Dave Bautista's extreme calorie routine to stay ripped shows huge Kratos task ahead of him
Dave Bautista has now been confirmed to be taking over the role of Kratos in the upcoming God of War TV show from its previous actor Ryan Hurst.
Hurst had already started filming on the show in the lead role but tore his bicep filming a stunt back in June, leading Amazon MGM Studios to decide to re-cast Kratos for the upcoming TV show.
Bautista will now fill the role of the iconic PlayStation video game character but will have a very short turnaround time in the lead up to filming, something that is sure to put a lot of pressure on the former WWE wrestler to stay ripped.
The wrestler-turned-actor has spoken out in the past about his extreme calorie routine in order to bulk up for roles, but has also revealed that he hates going through that process.
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This led to him massively slimming down in a move that saw some become concerned until he spoke out to assure fans he was actually healthier at his lower weight.
Bautista has spoken about how he was ‘uncomfortable’ with becoming 315 pounds for a role
The Guardians of the Galaxy alumnus spoke in an interview with Chris Van Vliet about how he had gained muscle for Knock at the Cabin, leading him to get up to 315 pounds.
He said: “I got really big for a role, and it was uncomfortably big. Knock at the Cabin, I got really big. I was around 315 pounds and I put the weight on really fast.”
He compared this to WWE where he was carrying far more muscle. This was helped by the fact that he was not only younger, but at the heyday of his wrestling career was appearing in over 150 matches a year.
Bautista continued, saying: “When I was younger I was carrying lots and lots of muscle, this I had to put on between films. I had a very short period of time to put this weight on. I packed it on with french fries and pancakes.”
Discussing concerns for his health after noticeably slimming down though he said: “I put on an uncomfortable amount of weight, and it took me forever to shed it off. And then I noticed, the more I trimmed down, the better I felt. I also noticed, the more I trimmed down, the better I looked on camera.
“I’ve even saw online that some people are worried about my health… I’m 6 foot 4, 240 pounds.”
Bautista follows a ‘mostly plant based diet’ and works out every day
Speaking in the past about the routine he used to cut down 75 pounds, the actor said he kept to just 2,500 calories a day.
Whilst this may sound a worryingly small amount to those of us who are about four inches shorter or more and work a desk job, the Kratos actor works out every single day, in some cases twice a day.
Per a basal metabolic rate calculator this would put his energy burn every day at almost 4,000 calories, meaning that to build weight and muscle for God of War Bautista will need to eat calories around this range.
He’s stated in an interview with Men’s Health that he is now plant-based, occasionally eating fish, but hopes to become fully vegan soon, and that he eats every four hours.
Bautista’s casting as Kratos has received widespread praise online, with early pictures released of Ryan Hurst as Kratos and Callum Vinson as Atreus being widely criticised.
Vinson is being kept in the role for season one, starring alongside Bautista, but it is reportedly being recast for the upcoming second season. The first of the Nordic-set God of War games (there was a previous trilogy focusing on the Greek gods) has a three-year time jump to its sequel, God of War: Ragnarok.
Topics: Dave Bautista, Gaming, Entertainment, Celebrity, Health
Michael Slavin