Short answer: One of the main goals of the movie industry is to captivate the spectators through the creation of simulative realms triggering a multitude of sentiments. To achieve this effect, the directors rely on techniques capable of generating images larger than life.

Anabolic steroids are sometimes deployed as a weapon because they can quickly induce otherworldly physiques that would otherwise take years to achieve if they are obtainable naturally in the first place.

The unusual appearance of chemically enhanced men showcasing ultra-muscularity has reserved them a niche of roles (e.g., warriors, fighters, superheroes, prisoners, guards, dealers…etc.).

Nonetheless, muscle boys are rarely if ever decade defining actors, although things may change soon.

Long answer: Keep reading.

Part I: Analyzing the Environment

The entertainment industry despises the word “ordinary” and considers it synonymous with failure. There’s a good reason for that – the big screen is meant to be one of people’s major saviors from the monotony.

If you spend your entire day slaving at an ungrateful, dead-end job, you wouldn’t be super keen on seeing your average day in a film. The master psychologists behind big cinema are aware of that and calibrate their creations accordingly.

Of course, many brilliant movies have very realistic plots, but even in those cases, the production contains elements designed to unplug the viewers from the cycle.

With the help of a cool song and some editing, even mundane tasks can be injected with delight that’s not present when the only soundtrack of your life are the horns of angry workers trying to get to the cubicles or the factory.

Enter Hope Mode

A successful movie recharges people by transmitting a very specific emotion dependent on the genre. If you stand outside of a theater after a long action film, you are very likely to see energized people hungry for adventure. Some maybe even screaming catchphrases and simulating the edgy scenes. On the other hand, dramas reduce your kinetic energy and wake up the introvert forces within you.

Regardless of the category, however, most mainstream productions always share one very important quality – they flood the spectator with hope, sometimes the kind mixed with sadness, burdened with the task to keep people running on life’s treadmill.

Unmotivated workers are not the best employees. Dreamers do a better job.

Does Hollywood Magic Exist?

Influenced by heavy cultural restructuring, minions spend a large portion of their existence idolizing and stalking celebrities. We have accepted entertainers as mythical creatures – a different species in possession of life hacks that add an ethereal filter to life.

The same pattern of worship is found in the world of muscle. Many dreamers believe that actors have access to a routine that the mortals [their fans] have never heard about. Hence why so many magazines are quick to inform you of the latest lifting program shared by a star trainer.

As it often happens, reality disagrees with our feelings. Famous individuals may have mind-shattering insight into some segments of the world, but muscle construction isn’t one of them.

No one in this world has a training schedule or a nutritional regimen that could break the natural limits naturally. If you believe otherwise, you are a victim of societal conditioning.

Your favorite movie stars are humans. And just like gravity, the law of hypertrophy applies to their organisms too. This is a simple truth, but many people need significant convincing to embrace it because it exposes a deep hole in society – our role models are not all that different from us.

Hollywood Loves Drugs

Actors have been showing great affection for recreational drugs for decades. An article by The Times published on October 31, 1982, states the following:

The use of illicit drugs in Hollywood has become so pervasive that companies that insure movies have begun to amend their policies to reflect drug-related risks, and some people in the entertainment industry maintain that drug abuse is affecting the content and quality of films and television programs produced here.

Police investigators in Los Angeles contend that cocaine and other drugs are sold routinely on many film and television production sets. Drug dealers, some of them riding in chauffeured limousines, make regular rounds to the homes of executives, performers and technicians in the film, television and rock music industries, some of whom are spending as much as $1 million a year on cocaine. {source}

If this was happening in the 80s, we should have seen an improvement by now, right? The celeb overdoses speak otherwise.

Steroids > Cocaine?

If I have to choose between cocaine and steroids, I would definitely pick the anabolic juice as it has the potential to build you up without disrupting your equilibrium as much as hard drugs.

Others may say that cocaine and other hardcore “pre-workouts” could also be beneficial when implemented properly into a man’s regime, but most of the time, the risk outweighs the alleged benefits.

A man can live on TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) while experiencing many positive effects from the protocol without too much pain. Good luck maintaining a relationship with cocaine of equal “purity” for nearly as long. Most addicts destroy their lives completely.

Do actors need cocaine to perform well?

