Netflix’s survival thriller Apex showcases Taron Egerton at his leanest, most muscular yet. The 36-year-old stars alongside Charlize Theron, with Egerton’s ‘psychopathic’ – his words, not ours – character hunting her across the Australian wilderness.
It took serious dedication to get there. Egerton enlisted long-time trainer Jason Walsh, co-founder of protein brand Rise311. The pair have worked together on multiple projects, but Apex marked the first time they could fully commit to a longer, more focused training block. Crucially, Egerton had a clear vision of the character – and how he should look.
‘I’ve done things that have involved bulking up – I played a bit of a gym rat in Blackbird and a sort of superhero in Kingsman. But the thing about Apex is that it’s a guy who’s a weirdo hanging out in the woods. He’s very fit, so there were some clear physical requirements for the role,’ Egerton tells MH.
‘He’s swimming, kayaking, climbing and running every day, catching fish, foraging for berries, even growing his own food. So the classic superhero physique of having massive arms would have been the wrong look – it’s not what we were trying to achieve. I wanted to look sinewy, which isn’t something I’ve ever really achieved. Strong in a way that looks like it’s built through movement, not just lifting weights.’
Why Egerton Trained Like an Athlete
That meant a shift towards genuine athleticism, rather than simply building size.
‘I had to train him like an athlete – he needed to be lean, able to climb, lighter, but still aesthetic,’ says Walsh.
It’s a departure from the typical ‘Hollywood bulk’. Heavy presses took a back seat, with a greater focus on building movement, stability and strength foundations first.
‘We didn’t want something that was very beefy or full,’ Egerton adds. ‘We wanted something functional, lean and kinetic. When we started training, I don’t think I did a bicep curl or a chin up for the first month. It was all about building the framework – core strength, stability – so I could train safely and then get stronger.
‘It was nice to forget about trying to get big and instead focus on getting really fit and athletic, and seeing how lean I could get. That was the goal for this film.’
The approach paid off.
‘I found that even though we were doing high-intensity work like running and sprinting, all that foundational work helped me move much better. A lot of the film is me hunting her and moving through terrain, and I’ve never felt so athletic in my life. I felt like I could fly.’
Staying Natural – But Training Hard
As with all his projects, Walsh started with blood work, VO2 max and metabolic testing before training began. That data informed how hard to push Egerton, and how to adjust his nutrition accordingly.
Despite the transformation, Egerton is clear about one thing – it was achieved naturally.
‘It’s important to say this was done with absolutely no interventions of any kind,’ he says. ‘When I did Blackbird, someone made a video claiming I’d used hormones. It says more about them than me – I’ve never done anything like that, and I’d be too frightened to.’
That said, the process was far from easy.
‘There’s a sequence where I start naked and end up semi-dressed, and the calories kept dropping as we got closer to filming. I was tired, I was fatigued – it’s not sustainable.
‘We’re training for a piece of photography, for a film. What I’m doing in that scene isn’t a lifestyle model. I wasn’t eating enough to get there, so while there was no chemical intervention, I wouldn’t advocate that level of dieting for anyone.’
The Crucial Role Nutrition Played
Dialling in his physique required precise control.
‘On this movie, getting that lean came down to fine-tuning macronutrients and calories,’ says Walsh. ‘Proteins, fats and carbohydrates were constantly adjusted to hit specific targets.’
At lower body fat levels, even eating enough becomes a challenge. Supplements helped fill the gaps.
‘Having something like a protein supplement can help with satiety and make it easier to hit targets without constantly feeling hungry,’ Walsh adds.
Even so, Egerton avoided becoming overly rigid.
‘You have to manipulate calories to achieve a certain look, but at some point you have to relax it, otherwise you’ll go insane,’ he says.
‘Once I’d reached the body fat level, if I was eating whole foods to satiety and for the right reasons – because I needed energy, not because of cravings – I could be more flexible. Especially with how much I was moving. As long as it was proper, whole food.’
