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MICHAEL JAI WHITE is about as close as you can get to a real-life superhero. He holds black belts in several martial arts disciplines and broke barriers when he became the first African-American actor to portray a major comic book hero in the 1997 film Spawn.
While the early CGI of Spawn hasn’t aged well, the same can’t be said for the leading man. At 58 years old, Michael Jai White is still in action hero shape. In the latest Strong Talk episode, the actor discusses the staying power of guys like Clint Eastwood, who portrayed former heroes. He also notes how Hollywood has moved to embrace the older hero archetype, citing the casting of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dave Bautista in the DC and Marvel universes. Along with MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. and exercise physiologist and strength coach Dr. Pat Davidson, the discussion touches on White’s use of strength training to enhance his martial arts and how he unconsciously turned his body dysmorphia into a superpower.
Want more deep-dive fitness wisdom from Samuel and other celebs and experts who've been on our Strong Talk podcast? Check out all our episodes here.
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the associate health & fitness for Men's Health and has previously written for CNN, Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic before joining the brand. When she's not working, she's doing circus arts or working towards the perfect pull-up.
