Jake Gyllenhaal Says Getting in Shape for Shirtless “Road House” Scenes 'Took a Village' (Exclusive)
"We trained about an hour, an hour and a half, every day before work," the actor tells PEOPLE of his latest role while attending South by Southwest
Jake Gyllenhaal isn't taking all the credit for his Road House physique.
During the film's premiere at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin on Friday, the 43-year-old actor revealed to PEOPLE that training for his role as Elwood Dalton in the remake of the 1989 hit "took a village" to make possible.
"I'll tell you that being where I am — 10 years ago I made Southpaw, which is another fight movie, and I was in a different place. My body was, I knew that I needed help with nutrition and I knew I needed to keep myself safe from injury and I needed to also be able to have the aesthetics of the whole role," Gyllenhaal says.
"So balancing all that took a group of people helping me all the time."
Related: Jake Gyllenhaal Celebrates 43rd Birthday Wearing Patrick Swayze Shirt Ahead of His Road House Remake
Crediting his "incredible" trainer Jason Walsh and "wonderful" chef Paulette Tejeda, as well as a nutritionist, Gyllenhaal adds that he had "an incredible group of people constantly handing me food, making it happen, making sure there was flexibility."
Walsh previously spoke to Insider about Gyllenhaal's work ethic, sharing that VersaClimber classes at Walsh's fitness studio also helped him get in shape.
"But we trained about an hour, an hour and a half, every day before work," Gyllenhaal tells PEOPLE. "And then we always had to sort of taper depending on what the schedule called for. So if the schedule called for more fighting and action where I needed more energy, we would do less. And then you'd sort of get it throughout the day. So yeah, it was a village and I listened to what they said and this is the result."
The results of his regimen are clear in the glimpses of the film that Gyllenhaal has shown fans ahead of its premiere on Friday.
In the movie, the Brokeback Mountain actor plays a former UFC fighter who becomes a bar bouncer at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys following the end of his fighting career. He appears alongside the likes of Conor McGregor, Jessica Williams, Post Malone and Daniela Melchior in the remake of the 1989 Patrick Swayze film.
Related: Jake Gyllenhaal Steps Out for Road House Premiere and Screening at SXSW
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Gyllenhaal made sure to thank original star Swayze in a touching Instagram post ahead of the movie's release, calling him a "great man."
Swayze died on Sept. 14, 2009, at the age of 57 following his pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
"He was such a talent and I continue to have so much respect and admiration for what he put out and into the world," Gyllenhaal wrote in the post. "I’ll never forget his kindness to me when I was starting out — he didn’t have to take the time, but he always did. We’ve made a different RH this time around, but hoping it’s one he would’ve had fun watching!"
Road House is set to release on Prime Video on March 21.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.