In recent years, the superhero genre has expanded greatly, reaching billions of dollars in the box office as of late. Accompanied by this rise, is an increasing standard for actors to completely transform their bodies prior to playing these comic book characters. We, as a society, celebrate when Hugh Jackman spends multiple days dehydrating himself so his abs show, but neglect to acknowledge the amazing performance of an actor like Tenoch Huerta, who didn’t put his body through the rigorous training Jackman did.

After speaking with some of the newspaper staff, reading through multiple reddit comments, and talking with friends, I’ve noticed we prioritize the “look” of an actor, rather than performance. For example, everyone has been talking about Hugh Jackman’s ridiculous transformation for his return as the Wolverine. Jackman dieted, worked out six days a week, and dehydrated for days to achieve his, “Super-Human Physique”. Jackman’s co-star Ryan Reynolds said in an interview, “When Hugh has a 6 AM filming start, that means we’ll be in the gym by 4 AM.” 

I’m not disparaging this achievement. At 55, I had no idea he could do it, but he managed to get into incredible shape despite his age. However, I believe more attention should be given to his performance as Wolverine. He said more words in Deadpool and Wolverine than in the other Fox X-Men movies and utilized them to give some great monologues that resonated with the fan-base. Not to mention the emotional hand-holding that occurs towards the end of the movie. 

People my age admire these movies, and actors like Hugh Jackman, who dedicate themselves to the role. But, as a society, we need to stop this standard of only paying attention when a man gets absolutely ripped. Acting is an art-form and should be appreciated no matter the appearance of a character. Because let’s be honest, no one is eating chicken and broccoli for two months and working out until all the body fat is gone. It isn’t healthy, or realistically attainable.