Overview

• Butler says he went from about 150 to 185 pounds in six months to play ex–baseball player Hank Thompson.
• Darren Aronofsky pushed for a thick, authentic ballplayer build, sending reference photos as Butler and trainer Beth Lewis emphasized glute work with “a ton of hip thrusters.”
• To embody a bartender with a drinking problem, he incorporated pizza and beer into his diet, noting he dislikes alcohol’s effects.
• He recalls he “almost” cracked a rib when co-star Nikita Kukushkin headbutted his side during a fight scene, and says a table slam with Bad Bunny was done on real wood for realism.
• Citing an Elvis-era hospitalization and a brief episode of blindness from sleep deprivation, Butler says he is reassessing extreme methods as he promotes the Aug. 29 U.S. release with co-stars Zoë Kravitz, Regina King and Matt Smith.