When it comes to scoring high-profile projects, it pays to be flexible. That’s one lesson Kentucky native Chris Coy has learned in Hollywood, where he’s landed recurring roles in everything from Treme and True Blood to The Walking Dead and Banshee. Most recently, he bulked up to bare all in Season 2 of racy HBO series The Deuce, as his character, Paul Hendrickson, grows into something of a beefcake in late ’70s New York City. We grilled him for his body-modifying secrets.
METHOD TRAINING
“HBO put me in touch with a trainer, Nick Stevens, who owns a company called Film Fit. When I said, ‘I need to gain 20 pounds of muscle for The Deuce,’ he said, ‘Well, you’re fucked because I’m gonna hurt you.’ And he did. We switched to a really high-protein diet, heavy weight, slow reps, and not a lot of cardio.”
WOLVERINE’S WISDOM
“In November, I have this movie with Hugh Jackman called The Front Runner, which is about Gary Hart, a presidential candidate in the ’80s whose career was derailed by scandal. I was talking to him, and he was like, ‘Watch me throughout the day, and see if you can drink as much water as me.’ It cannot be done. I started drinking tons of water, and I feel incredible. If you’re gonna listen to someone, listen to Wolverine.”
Coy’s Fitness Favorites
GYM GEAR
“I’m a child of the ’90s and might as well have been raised by Michael Jordan, so I am Nike all day. I like the superlight Flex Experience shoes, and I love their Dri-Fit athletic shirts.”
MEAT-FREE
“I feel better, lighter, and more energetic being vegan than I do any other way. I got into it because my wife forced me to, and it’s the most right she’s ever been. I hope that ends up in print.”
