David Harbour's Intense Body Transformation To Become Hellboy

Though he's no stranger to television, you probably recognize American actor David Harbour
as Stranger Things' chain-smoking lawman Chief Hopper.
His character in the hit Netflix series is a hero of sorts...but not exactly a superhero.
There's one comics-derived role that's perfect for him, though: the cigar-smoking half-demon
hero Hellboy.
Since the first image of Harbour as Hellboy for the upcoming reboot went live, the internet
has buzzed with conjecture as to how Stranger Things' soft sheriff got so swole.
Well, wonder no longer!
Here's how Harbour shed that extra weight and put on some powerful red muscle.
Workout blues
Prior to landing the Hellboy reboot, David Harbour's relationship with the gym wasn't
particularly close.
In fact, it was virtually non-existent—a fact unsurprising to anyone who's ever seen
Chief Hopper washing down his Monday-morning medication with last night's beer and eating
donuts for breakfast.
In an interview on his trainer's official website, Harbour explained:
"I was a chubby kid growing up.
Straight out of college, I did my first play, which I got pretty in shape for, but I let
that go completely.
So from about the time I was 26 years old, to about now, I haven't really been training
at the gym seriously at all."
Harbour is now in his 40s, but he's proven that it's never too late to get back in shape.
Superhero trainer
Going from playing a police chief with a beer belly to a jacked-up half-demon superhero
is no easy feat—and probably one Harbour couldn't accomplish by himself.
In order to go from big softie to Brother Red, he enlisted the help of one of Hollywood's
biggest names in the training biz: Don Saladino..
Saladino's client list is extensive, and includes superhero actors like Sebastian Stan and Ryan
Reynolds, among others.
As Harbour explained.
"There is something very special about Don as a person and a trainer.
He brings great creativity to the workout regimes, which in the past have usually terrified
and bored me.
His methods are unique, as well as heavily researched.
Not only that, but they are even fun, despite the challenges you are taking on."
Boot camp
As is often the case with big-name superhero films, David Harbour needed to get into Hellboy
shape in a very short period of time.
Thanks to Don Saladino's official Instagram, we know he put Harbour through a rigorous
10-week boot camp, and that was just to kick things off.
Saladino said,
"Getting David ready for this role was an absolute blast for me.
The sessions weren't easy, but like all of my clients, I made sure that he felt great
at the end of every day.
By the end he not only put on some real muscle, but also was more flexible than ever."
As for Harbour, well, his goals were a little more down to earth.
"I'd like to discover that I have abs!
Even if those abs are a bit fleshy."
Secret weapon
In an interview with The New York Post, Saladino laid out the tailored regimen that took Harbour
from Hopper to Hellboy.
First, they increased the frequency of his workouts to "...five to six days a week in
the nine weeks before Hellboy."
But the real key to success, Saladino revealed, is a move he calls "the suitcase carry," According
to the all-star trainer, this workout hits "nearly every muscle group in the body, from
the glutes to the biceps."
Though it may sound grueling, Saladino said Harbour "never complained about anything"
and that he "just loved how strong he was getting."
Hey, who wouldn't?
Scary strength
Most superhero actors training for the big screen are not only trying to get ripped--they're
trying to look good doing it.
David Harbour?
He trained to get scary.
And in order to look scary, he had to look strong.
Really strong.
"We didn't want like an abercrombie, like ripped out…
You needed to look like - scary!"
Harbour agreed, saying:
"In terms of Hellboy, like he's a big demon monster but he really knows how to fight.
I did want to develop mainly power and strength so that when I'm doing these movements and
doing this role that you believe it.
Like, you believe that this guy, when he hits you, hits you like a truck."
He stayed motivated
As any actor who's ever embarked on a superhero training regimen will tell you, motivation
is key.
David Harbour found motivation through the people who'll flock to theaters to see the
Hellboy reboot.
"The fans are what are keeping me motivated through everything.
As well as the audience that will come see the movie and the haters out there who have
decided to make their opinion known before a scene has even been shot.
I've got something to prove to all three.
I really want to do justice to this character and create a Hellboy that everyone can get
behind."
Room to grow
Despite his intense 10-week boot camp with one of Hollywood's most in-demand trainers,
David Harbour isn't actually getting as big as you might think.
In fact—as you may have guessed from the first images of the actor as Hellboy—he's
actually wearing a bodysuit.
Harbour went on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan to explain his dismay at not being able to post
Instagram selfies like his other superhero cohorts:
"Well the thing is I thought, here we go - I get to do a superhero movie.
I'm gonna do the Chris Pratt thing where you buff out and take selfies in front of the
mirror."
"And the producers are now like if you lose weight you're not going to fit in the suit."
The upshot?
Harbour is working out, but he also gets to eat all the junk food he wants.
Sure beats whatever Chris Pratt's been eating, no matter how many Instagram selfies he gets
to take.
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David Harbour's Intense Body Transformation To Become Hellboy

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