If you don't know the name Corey Calliet, you've definitely admired his work. After meeting Michael B. Jordan on the set of Fantastic Four in 2014, the two saw each other as an unstoppable team. When MBJ first looked muscular and torn as boxer Adonis in Creed, everyone wanted to know how he'd trained and who he'd trained with. That man was Corey Calliet.
Years later, although Jordan and Calliet's team is in high demand among Hollywood A-list actors in Hollywood, appearing on shows like Khloé Kardashian's Revenge Body, it is still banging out of the park.
Case in point: Jordan's physique in Tom Clancys Without Remorse, now available on Amazon Prime Video, is the talk of Hollywood. Muscle & Fitness recently sat down on the learning tree to learn more about Corey's approaches, experiences and thoughts on this epic partnership.
Michael B. Jordan seemed every inch Apollo Creed's son than Adonis. Must have felt immense pride?
The world went crazy because people hadn't seen the body transformation of such an actor in a long time.
How difficult is it to prepare someone for a film within a certain period of time?
I do it step by step. I'm not someone to blow someone through some crazy workout. We go very slowly, but once I see that you are able to do a little more, it is me who is holding your mind from holding you back and giving you the impetus to do so.
What was the hardest part about shooting with no regrets? Was it the stunts or the requirement that MBJ had to look in such phenomenal form?
With Mike, the hardest part was the conditioning because I knew we would have long (shooting) days and this was unlike other films where we could box in the first part of the film (like in Creed) and then act. In Without Remorse he had to be a soldier all the time, so it was about building his stamina so he could trade and become a soldier because he had to wear all of the military equipment.
If you look at Without Remorse we did a lot of night shots. So he had to change his body from normal or get up during the day and then have to do everything at night. When we worked out, it was more about being consistent and doing endurance training
that he could endure the whole movie and not be tired, because there we could hurt ourselves.
You were not only part of the crew as a fitness trainer, but also appear in the film! How was the Navy SEAL training?
We had to train for two to three months in four days. That type of workout where you wake up in the morning and eat, workout, bed, bed, eat, workout, bed, was different. I can control the physical side of the workout, but when you're physical, with a big gun attached to your side and real bullets, it's completely different. It's about repetition. Anything you get right over and over again, you'll be good at it. We were out there doing bounding and various exercises and we had to perfect everything. I didn't know how seriously the SEALs take it when actors in movies are trying to portray them, so you had to carry your gun in a certain way.
MBJ had to work incredibly hard on his looks for this famous prison fight sequence. How easy is it to maintain this level of conditioning?
A real fitness person can stay in this shape, but for an actor who has to play different roles, I'll be honest, a normal person can't keep it up because it's a job. I was a bodybuilder for 8 years and it was a chore to run around 240 pounds with abs all the time. There is a difference between looking good and looking good. Looking good is amazing then all you have to do is tweak it so a normal person can look good all the time, but just know that it takes discipline, work ethic, persistence and sacrifice.
You also worked on the film with Jodie Turner-Smith?
We worked together for a couple of weeks. I trained physically with her. I just had to keep them going because that's one of the most important things to make sure you're conditioned enough to keep up (the pace) throughout the movie. We did a lot of plyometry but not too much weight training because she had been carrying a gun all along. We did a lot of cardiovascular work to keep your heart rate high.
Were there difficult times in training?
Every day. I try to break people. (laughs) The thing is, if it's easy for you, it won't work. When I see you have it, I want you to do more because that's how you are
Get your mind to be spiritually strong, and when your mind is spiritually strong, your body will look even better.
How difficult was it to work out around the shooting schedule in the gym?
Mike would be back from set at 2 or 3 in the morning and we would go straight down to the gym to work out and then he can go to sleep. That takes dedication and pride in yourself because you want (to do the best job) for yourself. I was definitely proud of him.
You made a great transition from bodybuilder to celebrity fitness trainer and worked on movies. Are you enjoying it?
There is no Hollywood class (for celebrity personal trainers). There are a lot of celebrity trainers out here (in LA) but for me it was random. My mentor was contacted about working on the Fantastic Four movie, but he couldn't do it, so he brought up my name. I called the man (from the studio) and the first thing I did was tell him to check out my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mrcalliet) because I don't believe in just saying what you can do I believe in showing results through. I was on my first Marvel set within a week.
Anyone can call themselves a celebrity coach, but you know you really are when you coach REAL celebrities. In my first film, I waited until the end of the film to see my name in the credits. To date I've made so many films and I'll still be waiting.
