One of the hardest things about playing a super-human type role is getting into shape. And it was no different for Alexander Skarsgard, who had to adhere to a strict diet and work-out routine in order to play Tarzan in David Yate's latest release 'The Legend of Tarzan'. 

Samuel L. Jackson and Alexander Skarsgard in 'The Legend Of Tarzan'Samuel L. Jackson and Alexander Skarsgard star in 'The Legend Of Tarzan'

The Swedish actor had to do some serious bulking up in order to portray a convincing jungle dweller; this is a guy who spends his days swinging through trees like an ape after all. On the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere on Monday (June 27th 2016), he told Entertainment Tonight just how he developed his own Tarzan call.

'My trainer was like, 'You're going to get pasta for lunch,' and then I'd open the box and it'd be broccoli, and then they recorded the 'No!'' He quipped. The trainer wasn't the only cruel one on set either. Co-star Samuel L. Jackson confessed that much of the cast would 'eat things very slowly in front of [his] face'.

Watch the trailer for 'The Legend Of Tarzan' here:


 

'He was on this very strict diet. He had to eat 19 times a day, but they were these little bowls of things', Jackson told Yahoo!'s The Insider. 'As soon as they'd say 'cut!' Magnus, his trainer, would come over with these big-ass weights and just hand them to him.'

According to Skarsgård, he had to consume 7,000 calories a day of lean proteins and simple carbs and was forced to veto sugar and dairy while committing to plenty of weightlifting. 'It was very important that Tarzan is flexible and agile when he moves through the jungle, and that he doesn't look like a body builder', he told People. 'So even though I wanted to put on some weight, the goal wasn't just to get buff. It was to look athletic.'

Alexander Skarsgard in 'The Legend Of Tarzan'Alexander Skarsgard had to make some serious lifestyle changes for 'Tarzan'

While he says that he had 'no fun for eight months', he was rewarded handsomely by the end of filming. His castmates presented him with an enormous banoffee pie that he 'inhaled', while his father cooked for him for four days afterwards. 'It was the most incredible weekend of my life. It was just fried mozzarella, pasta, red wine... It was a good weekend!' He said.

'The Legend of Tarzan' is set to be released in theaters on July 1st 2016.