Deadpool 2: How Josh Brolin physically transformed into Cable

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Josh Brolin is huge onscreen in Avengers: Infinity War but that’s thanks to some truly gifted CGI artists.

For Deadpool 2, out May 18, the 50-year old actor had to transform his body in order to play time-traveling killer Cable. Brolin only had 11 weeks to train for the role and admits it wasn’t ideal. “What I should have done was just f—ing blow myself up with steroids and then just eat ice cream and watch TV,” jokes Brolin. “That’s kind of what I wish I would have done. But I didn’t. I had this great midlife-crisis idea. Buy a Ferrari? No, I’ll get into shape. And it was just a dumb decision. I worked out three hours a day, and I was off sugar. I’m very happy with the outcome.”

His costar, Ryan Reynolds, says the pair would commiserate over their workout routines and subsequent soreness. “I don’t know how he did it,” says Reynolds. “We didn’t train together, not even once. We talked a lot about, like, how they shouldn’t just dispense [arthritis drug] Celebrex in pill bottles: It should come in smoothies and sprays — you could have one that’s sort of like a skin toner that you just fire on your face.”

Brolin is already thinking ahead for his next appearance as Cable, most likely in the X-Force spin-off movie. Says the actor, “I think I want to do something a little different in the next movie. I think I want to get a little bigger and see what that’s like.”