No. Snorting magical powders is not a requirement to be a good artist, although some may claim that the pressure on public figures is so high that “supplementing” with drugs is almost an unwritten rule.

Conclusion: The entertainment sector is open to inherently damaging drugs. If actors are taking hard drugs to cope with the daily realities of life, it’s logical to assume that PEDs that directly affect one’s performance are in circulation too.

Appearance = Everything

Movie directors seek individuals in possession of looks that could breathe realism and authenticity into a character. Subsequently, your external qualities determine what kind of roles you can audition for.

Biographical films are a good example – only people who closely match the appearance of the historical figure presented in the film make the cut.

Therefore, many men do everything in their power to “adjust” their appearance in favor of roles that give them the best return on investment. The profit is measured in money and recognition.

As a result, the competition for the lead role, which is often the one containing most of the sweet nectar, is ruthless.

The Digital Revolution

In the past, actors had to do a lot more analog networking to earn their place at the big table. The Internet changed that forever by creating multiple channels (e.g., social media) through which people from the entire world can apply for a job.

Consequently, auditions have gotten tougher, similarly to dating from a man’s perspective. When you get in front of a jury or a woman that you are on a date with, an endless evaluation begins. They are all trying to determine what you can offer them. The man who provides the most wins…temporarily. And since the number of people who compete is higher than before, so are the requirements that a man has to satisfy.

The tough market forces men to self-improve into oblivion. To get an edge, many begin to inject steroids as those substances directly affect one’s bodily image.

“Whatever it takes!”

Studies have shown that those who make it to the top have genetic determination separating them from the rest. Winners are structurally designed to do everything possible to conquer the podium.

There are many factors involved in success stories, but when all parameters are somewhat equal, the man who walks the extra mile often gets the prize. The potential money and fame waiting at the finish line intensify the fight even more and catalyze incredible personal sacrifices.

When it comes to extreme body transformations, Christian Bale immediately comes to mind. He’s played characters of vastly different nature – from an anorexic insomniac in the Machinist who can’t do a single push-up to the powerful Batman.

How many are willing to do that? To starve for months and then bulk up like crazy? Many actors of equal popularity would turn down that adventure. But he didn’t. He embraced it and received extra recognition for it.

Conclusion: The top acts as a filter for people who have the “whatever it takes” mindset.

“Money is KEY”

There’s little that people wouldn’t do for money and fame. As they say – “everybody has a price”.

To put things into perspective, let me ask you a question.

Would you inject your glutes with trenbolone if that action was the difference between a contract for millions and sitting on your couch unemployed?

Me? I probably would.

People Take Steroids for “Free”

Steroid dealers make the bulk of their money from unknown gym rats who don’t have a direct monetary incentive to inject. Most roid users are average guys who pin to feel better about themselves and before all to attract women. That’s it. Neither million-dollar contracts nor fame opportunities are waiting for John Doe pumping his biceps in the local iron basement. And yet steroid use is skyrocketing.

Conclusion: If an army of men is injecting for “free”, it’s not surprising that highly-motivated actors are reaching for the anabolic bottle too.

Part 2: The Importance of Steroids

Do great actors take steroids?

Below you see 4 tables containing the weights and heights of iconic actors from different eras. Many more men deserve to be on the list. Originally, I planned to include 15 names from each decade, but it was hard to find complete stats (weight and height) for all of them.

High-Level Male Actors

1940s		Weight	Height
Humphrey Bogart		150lbs (68kg)	5’8″ (173cm)
John Wayne		212lbs (96kg)	6’3″ (190.5cm)
Henry Fonda		170lbs (77kg)	6’1″ (185cm)
Gregory Peck		173lbs (79kg)	6’3″ (190.5cm)
Cary Grant		176lbs (80 kg)	6’1″ (185cm)
Average		176.2lbs (80kg)	6’1″ (185cm)

 

1960s		Weight	Height
Marcello Mastroianni		176lbs (80 kg)	5’9″ (176cm)
Spencer Tracy		170lbs (77kg)	5′ 10″ (177.8 cm)
Sidney Poitier		187.39 lbs (85 kg)	6’2″ (189cm)
Alain Delon		165lbs (75)kg	5′ 11″ (180 cm)
Paul Newman		165lbs (75)kg	5’9″ (176cm)
Average		172.2lbs (78kg)	5′ 11″ (179.76 cm)

