Even with 12-hour workdays and three Spider-Man films under his belt, Jacob Batalon is putting in as much work offscreen as he is in front of the camera.
In a recent interview with Men’s Health, the 25-year-old opened up about what led him on his journey to lose 112 pounds over the course of the last two years. The Spider-Man: No Way Home star revealed that he decided to change his diet and exercise routines to improve his health after noticing how sluggish he felt.
“I decided to get into this sort of transformation, or this sort of journey, with my health and fitness at the end of 2019,” Jacob told the publication. “Even when I wasn’t doing anything physical, I found myself getting sleepy at work and it was because of all the fat food I was eating.”
The actor continued, “I felt like I could barely walk upstairs without being out of breath and this one day I kind of just saw myself without a shirt on and it was just ridiculous. I could not believe I let myself get this far. That‘s what sort of started it all.”
Batalon went on to reveal that he started 2020 with the goal of transforming his health, even getting a personal trainer to help. In addition to a serious schedule—which included 90-minute workouts, six days a week—he also opted for healthier meal choices.
“I found a lot of light in the dark in the sense that a lot of people were suffering,” he explained to Men’s Health. “And I was fortunate and lucky enough to have found my health and all those things.”
Plus, Jacob discovered that his newfound routines provide more for him than just a physical transformation. As he jokingly said about using a medicine ball: “It just feels more dynamic than lifting a few weights. It also helps release a lot of anger.”
Spider-Man: No Way Home is in theaters now.
