Sacha Baron Cohen has candidly opened up about his new physique and how he got it.
The 53-year-old actor debuted his buff body transformation in new pictures for his cover story interview with Men’s Fitness UK, which comes out Friday. In some of the pictures posted on the publication’s Instagram on Wednesday, Cohen posed shirtless in a gym and showed off his muscles.
Many people were stunned by the magazine cover, with comedian Chelsea Handler asking, in the comments of the Instagram post, if the pictures were AI (artificial intelligence).
However, according to Cohen — who got buff from his role as Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) devil incarnate, Mephisto — nothing about his appearance was fake.
“This is not AI,” he wrote on his Instagram Story on Wednesday, while sharing the picture of his cover of Men’s Fitness UK. “I really am egotistical enough to do this.”
While sharing a picture of his toned back, as he was doing a workout, Cohen confirmed that he also used Ozempic to help himself get the new physique.
“Some celebs use Ozempic, some use private chefs, others use personal trainers,” he wrote, referring to the type 2 diabetes medication that has been prescribed as an off-label weight loss drug. “I did all three.”
The Borat star shared a third Instagram Story from the photoshoot and quipped: “Hard launching my mid-life crisis.”
He then posted another snap of himself at the gym for the magazine cover, alongside the caption: “Debuting my new character: Middle-aged man who replaced beer with protein shakes.”
Cohen also gave a shoutout to his trainer, Alfonso Moretti, for “doing the unthinkable — putting up with [the actor] for 25 mins a day.”
In his separate Instagram post, Moretti shared the magazine photos and said he “could not be more proud” of Cohen.
“Sacha trusted my process and followed the plan exactly. Not only did he earn better health and fitness with incredible aesthetics…but also…The COVER of Men’s Fitness!!!” the trainer wrote in the caption. “From Borat to Buff full article coming this Friday! For now, enjoy the pictures. Tell me he doesn’t look absolutely incredible!”
According to Deadline, which received a preview of the Men’s Fitness UK article, when Cohen was only beginning to change his physique, he reached out to Matthew McConaughey for advice on how to get buff quickly. McConaughey then recommended Moretti to Cohen.
When they connected, the trainer asked Cohen to strip down to his underwear, as reported by Deadline. Moretti described the actor’s body as: “He looked like a ruler, straight up and down.” However, he also thought Cohen was “an athlete in hiding.”
Cohen portrayed his role as Mephisto in the season finale of Ironheart, which premiered earlier this month. In the season finale of the mini-series, Riri Williams (portrayed by Dominique Thorne), an incredibly talented MIT student, defeats enigmatic Parker Robbins (portrayed by Anthony Ramos), who has planned to pit the world of magic against technology.
After that, Williams is confronted by a stranger, portrayed by Cohen, who reveals himself to be the MCU’s devil incarnate, aka Mephisto. While she mistakes him for another MCU villain, Dormammu, Williams is corrected by Mephisto. He then manipulates the hero by offering to resurrect her deceased friend, Natalie, who has been turned into artificial intelligence.
Earlier this week, Marvel Studios producer and president Kevin Feige confirmed that Cohen would be reprising his role as Mephisto in upcoming projects. However, Feige didn’t specify what those projects are.
“And he’s another character that, pre-MCU, would have been hard to do. He’s a devil. How do you do that character?” he said at a press conference on July 21, as reported by GamesRader. “But he’s a formative character.”
Cohen also debuted his new physique a year after he announced his split from ex Isla Fisher, after 13 years of marriage.
“After a long tennis match lasting over 20 years, we are finally putting our racquets down,” the former couple, who share three children, said in a statement in April 2024. “In 2023, we jointly filed to end our marriage. We have always prioritised our privacy, and have been quietly working through this change.”
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