Mission: Impossible made Simon Pegg fit
Mission: Impossible taught Simon Pegg to "take care of myself a little bit".
Mission: Impossible got Simon Pegg fit.
The 56-year-old actor, who first appeared as IMF technician Benji Dunn in 2006's Mission: Impossible III, feared he would look nothing like a secret agent if he did not make drastic changes to his fitness and diet.
Simon admitted he "learned to take care of myself a little bit" in an interview with Page Six.
The entertainer continued: "It really was Mission: Impossible that taught me the joys of being well. [I] had to play a secret agent, so I kind of had to look like one and then I realised it was actually a lot of fun to look after yourself, like you might as well give yourself the best chance you can."
Simon joked that his diet has introduced him to new foods, including seeds, which he describes as "amazing".
In March 2019, the star looked worlds away from his Run Fatboy Run days as he unveiled his body transformation, shedding 19lbs in six months.
Simon's personal trainer, Nick Lower, took to X and shared a shot of the entertainer as he flaunted his very lean physique and defined six-pack, achieved for his role as a hostage victim in the indie thriller, Inheritance.
Nick captioned the upload: "#SimonPegg 6 month body transformation for #InheritanceMovie. The brief for this role was lean, VERY lean. It required a specific body shape + look (sic)."
But Simon's weight-loss, following strength work, circuit training, core exercises and daily 10km runs, sparked division amongst fans, some impressed, and others thought he went too far.
And The Shaun of the Dead alum said his body transformation made his wife, publicist Maureen McCann, cry.
In October 2019, Simon told the Daily Mail: "I did have to get very, very skinny for a job I did this year, and my wife was in tears about that, because I kind of got down to just skin and bone, so she wasn’t happy about that."
Maureen even thought the Hot Fuzz cast member "looked ill".
In June that year, Simon told GQ Hype: "The response from that picture was so weird.
"Some people said, 'You look ill,' which is what my wife thought. Others were saying, 'Well done.'
"And the thing is, it wasn’t meant to be an aspirational thing. It was a snapshot that my trainer took, and I really didn’t expect the furore that followed.
"All I can think of is that people still think of me as that schlubby guy from Shaun Of The Dead."
