For Cape Fear, Patrick Wilson wanted to lift actual weight. Rather than relying on the standard movie training montage of sprints and bodyweight exercises, the 52-year-old suggested that his character, Tom Bowden, should be seen performing power cleans instead.
‘We knew we wanted some release of Tom,’ Wilson told Extra. ‘Like, what would he do? Everyone runs in movies or does push-ups or pull-ups, and it’s just so kind of… I mean, I’ve done all of those too in movies. But it was like, “Let’s do something different.” It’d be nice to throw some weight around.’
That commitment to authenticity extended to the plates on the bar. Wilson loaded 52kg for the scene and insisted on using real weights rather than props.
‘I wanted it to be real,’ he told USA Today. ‘They had fake plates, actually, but it looked silly to do it with fake plates. Because it should look… it should be straining. It’s kinda the point of the scene.’
Patrick Wilson’s Fitness Routine
Wilson didn’t exactly need much preparation for the scene.
A keen gym-goer for much of his adult life, the actor now competes in both CrossFit and Hyrox events, while running remains a constant fixture in his training.
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‘I’ve always looked at it as athletes’ meditation,’ he said. ‘It’s time that I can get away and think or not think. I wish I was more of a yoga person, but I’m not. This is it.’
His relationship with strength training began in earnest while preparing to play Nite Owl in Watchmen back in 2009. The role required him to add muscle, sparking a love of lifting that continues today.
‘I feel like I’m 15 again, and who doesn’t want that kind of fearlessness, recklessness and physicality?’ he said. ‘I think that’s what everyone’s striving for.’
Above all else, he prefers throwing heavy weight with compound movements, rather than isolating individual body parts. At 48, he shared footage of himself deadlifting 190kg for 5 reps, making the weight look surprisingly comfortable.
Patrick Wilson’s Hyrox Times
These days, Wilson’s fitness goals are centred around Hyrox. The actor has competed in multiple races over the last few years in both the doubles and solo divisions, with his most recent outing producing a solo personal best of 1:14:36 in New York in June. He also posted a doubles time of 1:04:44 alongside friend Jimmy Nicholas.
‘It has been such an absolute grind, but the reward is better than anything I felt in my physical fitness life, and truthfully my mental fitness for my career,’ Wilson said in a recent Instagram video. ‘It keeps me going. It keeps me driven in my career.’
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Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.
During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.
Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…
You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs or on X @ryandabbs_
