Tom Hiddleston trained with a former Navy SEAL and two ex-British Royal Marines to get into shape for his new role in Kong: Skull Island.
The Night Manager star plays tough combat veteran Captain James Conrad in director Jordan Vogt-Roberts's new movie and admits he got very serious about the role.
"The physical discipline of having to be in that kind of shape was useful," he tells WENN. "It makes you feel different because you start to understand the demands and the challenges that these kind of soldiers face every day.
"From the research that I did I discovered that the British SAS had a jungle warfare school in Malaya in the late 1960s, because they were so highly regarded for their skills. They trained other combat groups (with) what they knew."
Tom also studied Vietnam War correspondent Michael Herr's Dispatches and Tom Brown, Jr's The Tracker, about a man who learned how to track animals from a Native American expert.
"I loved the physical training and choreographing the action sequences (in this film)," he adds. "I had no idea what the true psychological and physical challenges are of being a professional soldier. My preparation is only out of respect in representing their courage and their bravery."
And the actor believes his new blockbuster, which hits cinemas next month (Mar17) comes with a very important message about the power of nature.
"I think there's a part of all of us that wonders how we would survive on an island untouched by man, even better, survived on an island untouched by man and inhabited by King Kong!" he smiles. "I've always loved that character and I think he's like a modern day myth; an icon of the cinema. I loved the theme of the power of nature and the arrogance of man thinking that nature is in our control, when actually it's the other way around."
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