Marvel’s second season of Netflix series “Luke Cage” is action-packed. The web series has seen the internet swoon over its ripped actors and their superhuman strength. For Mustafa Shakir, who plays John ‘Bushmaster’ McIver on the series, there’s a down-to-earth reason he moves with agility: his vegan diet. According to a recent Instagram post, Shakir is an animal without eating them.
The actor told Men’s Health he is “very strict” when it comes to his plant-based diet, which he follows predominantly for health reasons. He noted that he often eats whole fruits and vegetables, beans, and nuts, and many other raw foods. He’s also ditched alcohol and caffeine.
However, Shakir does know the importance of balance, only consuming his strict fruit and veg-heavy diet “about 85 percent” of the time. “[S]ometimes I just got to eat the french fries,” he commented.
To train and accentuate his muscles for the role, the actor tried his hand at hot yoga and formal Capoeira training. “The character, he moves squirrelly,” Shakir continued. “I ended up dropping about 15 pounds [during filming and physical training].”
Shakir is one of many celebrities who are adopting veganism and improving their health. Fellow Marvel star, actor Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor in The Avengers movies, embraced a plant-based diet to obtain the elite fitness required for his iconic character in the most recent film, released this year. Hemsworth’s personal trainer spoke out about the star’s newfound diet on an Australian talk show earlier this year and, since then, the actor is believed to have stuck with the lifestyle.
Hemsworth’s move to a plant-based diet for his Marvel-ous muscles followed his brother Liam’s long-term advocacy for the vegan lifestyle. Liam, also an actor, is known for his role as the character Gale in The Hunger Games series. The star is in a long-term relationship with outspoken vegan activist, musician, and actor Miley Cyrus. Further, more recently, A-list actor Zac Efron announced in an interview that his new vegan diet has him feeling “brilliant.”
Image Credit: Mustafa Shakir
