Sumith Prasad
Hulu’s sports drama series ‘Mike’ revolves around the true story of Mike Tyson, one of the greatest boxers of all time. The series follows Mike’s tumultuous upbringing, his life in prison, his relationship with his trainer Cus D’Amato, the controversies that affected him, and many more. Trevante Rhodes, who is known for his performance in ‘Moonlight’ and ‘Bird Box,’ plays the legendary boxer in the show. The scenes that feature Mike’s athleticism and boxing prowess succeed in enthralling the viewers, making one intrigued about the preparation the actor had to play the character. Well, here’s everything you need to know about the same!
Trevante Rhodes’ Weight Gain Journey
Yes, Trevante Rhodes did gain weight to play Mike Tyson. Even though the actor has not officially confirmed the same or revealed how much weight he gained, it is apparent that Rhodes did gain around 15 pounds to play the boxer. Rhodes does prioritize his workouts seriously and has developed a routine over the years. Thus, it isn’t a surprise that the actor emerged as the perfect fit for the role. In addition to seemingly gaining weight, the already well-built actor has apparently built muscles to do justice to his character.
Over the years, Rhodes has maintained a muscular physique with a specific routine. “I wake up at 4:30, I meditate, then I go to the gym for a couple of hours, do abs, whatever muscle that is for the day, we jog, and we start our day at eight,” the actor told Men’s Health in 2018. As far as Rhodes is concerned, whatever he does to enrich his body is more than a physical experience. “I think everything starts mentally. Everything starts mentally and spiritually, emotionally, all of those things. Everything is, for me at least, inside out,” he added. It is no wonder that Rhodes described his transformation into Mike as “soul-enriching.”
When asked about his physical transformation to become Mike, Rhodes jokingly said in an interview that he had to “eat more ice cream and do less cardio.” However, it is apparent that Rhodes did much more than that. Intense workouts, training sessions, and a particularly conceived diet must have dictated his preparation to become Mike. It is not the first time the actor had to prepare extensively for a character. In ‘Moonlight,’ Rhodes’ character Chiron is a well-built man, just like Nebraska Williams of ‘The Predator.’
Gaining and losing weight has been integral to today’s acting performances. The modern-day actors transform themselves into their characters by bringing changes to their physique. By gaining weight and building muscles, Taron Egerton became James “Jimmy” Keene in ‘Black Bird.’ Leonardo DiCaprio used weight gain to transform his charming self into an unglamorous and not-so-health-conscious scientist named Dr. Randall Mindy in ‘Don’t Look Up.’ In the same way, Rhodes succeeded in transforming himself into an American hero, whose physique was celebrated for years throughout the country for an extended period.
