Hugh Jackman has thanked a series of people for the major physical transformation he underwent for Deadpool & Wolverine by posting a shirtless selfie that left fans giving their own thanks.
In the post, Hugh was pictured taking a mirror selfie, which showed off his toned abs and arms; the 55-year-old had an eight-pack and a visible inguinal crease, and he flexed his forearms to show off his biceps.
"I am grateful," he captioned the post, to which fans replied with phrases including. "Hugh we are also grateful," and "Yes, Hugh. Me too. I’m also grateful".
"I've had a lot of people talk to me or ask me questions about how I got into shape and what I did, what I ate, how I trained, how hard is it at your age and all of these things, and honestly, I just wanted to take a second to say, 'Yeah, I had to turn up and I had to do those deadlifts and I had to eat those meals,' but I had an incredible team that helped me," the father-of-two said in a voiceover, placed over the image.
He went on to thank Beth Lewis, his trainer for five years now, for helping him with "an arena show, for doing a Broadway musical, and for doing this".
© Jean CatuffeHugh added that he is in better shape both physically and mentally thanks to Beth, revealing that knee and shoulder pain that had bothered him for years is now gone, and that it was all thanks to Beth.
"She never makes me overwork; she made me realize that I had been overworking in the past. She always was present, thoughtful, kind, and then when it was time to push me, she could push me," he said.
"Beth, you really were the quarterback for this whole thing, and I am beyond grateful that I have you supporting me on these journeys that I'm on."
Hugh also thanked his longtime friend and trainer Michael Ryan and "the people who helped me eat right, because for a year I didn't have to think about what I was shopping for and cooking".
The actor shared that in order to get the right physical look needed for the role of the X-Men star he had a team that would count his macros – the grams of protein, fats and carbohydrates – he could have at different points of training.
© Alberto E. Rodriguez"Mario was the one here in America who would deliver food for me that was delicious and fresh – and sometimes bland because it had to be – but always healthy and sourced beautifully," said Hugh.
"In England, there was Saul, and on the weekends I had Sarah, and for over a year and a half, I had someone preparing my meals, which made it so much easier."
© 20th Century Fox/Marvel Entertainment/Dune Entertainment/Bad Hat Harry/Marv Films/Kobal/ShutterstockThe award-winning actor went on to thank his make-up artist Whitney who would regularly be called on set to reapply an oil to make his skin "glisten," and Hugh quipped: "You would hear [director] Shaun Levy yell out, 'fresh lube on Hugh,' and everyone would sort of cringe a little bit – and not cringe laugh".
Shaun, co-star Ryan Reynolds and first assistant director Josh McLaglen all also got a shoutout for helping to ensure the set dates were locked in so Hugh could ensure that his training and cutting process remained on track, as did the entire crew because "on the day, because I was grumpy – I was not having water the night before, I was eating tilapia and beans for days – and everyone on set was just making it easy so if you're still listening, thank you."
© Alamy Stock PhotoThe Logan actor concluded by reminding fans that although his physique has been praised and admired, it remains "really important to me that I acknowledge those people who have spent a lifetime doing what they do" to help him get to that point.
"They're the best in the world and I feel so privileged to have them in my corner, and I would not have achieved that result without them, so thanks," he shared.
