Almost more than anyone in any other profession, an actor needs to take excellent care of their body. This is for a much more important reason than fitting into the Hollywood mold of good looks. That is a trend that will pass over time. The reason being physically fit is so important to an actor is that his ability to play diverse and physically interesting characters is limited only by his own physical capabilities. This means that in order to be the best actor possible, you need to be as fit as possible. Don’t forget, fit doesn’t mean slim! Fit means being flexible, being strong, and having the stamina for this tough job.

Flexibility was mentioned and rightly so. Being flexible is one of the most overlooked areas of fitness, and only the recent yoga craze has emphasized how much flexibility training can contribute to overall fitness levels. Being flexible is good for your body in every way and makes you much less prone to injury. This makes your body much better able to withstand the stresses that acting puts on it. To many people that sounds silly, but most of the time performing on a film or television set means long days with lots of repetitive motion. That can be hard on even the healthiest of bodies, so it’s important to take good care of yourself. There are many things an actor needs to be concerned with maintaining and training at all times, and fitness is high on the list.

While flexibility is important, so is strength. Those long days require a lot of cardio. It’s not to say that the most out of shape people can’t act, but chances are that by the end of a twelve-hour shoot they’re giving far less than their best performances. Given the choice between that actor and the one who is still giving 110% at the end of the day, which one do you think the director will want to cast in his next big project?