 

1980s		Weight	Height
Robert De Niro		175lbs (79.5 kg)	5’9″ (176cm)
Harrison Ford		179lbs  (81.36kg)	6’1″ (185cm)
Al Pacino		159lbs (72.7kg)	5′ 7″ (170cm)
Michael Douglas		161lbs (73kg)	5′ 10″ (178 cm)
Richard Gere		174lbs (79kg)	5′ 10″ (178 cm)
Average		169lbs (76.8kg)	5′ 9.84″ (177.4cm)

 

2000s		Weight	Height
Matt Damon		185lbs (84kg)	5′ 9.8″ (177.2cm)
Brad Pitt		172.2lbs (78kg)	5′ 11″ (179.76 cm)
Leonardo DiCaprio		181lbs (82.272kg)	6′ (183cm)
Will Smith		180.4lbs (82kg)	6’2″ (189cm)
Johnny Depp		172.2lbs (78kg)	5′ 10″ (178 cm)
Average		178.16lbs (80.9kg)	5′ 11″ (181cm)

Their average weight is around 173lbs (78.6kg) and none are/were shredded by bodybuilding standards. Consequently, it is safe to conclude that anabolic drugs have not been a crucial factor in the creation of notable actors so far.

Face + Frame > Roids?

While some become famous despite their lack of looks or thanks to an unusual appearance that differentiates them from the rest, the vast majority of actors who make it big and conquer the crowd are pretty boys.

Ultimately, a man’s facial architecture has a higher impact on his acting career than the size of his arms.

Another element that matters is the combination of height and frame. If you are tall and have thick bones, you are naturally more imposing. For example, the actor Clint Walker was 6’ 6” (196cm) and weighed around 235lbs (106kg). Men like him who owe their physical domination to bones tend to be incredibly influential and preferred material for the superhero roles.

Conclusion: Steroids can add masculinity to a man’s image, but they cannot turn an average boy into a classic sex symbol if the structure is not there.

Looks + Muscles = Superheroes

An attractive face and a good physique are a combo that can drag almost any woman into a heavy delirium. Women say that they don’t love big muscles and six-pack abs, but that’s a lie. They do. They claim otherwise out of fear to appear shallow, but that’s a lost cause.

Actors like Chris Hemsworth and Henry Cavill illustrate this process very well as their hypertrophied muscles and highly rated faces cause severe hyperventilation among the female spectators. The large number of horny comments under YouTube videos of similar specimens are all the proof you need.

Chris Hemsworth transformed into Thor relatively quickly – in about six months. In the film, he weighed 220lb/100kg after gaining 20lbs/9kg of muscle. When you add his low body fat and perfect height (6’3”/190.5cm), you have a recipe for a man that the movie industry values greatly for his appearance.

The length of the transformation and some of the before photos in which Chris looked like a typical ectomorph make the metamorphosis difficult to label as natural. In half a year, he achieved a look that most natties that I’ve seen in the gym never get to.

Can a man build 20lbs of muscle naturally in six months? Doubtful unless he is malnourished or one in a million freak.

Some would say that gaining 20lbs of weight in six months is nothing, and that may be true, but the essential keyword is muscle tissue, not lard. Anyone can get super fat in a few months.

For better understanding, I politely advise you to visit the local supermarket and buy 20lbs of fat-free steaks. This is how 20lbs of muscle look like.

Having said that, it wouldn’t be unrealistic for a 6’3” tall man with insane (read that again) frame to reach 220lbs in a fairly lean condition. It’s very rare, though.

And what about Henry Cavill?

Cavill wasn’t chosen to play Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman by accident. He’s tall at 6’1” (185cm) and most sources put him between 200lbs (90kg) and 215lbs (97.5kg). Cavill’s face pushes the right buttons too.

According to the mainstream narrative, his physique is the result of genius training and classic bulking and cutting. When he was gaining extra mass for the movie Man of Steel, he was consuming around 5,000 calories and training 2.5 hours a day. Rumor has it that the production crew was even planning to drug test him, but that didn’t happen as revealed by his trainer Mark Twight. (source)

Conclusion: Actors who are simultaneously handsome and muscular are selected for the roles of genetically superior specimens. The usual explanation behind the transformations is politically correct – a good diet and hard work.

