Jason Walsh, a leading figure in Hollywood fitness, chronicles how the Emmy-nominated actor conquered debilitating pain after a stunt injury in the new “Fantastic Four” film.
Pedro Pascal swears he’s not ready to play a superhero and is not walking because he wasn’t prepared for this guy.
The four-time Emmy Award nominee is just one of many A-list clients who have achieved action star physique through physical trainer Jason Walsh’s holistic approach to health and fitness.
But in Pascal’s case, the mutual admiration between trainers and clients is well beyond the four walls of Walsh’s West Hollywood Gym.
Two passes were first passed in Qingdao, China in 2014, on the set of action blockbuster “The Wall Wall.” At the time, Walsh was training film star Matt Damon. He played the mercenary warrior along with Pascal.
“We had good chemistry right away,” Walsh told USA Today. “You went to all these really cool places, the Great Wall, experienced all of these, you got someone who’s a good friend, and I started training him.”
Ten years after they first met in China, Walsh helped Pascal transform his body and play the fantastic resilient Mr. Fantastic in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” at the National Theatre on Friday, July 25th.
The superhero genre is a familiar territory for Walsh, who previously trained Anne Hathaway to play Catwoman in 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises” and took on the role of the prestigious intergalactic heroine in 2019’s “Captain Marvel.”
But the stunt injury makes Pascal’s latest fitness journey the most challenging for the actor.
“Gladiator II” stunt left Pascal with long-lasting back pain
Pascal fans may remember the moment when a photo of Vanity Fair’s cover shoot fell on June 24th. Unknown to the drooping fans of the time, Pascal endured months of confusion and uncertainty to achieve a muscular look.
During last year’s “Gladiator II” stunt, he dislocated his shoulder, tore his hip (lower) muscles, and weakened his hip flexors after working on his co-star Paul Mezcal on set.
Walsh said Pascal experienced long-term back pain, resulting in psychological sacrifices. Pain and injury can sometimes feel an extra defeat when someone enters their late 40s or early 50s, Walsh said, adding, “You start programming your mind and starting to believe this is the new you. This is what will happen.”
“He just came to me and said, ‘I’m a shipwreck,'” Walsh recalls. “I can’t step up, I can’t charge, I can’t squat, I can’t do these things because my back hurts.”
Pascal, which is looming deadlines and busy schedules ahead of filming “Fantastic Four” in England, New York’s Materialist,” and season two of Canada’s “The Last of Us,” asked the trainer one question.
“Can you do it? And I was like, ‘Absolutely’,” Walsh said.
The mission was not about achieving the superhero figure shredded for Pascal, but about regaining functionality and conquering his pain, Walsh said.
Pascal placed his full faith in Hollywood’s strength gurus who had experience in post-injury training. He previously prepared Matt Damon for “Jason Bourne” in 2016 after a bicycle accident broke his collarbone. Walsh explains to Pascal that the process slowly becomes boring, but will eventually change your body.
“I just took it as a project and saw a friend who was in pain and was in psychological lying down, so I took it seriously,” he said.
Now, the 50-year-old heartbeat doesn’t just look carved, but it feels good enough to become the next lead Richards in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Walsh says his secret is not “magic formula.”
Walsh didn’t want to be a personal trainer even for clients like Jake Gyllenhaal, John Krasinski and Bradley Cooper, but he saw a blank that could fill his fitness space.
He takes a multifaceted approach to training that involves adding a calculated amount of stress to the right parts of the body. Along with Pascal, Walsh curated a routine that allowed his body to grip muscles at his age. The workout prioritized isometric exercises that advance tendon strength while building connections between the mind and body.
“Most of them are progressive models, so it’s very easy. It’s very basic. It’s not a magic formula. You don’t need to tell them there’s a cool exercise that no one else does.
Instead, he strengthens his solid pattern and proper recovery time, and is complemented by ample sacrifices. He also prepared a diet focused on calorie intake and worked with key nutrients that become habitual for Pascal.
This nutritional philosophy later prompted Walsh to fire his own protein powder, a plant-based supplement called Rise311, aimed at people struggling with digestion of Whey. Walsh first attempted the Rise311 shake on Pascal’s Instagram reel in June 2024. The Chilean-born actor called it “Delicious.”
Pascal lost 25 pounds on the Marvel shoot
Walsh said his first big victory at Pascal came when the actor noticed the gap between his belly and a pair of pants on the set of “The Last of Us.”
“We took 25 pounds from him by changing his diet,” Walsh said.
Beyond weight loss, Pascal told Walsh that he felt his pain and limits had subsided as his body got stronger. Before they knew it, Pascal was ready to wear his blue suit.
“You build this little trust with people by fixing something and then reminding them that they couldn’t do anything,” Walsh added.
Ultimately, Walsh finds victory like Pascal to be the most rewarding thing.
“It was just a slow, boring climb, but he was down for it and now he wants to continue it, so he wants to train and things from me,” Walsh said. “He understands the benefits of such sacrifice, dedication and hard work. It pays off.”
