JK Simmons explained why he got absolutely shredded and it wasn't for a movie role
JK Simmons might be turning 70 next year, but the actor is living proof that it's never too late to start taking care of yourself.
After a busy, busy career, spanning across five decades, appearing in more than 200 films and TV roles, you'd forgive the Spider-Man star for wanting to slow down and enjoy the fruits of his labour with his family.
But, while most of us would be relaxing in front of the TV and enjoying a few luxury holidays a year, Simmons set himself a very different goal just a few years ago, and so far he's been absolutely smashing it.
If you've seen any photos of the actor over the last few years, it's impossible not to notice just how fit and shredded he's looking, but it has nothing to do with getting in shape for a role.
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In fact, this time, getting fit was entirely personal to Simmons, who had promised that after the last time he was forced to gain large amounts of weight for an acting job, he was going to make sure he stayed in shape for the rest of his life.
In an interview with Business Insider back in 2016, he said: "After the second and final time that I got hugely fat in my life and when I lost that weight six or seven years ago, I pretty much decided that I was going to stay in decent shape for the rest of my life."
At the time, his PT captioned the pic as: "Making the young generation jealous. This is what dedication looks like... His intensity in the gym is through the roof.
"It's been a privilege helping him stay on point. I've got a lot of respect for this man."
Fair play, it takes a lot of commitment to stay on top of your health and fitness goals for all that time.
As reported by Insider, Simmons revealed: "I was not in good shape at all.
"I was overweight and soft and here I am playing the head of the Aryan Brotherhood in this maximum-security prison in the first-ever HBO original drama and I was watching the first season when it came out and I just thought, 'Wow, I don't believe this guy at all.
"I have to get my a** to the gym and be a believable hard-a**.'"
He added: "I've gone back and forth with fine-tuning the kind of conditioning I'm doing.
"Sometimes trying to shed weight and getting leaner and sometimes trying to pack on a little more muscle."
Emma Rosemurgey