Chris Hemsworth Crash Diet: Celebrities Who Literally Starve For A Movie Role

When it comes to movie roles, actors sometimes have to shed the pounds—and quickly. Last week, “Thor” actor Chris Hemsworth spoke with late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, and admitted that he is currently taking on such a task.

The usually muscular and well-built actor is maintaining a crash diet consisting of only 500 to 600 calories a day. To put that in perspective, the “normal” intake for an adult male is 2,500 calories.

"I mean, you can consume (600 calories) in a milkshake," Hemsworth said during the show. "So it ends up being a couple of small salads, a couple of small pieces of protein and that's kind of it and you go to bed hungry. And then you have like a fasting period of 15 hours, like, you stop eating completely, and then you have little meals through the day."

Hemsworth is set to star in “Heart of the Sea,” which is based on real-life events that inspired Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick.” But the 30-year-old is certainly not the first actor who has had to take on such a challenging task in order to slim down for a role. Take a look at other actors who have made the same commitment.

Anne Hathaway

To star in “Les Miserables,” Anne Hathaway had to lose 16 pounds in less than three weeks. “Producers have assigned her a personal trainer and she is literally eating nothing more than a couple of apples a day, and some protein – mainly in the form of a shake,” a film source told the Daily Mirror last March.

Christian Bale

Christian Bale lost an astounding 63 pounds to star in The Machinist right after he played the role of a superhero in “Batman.” His resulting weight was around 120 pounds. Bale’s diet was certainly extreme, as he subsisted on water, an apple, and one cup of coffee every day.

Beyonce

To lose weight for her role in “Dreamgirls,” Beyonce did the Master Cleanse, shedding 20 pounds. The liquid diet involves eating nothing, but drinking a mixture of maple syrup, cayenne pepper and lemon juice throughout the day to cleanse the body. The superstar followed the diet for 14 days. Beyonce added, however, that she also ate vegetables while maintaining the strict regime.

Charlize Theron

In order to play a dying woman in “Sweet November,” South African beauty Charlize Theron went on a draconian diet regimen. "Don't eat any starches, don't have any dinner, don't have anything after 5, no alcohol,” she later revealed as her weight-loss method. She also included yoga and a lot of running. Theron lost about 16 pounds for the role.