# Do they use CGI to bulk up actors/actresses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2022, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080 "2022-07-17T09:51:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/1 "2022-07-17T09:51:10Z")
Having watched Thor Love and Thunder this last week, a thought occurred. With CGI being used to de-age actors on a semi regular basis these days, can it be used to make them look more muscular? The traditional way has been working with a trainer and errr supplements. Surely it makes everyone’s life easier. Chris Hemsworth obviously, but Natalie Portman is also bulked up in the movie. I have met her and she is _diminutive_ . I am 5 10’, and I towered over her, even with her wearing heels. Both actors released behind the scene videos of their workout, routine, so they did hit the gym, but in the film both look much much bigger then their pictures. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/2 "2022-07-17T14:02:15Z")
It can be done. They did it in Free Guy: > **[Free Guy: How the Giant Muscular Ryan Reynolds Character Was Created](https://screenrant.com/free-guy-ryan-reynolds-dude-character-origin-explained/)** > > How the super buff Dude came about. But that was for an exaggerated effect and takes a LOT of work. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/3 "2022-07-17T14:16:08Z")
Or you could use a [fat suit](https://youtu.be/waJH2ltaMmA). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/4 "2022-07-17T14:53:14Z")
Good-looking CGI is a _lot_ more expensive than a personal trainer for your actor. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/5 "2022-07-17T14:59:16Z")
Also, for what it’s worth, CGI was used to **de** -bulk Chris Evans for the first portion of the original Captain America movie, when his character, Steve Rogers, was a skinny kid, prior to the Super-Soldier treatment. [![](https://static2.stuff.co.nz/1311111919/275/5313275.jpg) ](https://static2.stuff.co.nz/1311111919/275/5313275.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/6 "2022-07-17T15:12:47Z")
For Natalie Portman specifically in _Love and Thunder_, they just had her stand on a platform. > **[The Simple Solution to Making Natalie Portman 6 Feet Tall in "Thor: Love and...](https://www.motionpictures.org/2022/07/the-simple-solution-to-making-natalie-portman-6-feet-tall-in-thor-love-and-thunder/)** > > Portman's only 5'3" in real life, but making her six-feet-tall in "Thor: Love and Thunder" just took a little old school movie magic. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/7 "2022-07-17T15:24:37Z")
Here I was hoping the article would show a behind the scenes shot of her on her platform standing next to the tall dude. But nope, even in the trade press they don’t want to show daylight onto the magic. Not even while explaining the magic. Harumpph! ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/8 "2022-07-18T03:22:28Z")
I forgot that . ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/9 "2022-07-18T03:37:58Z")
Yes, they do. You can see the marks on Portman’s arms here. [![](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.statically.io%2Fimg%2Fuploads.dailydot.com%2F2022%2F07%2Fnatalie-portman-cgi-arms.jpg%3Fauto%3Dcompress%26fm%3Dpjpg&f=1&nofb=1) ](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.statically.io%2Fimg%2Fuploads.dailydot.com%2F2022%2F07%2Fnatalie-portman-cgi-arms.jpg%3Fauto%3Dcompress%26fm%3Dpjpg&f=1&nofb=1) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/10 "2022-07-18T03:46:43Z")
😳 That’s interesting. Thought this picture from last year during filing does show her pretty big. Maybe they did both? > ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/11 "2022-07-18T05:39:05Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Yes, they do. You can see the marks on Portman’s arms here. Let me clear this up. > **[Natalie Portman Used CGI For Thor: Love And Thunder](https://comicyears.com/pop-culture/natalie-portman-used-cgi/)** > > Rumor is that Marvel used CGI on Natalie Portman to make her arms look bigger on Thor: Love And Thunder. The new Thor sequel, Thor: Love and Thunder, is > As the rumor that Marvel used CGI effects to retouch Portman’s muscles went viral, Kevin Feige, president of Marvel, made a statement on the matter. He said the the muscles in the images and videos were authentic and not retouched. > > He stressed that the markers on Portman’s arms were for CGI effects but not to add muscles. As to how she got so muscular… > **[Natalie Portman Reveals How She Got Jacked for Thor: Love and Thunder](https://thedirect.com/article/natalie-portman-thor-love-and-thunder-jacked-how)** > > Natalie Portman revealed that she > “I trained for a long time before and during, and I was doing the whole protein shakes [thing]. It really helped prepare me for the level of action that we ended up doing.” Natalie trained and bulked up to have those muscles. However, no amount of training will let you shoot lightning or make armor magically appear on you. So yes, there was a need for CGI effects. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/12 "2022-07-18T07:03:00Z")
I am guessing in her case, since she is very petite, any additional musculature will stand out while Hemsworth, even aside from Thor is already a fairly ripped man. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/13 "2022-07-18T09:59:12Z")
Most likely, before any scene where the actor’s muscles were particularly on display, they were right off camera before filming, “bulking up” with some quick exercises. Do a dozen push-ups, and some dumbbell curls, rights before you need to look buff and your muscles will bulge more than usual. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/14 "2022-07-18T10:31:38Z")
I think it was one of the Marvel Chrises (what is the plural of Chris?) who said in an interview that the scenes where the actors muscles were on display would be shot first, sometimes months in advance during pre-production, since the workout required to maintain that look necessitated multi hours a day in the gym, which wasn’t feasible with the 16 hour days which were common during principle photography… ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/15 "2022-07-18T10:33:38Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > (what is the plural of Chris?) I think it’s like Moose, where the plural is the same as the singular. (Although it could be like Ox. Chrisen?) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-use-cgi-to-bulk-up-actors-actresses/968080/16 "2022-07-18T11:15:13Z")
Well, there was that time they pasted Eddie Murphy’s head on a buff body in **Pluto Nash** (46 seconds in): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/B7KYlzex1ZQ/hqdefault.jpg "Adventures of Pluto Nash Trailer") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7KYlzex1ZQ)