According to the 18-year-old "Way of Water" star, director James Cameron and his film team made sure to have him in tip-top shape for the "Avatar" follow-up — to the point where Jack Champion had to "maintain a shirtless physique" for approximately two years, he says.
"[Cameron] sent me with a personal trainer — Josh Murillo, who I still work with today — who basically helped me look from a pudgy 13-year-old who didn't really know how to work out to someone who was more lean, ripped and good with movement," Champion told GQ.
"For like two years I had to maintain a shirtless physique," he remembered. "We had to come up with a plan that would be attainable for two years. I did a lot of high-rep weight lifting, high-intensity interval training along with some boxing workouts and incline walks ... We started with basic movements. Before we did anything with heavy weights we just focused on technique. I had to basically learn how to properly do everything like squats and pull-ups. Then from there we slowly built up to weight lifting, cardio, longer cardio with short high-intensity intervals, and CrossFit."
In addition to getting his body right, Champion was also tasked with boosting his physical abilities on-screen, which included learning advanced combat techniques and weapons training.
