'Southpaw' Star Rachel McAdams on Jake Gyllenhaal's Ripped Body & Strenuous Routine: 'He's a Real Animal'

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Rachel McAdams reveals how Jake Gyllenhaal is a "beast" in the set of the film Southpaw.

Jake Gyllenhaal trained and exercised a lot for his role in the movie. McAdams, who plays the role of the wife of the former, is amazed by the actor's dedication to play the part of boxer Billy Hope, according to Eonline via Inquisitr.

"I was a little scared too! He's a beast. He's a real animal. I haven't seen it yet so I can't totally comment but just watching from the sidelines he just worked so hard. I think his work is going to reflect that. It was extraordinary," McAdams commented.

Gyllenhaal underwent five months of grueling training putting in 1,000 sit-ups, 100 pull-ups, 100 dips, 2 sets of squats, 8-mile runs, footwork drills, sparring, and punching, reports People.

"He'd get up in the morning and run eight miles and then run twice a day and then rehearse. He was a machine, and I was just filing my nails pretending not to notice. No, it was great," McAdams said, referring to Gyllenhaal's training during filming.

Director Antoine Fuqua enlisted the help of Terry Claybon to help train the actor. Claybon says that Gyllenhaal's training is that of a boxer and that is why he got the ripped physique in the movie.

"He gained 15 lbs. of muscle," Claybon told People. "But when you see the fight scenes in the movie you're going to say, 'Wow he transformed! He looks just like a boxer, he boxes like a boxer.' We trained Jake just like a boxer and his body developed that way."

Gyllenhaal shares his perspective of the training.

"I knew very little about the science, the techniques of boxing before we started," he says. "My thought was, if I trained twice a day, I can make five months, 10 months [of training]. That's what we did. I spent all my time surrounded by Antoine [Fuqua, the director], my trainer and [the fighters] I was boxing with.

"Antoine and I both knew that many people had made boxing films, some extraordinarily successful over the years. So there's a standard that had been set," Gyllenhaal explains.

Gyllenhaal shares that he is changed by the film and that it is an experience he will never forget.

 "It's been an honor, all of the clichés I can say without saying anything about it. It's been amazing to see all of the movies. I have no desire to do this job except to have it teach me something or change me," he said.

"I've been totally changed by this film, definitely. And if I weren't, I wouldn't be proud of it."