Asked how he prepared to play the ancient mythical warrior in The Legend of Hercules, the star, Kellan Lutz, counted - among other things - his time spent on horseback during the shoot. “Riding a horse is a great workout for your legs, and for your core. And wielding the sword — I’m topless most of the time, so I’m able to do push-ups in between takes without sweating through the costume.”
Emotionally, Lutz credits his faith with helping him to connect to Hercules during some of the film’s more difficult scenes. “There’s a scene halfway through the movie that’s the crucifixion, where I ask my father Zeus for help. I’m a man of faith, so I would just religiously watch ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ and I’d use that.”
For the director, Renny Harlin, the story of Hercules had always been a source of fascination. “I grew up watching movies like ‘Spartacus’ and ‘Ben Hur,’ so to be able to make a movie like this, I think it’s every director’s dream.”
“If you look at all the modern comic book movies, they come from that mythology,” Harlin added. “And Hercules is the father of all superheroes.”