The Frequent Weight Fluctuations Are Bizarre

Natty muscle gains may be minuscule in comparison to the madness powered by the anabolic syringe, but they have one very advantageous property – a long lifespan.

Once conquered, natty mass does not require extraterrestrial effort to stay on you nor is it eager to leave you at the first opportunity. Meanwhile, steroid boosts disappear fairly quickly once the user stops injecting because the mechanism behind the growth is no longer present.

Some claim that a man who’s injected steroids could retain a lot of the size through rigorous dieting and exercising, but that’s not true. If nutrition and training have failed to provide you with steroid-like gains, how are they supposed to keep them? Don’t forget that muscles are not a one-time deal. They are alive and require constant care and “fuel”.

This leads me to a common observation – the weight and shape of bodybuilding actors fluctuate a lot. They transform for a role and then all of a sudden, the majesty is gone. This rollback is indicative of muscle mass that isn’t gained naturally.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that when a downshift happens an actor is simply going off cycle as their job is now complete. (The movie is a fact; the money is in the bank; there’s no more need to inject those magical CCs.)

Of course, one could also argue that the entertainers simply return to their previous “anti-bodybuilding” lifestyle and lose the gains that way.

Quick to Sacrifice

Many actors display a quality that I have never seen among true natties – they are not scared to sacrifice their newly built bodies. Some get fat while others starve themselves to death for a new role.

Meanwhile, true naturals are in constant fear of atrophy. Good luck finding a natty brah willing to destroy his gains by embracing anorexic diets. That’s understandable when your physique is the result of years spent in the gym.

Why do actors let go so easily?

There are two main arguments:

1. They are artists first, bodybuilders second. Hence why improving their professional rank is more important to them than having a set of biceps bigger than the average guy’s. At the end of the day, actors are shapeshifters. It’s required of them to assume the shape of the role they’re playing.

2. They haven’t bled for their size as much as advertised which makes “detransformation” easier.

Say what you want, but the more you’ve suffered for something, the harder it is to burn it.

Are There Any Actors Who Have Admitted to Steroids Use?

There are four notable self-admissions to steroid use in the movie industry.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

In a video interview, Arnold reveals that he’s used steroids while preparing for a show.

Below is a transcribed excerpt:

Arnold: “Steroids are taken 8,9,10 weeks before a competition. It’s not a healthy thing to do, but it’s been used.”

Interviewer: Did you take them?

Arnold: “I took them up until the competition.” “It was something that everybody had to do in order to get an equal chance to compete.”

Charlie Sheen

The entertainer Charlie Sheen stated in front of Sports Illustrated that steroids were included in his preparation for the movie Major League in which he plays the role of the pitcher Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn. The official information clarifies that this was the only time he’d ever used steroids. The cycle continued for six or eight weeks and increased his fastball from 79mph to 85mph. (source)

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

The Rock, who topped Forbes’ list for highest-paid actors, has admitted to steroid use during his college days while playing football for the University of Miami. (source)

Quote: “Me and my buddies tried it back in the day when I was 18 or 19. Didn’t know what we were doing.”

Jeremy Jackson

Jeremy Jackson, best known for his role in the Baywatch series, is one of the few actors who’ve undergone official rehab for steroids. He participated in the reality show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. (source)

One of the driving motives behind Jackson’s decision to inject was the belief that PEDs can make him a more competitive actor since he was rejected to play “Conan the Barbarian” (2011) for being too small. The role went to Jason Mamoa who has a significantly larger frame than Jackson.

The Common Denominator

Celebrities are rarely if ever willing to discuss steroids. Those who dare to do so downplay the importance of anabolic agents by presenting them as some sort of minor experiment. This is the preferred route because everything they say has to respect the boundaries of the politically correct blue pill.

Other People Speaking Up

In 2011, The Washington Time published an article by Patrick Hruby entitled “Big Hollywood: Steroids Find Their Role in Entertainment Industry”. The piece contains a crucial quote from Victor Conte:

“It’s more than just sports… Rappers are doing this. They’re all ripping their shirts off with six-pack. In mainstream movies and action hero type stuff, it’s rampant.” (source)

Who is Victor Conte?

Victor Conte Jr. is the founder of the now-defunct sports nutrition center Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) situated in the state of California. He served time in 2005 for conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering.

