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Watch Chris Hemsworth take on a huge whale in the new trailer for In The Heart of the Sea

The Thor actor plays tough seafarer Owen Chase in Ron Howard's epic

Tuesday 23 December 2014 13:25 GMT

Chris Hemsworth as tough seafarer Owen Chase in In the Heart of the Sea (Warner Bros)

Anyone who has ever wanted to see Thor punch a gigantic whale – that’s everyone, right? - your Christmas wish has been granted.

The new trailer for Moby Dick movie In the Heart of the Sea has been released, showing Marvel actor Chris Hemsworth taking on the ocean beast with a harpoon.

Despite the film’s underwhelming title, Oscar-winning director Ron Howard has assembled a stellar cast with Hemsworth playing tough, beardy seafarer Owen Chase alongside Cillian Murphy, Benjamin Walker and Ben Whishaw.

Based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s novel about the true story of a whaling ship that was attacked by a whale in 1820, cinemagoers can expect to see a dramatic life or death battle on the rough open seas.

The clip shows a crew mate directing a rifle at him and demanding “say you’re scared”. But the fearless Owen will not bow to such orders, replying “I will not”.

Actors who have undertaken extreme diets for movie roles

Show all 10

1/10Actors who have undertaken extreme diets for movie roles

Actors who have undertaken extreme diets for movie roles

Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club

McConaughey committed to a strict diet ahead of playing Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club. He lost a massive 47lbs after surviving on a spoonful of tapioca pudding, Diet Coke and chicken each day.

AP

Actors who have undertaken extreme diets for movie roles

Tom Hanks in Castaway

Production was halted on Castaway for a year to allow Hanks time to lose 50lbs ahead of his time on a deserted island. The actor survived mainly on crabs, coconuts and coconut milk. During the first two weeks of his diet he could fit an entire meal in the palm of his hand.

Rex Features

Actors who have undertaken extreme diets for movie roles

Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis in Black Swan

Kunis, pictured here, and Portman both lost around 20lbs each for their roles as ballerines in 2010's Black Swan. Portman explained that most of her weight loss had come from the daily intense ballet training the cast were put through.

AP

Actors who have undertaken extreme diets for movie roles

Christian Bale in Batman

To play Christopher Nolan's darker version of the superhero, Bale gained 100lbs on a high protein diet accompanied by hardcore physical training. He was then asked to drop 20lbs of it as the director said he was too bulky. Previously, Bale had lost 60lbs eating mainly coffee and apples for his role as an emaciated insomniac in psychological thriller The Machinist.

Rex Features

Actors who have undertaken extreme diets for movie roles

Ashton Kutcher in Jobs

Kutcher embarked on the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs' fruitarian diet ahead of playing him in a biopic about his life and career. The actor lost nearly 20lbs but was briefly hospitalised as a result.

AP

Actors who have undertaken extreme diets for movie roles

Robert De Niro in Raging Bull

In the original Raging Bull, based on the life of aging boxer Jake LaMotta, De Niro put on 60lbs. To play the actor in his prime earlier in the film, however, De Niro endured extensive physical training, including entering three real boxing matches - he won two.

Actors who have undertaken extreme diets for movie roles

Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables

The actress lost 10lb in just three weeks before filming for the role of destitute Fantine in the movie adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. She then shed a further 15lb while shooting. Hathaway lived on a diet of 'oatmeal paste'.

AP

Actors who have undertaken extreme diets for movie roles

Hilary Swank in Boys Don't Cry

Swank lived as man for a month and experienced extreme weight fluctuation before filming for her role as Teena Brandon in 1999's Boys Don't Cry. Her character becomes the male Brandon Teena during the film. Swank reduced her body fat to just 7 per cent and even bound her breasts with bandages in an effort to make her performance realistic.

Rex Features

Actors who have undertaken extreme diets for movie roles

Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones' Diary

The US actress gained 20lbs to play the awkward thirtysomething Bridget in the classic 2011 rom-com. She went from a size 4 to a size 14 before slimming down again afterwards.

Actors who have undertaken extreme diets for movie roles

Matt Damon in The Informant

To play Mark Whitacre in Steven Soderbergh's 2009 character study, Damon piled on 30lbs. He lived on steak, Doritos crisps, beer and whatever other fatty foods he could find - nice.

Warner Bros

Later on in the film, the disaster's harrowing aftermath sees shipwrecked sailors resort to cannibalism after drifting at sea for 90 days.

“Braving storms, starvation, panic and despair, the men will call into question their deepest beliefs, from the value of their lives to the morality of their trade,” the official synopsis reads.

“It’s funny, you’ve never heard 15 big burly guys playing sailors talk about their calorie count and what they should or shouldn’t eat and what their cheat meal is going to be,” Hemsworth said on Jimmy Kimmel Live last month.

In the Heart of the Sea hits UK cinemas on 13 March 2015.

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