meat and vegetables five times a day. Dwayne Johnson even spoke about how "challenging" it was to stay fit while filming Black Adam. But, for Aquaman’s Jason Momoa, maintaining his muscles was less about strictness, and more about giving his body what it wanted – even if that meant drinking a Guinness or two to get the physique for his infamous shirtless scene.
Anyone who’s familiar with the actor and Aquaman knows that every time the 6-foot-4, 260-pound actor is on screen (shirtless or not), he looks absolutely swole. His physique was definitely on display in the franchise's 2018 first installment, which saw the titular character taking on a group of pirates and not wearing a shirt. With his muscle definition and chiseled frame, most probably assume that he lived on the same diet and workout restrictions as his fellow DC alum.
In a conversation with Men’s Health though, Jason Momoa revealed that when it came time for his epic shirtless scene, the secret to his humongous look didn’t involve eating more protein or getting a few more deadlifts in before appearing in front of the camera, but throwing back a can of Guinness. Here’s why it worked for him:
It's a consistency thing. I'm just Hawaiian. I’m half Polynesian. There's not a lot of Polynesians rolling around where you see veins popping out. It's a different body type. We're big. The abs are different for us, but we're big strong humans. My skin's different. And I don't eat sugars. I'm not a fan of chocolates or things like that. I don't have a sweet tooth. So when we had to peak, they would give me peanut butter and yams. Because you have no carbs and because the veins are restricted, all of a sudden you should just look really swole, and filled up, and your veins pop.
As soon as I read this, I was flabbergasted. The secret to the A-lister keeping his body feeling happy and looking good simultaneously while filming Aquaman wasn’t just about drinking a beer he loves but indulging in carbs. And this actually makes perfect sense. According to the USADA, carbs replenish people’s energy levels after intense training, giving their bodies the boost they need when fatigued. The Fast X star went on explain this concept perfectly:
I was like, 'Just give me a Guinness.' And I had been deprived for so long that I just cracked one of these, and both of my trainers were right in front of me, and they watched and I just had one. And you can see my veins… you can see everything just coming back to life. And they're like, 'You're a freak. That makes no sense. You're a freak.' I'm like, 'My body – it's what it loves. It's what it likes.'
Just like he loves beer, I (along with many others) am also a huge carb connoisseur myself, preferring pastas and breads. And, if the body performs better by just eating a bit more of the things we really like, why deprive myself, right? There’s a reason it's worked out so great for the fan-favorite actor.
What might surprise some is that this isn’t the first time Jason Momoa has been open about his diet or exercise habits. In fact, in late 2023, he said that he kept his training for the Aquaman sequel very simple. As he put it, “I don’t do calories. I just eat.” He explained that because he was working out so much and burning so many calories, he ate everything he could, which obviously differs from the strictness of peanut butter and yams mentioned earlier. Despite this new approach, his body looked as jacked as ever, proving that what he’s doing is working for him specifically.
While the star of the Lost Kingdom cast doesn’t have his name tied to an entry on the 2024 movie schedule, fans can look forward to Jason Momoa being featured in upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond like Minecraft and In the Hand of Dante. He will also star in an upcoming historical drama about the Hawaiian Islands called Chief of War. In the meantime, I hope he’s taking the time out of his busy schedule to crack open a few more cans of Guinness and indulge in what he really likes.
You can watch both Aquaman movies using a Max subscription. With it, you also can stream the DC movies in order.