In an interview for ABC from 2004, Conte stated: “The whole history of the games is just full of corruption, cover-up, performance-enhancing drug use.”

In the material, he implicated five-time Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones, her partner Tim Montgomery, Kelli White, British athlete Dwain Chambers, and NFL player Bill Romanowski.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR6UeVptzRg

Ricky Gervais’s Jab at Hollywood

In 2020, during his opening monologue at the Golden Globe Award, the British stand-up comedian Ricky Gervais threw a jab at the Hollywood industry.

“All the best actors have jumped to Netflix, HBO. And the actors who just do Hollywood movies now do fantasy-adventure nonsense. They wear masks and capes and really tight costumes. Their job isn’t acting anymore. It’s going to the gym twice a day and taking steroids, really. Have we got an award for most ripped junky?”

[source – around the 4:00 minute mark in the video above]

While some dreamers may instantly classify his words as “comedy”, I would like to remind you that “jokes” are a popular method to present brutal truths in the world. Many stand-up comedians rely on humor to drop “red pills” somewhat safely.

Ricky Gervais’ comment is definitely on point as proven by the absence of actors who can match the greats from the past. Furthermore, the entertainment sector has been failing to produce original material for a long time. This becomes apparent when you realize that most movies today are remakes of old classics or another part of a sequel.

Are There Any Actors Busted for Steroid Use?

Unlike professional athletes, actors are not subject to vigorous doping control. Consequently, steroid arrests are rare.

In 2009, Scott Siegel was arrested during an anti-steroid operation that included a hot pursuit. 1,500 bottles of anabolic steroids were found and seized from Siegal’s apartment. Somewhat ironically, Siegel played a steroid dealer in the movie the Wrestler.

In 2007, the Australian authorities charged Sylvester Stallone for bringing banned substances (testosterone and growth hormone) into the country. Stallone explained that the goods were medications prescribed to him for a specific condition. (source)

Can Steroids Produce Great Actors?

Not really. Acting is not steroid dependent. A man does not have to take steroids to develop spectacular acting skills. Most notable actors are people who have never touched a “steron” in their life.

Arnold, who is arguably the most popular bodybuilder in Hollywood, occupies the 42^nd spot on IMDB’s Top Actors of the 80’s list even though his physique at the time was the greatest that the spectators had ever seen. Many men who had grotesque bodies in comparison to his are ranked higher.

The New Baseline for Muscle Mass

A physique that was once considered pretty decent is now “do you even lift” material because today everybody lifts. As a result of the new baseline, the actors who want to be known for their muscular development have to create an even bigger contrast between them and the average person.

In the 50s, the actor Sean Connery, who later played James Bond, competed in the physique contest Mr. Universe. Bill Pearl, a very popular bodybuilder at the time, won the competition.

In 2020, bringing a similar physique to a bodybuilding event would be akin to entering Tour De France with a 50lbs bike without gears. You will be called fat and underweight simultaneously as people’s expectations have increased tremendously.

Forever Young

People in the entertainment industry have always been interested in appearing as young as possible. Plastic surgeries, botox and ultra-expensive spa procedures have been the norm for a long time.

TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) and GH (growth hormone) are part of some celebrities’ youth syrups for a good reason. When administered properly, steroids and GH can keep a man younger, bigger and leaner.

SWOT steroid use from an actor’s perspective

Let’s SWOT This

SWOT analysis (or SWOT matrix) is a planning technique designed to evaluate a decision by identifying its strengths, weaknesses, the opportunities it offers, and the threats that it might cause.

Below, you see a SWOT table completed from the perspective of an actor wondering whether to choose the path of the needle or not.

I am a male actor. Should I take steroids to advance my career?

Conclusion: The biggest downsides of injecting are the side effects.

TL: DR;

1. Steroids create larger than life physiques that match the superhero theme that Hollywood is going with right now.

2. No actor with a great body will ever attribute his development to PEDs as there isn’t an incentive to do so.

3. The entertainment industry is struggling to produce actors who can match the previous legends.

4. Steroids are not required to be a great actor, but they may be needed to play some roles.

5. Actors do not display the habits of classic natural bodybuilders. The new physiques are built quickly and often die fast too.

P.S. If you want to know how big you can get naturally, check out the book Potential.

Thank you for your time.