Simon Pegg addresses 'weird' reaction to radical body transformation for new film Inheritance

British actor undertook impressive fitness regime for forthcoming thriller

Simon Pegg has responded to the “weird” reaction to his drastic body transformation for a role in a forthcoming film.

The British actor underwent the radical change for new thriller Inheritance, which is due for release later this year.

In March, Pegg’s personal trainer Nick Lower posted photos of the Shaun of the Dead star on Instagram, revealing he’d lost 19 pounds and four per cent body fat over the past six months.

While many of his fans were impressed by the photos – with some commenting he was channeling Christian Bale – the actor revealed to GQ Hype his wife thought he looked “ill”.

“The response from that picture was so weird,” he told GQ Hype. “Some people said, ‘You look ill,’ which is what my wife thought.

He continued: “Others were saying, ‘Well done’. And the thing is, it wasn’t meant to be an aspirational thing. It was a snapshot that my trainer took and I really didn’t expect the furore that followed.”

You can see the transformation below.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

👏👏👏 • #SimonPegg 6 month body transformation for #InheritanceMovie • The brief for this role was lean, VERY lean. It required a specific body shape & look. • Body weight: 78kg ⬇️ 69kg • Body Fat: 12% ⬇️ 8% • A mix of strength, circuits, core & 60km p/w trail runs! • A sound nutrition plan that worked for him and his goals • 6 months of hard work has paid off and I tip my hat to you sir...🙌

A post shared by Nick Lower, Pn2 : Fitness Pro (@rebourne_fitness_nutrition) on Mar 1, 2019 at 1:26am PST

Pegg will reprise his role of Benji Dunn in two brand new Mission: Impossible films alongside Tom Cruise. The most recent outing, Fallout, was one of the franchise’s most critically-acclaimed since Brian De Palma’s 1996 original.

In 2004, Bale lost 63 pounds for the role of Trevor Reznik in The Machinist, and recently piled on the pounds for Oscar-winning drama Vice, in which he played Dick Cheney