Australian actor Adam Demos made hearts pound in Lifetime drama Unreal and starred opposite Christina Millian in Netflix romantic comedy Falling in Love.
The show revolves around Billie Connelly (played by Sarah Shahi) who finds herself in an exciting love triangle with her husband Cooper (played by Mike Vogel) and Demo's character and old flame Brad Simon.
In Season 1, Demo went viral for appearing in a shower scene that nearly destroyed the internet, and with Season 2 now streaming on Netflix, M&F sat down with the Wollongong man to find out how he's preparing for his Baring his body, how he broke down Hollywood, and why at 37 he's now feeling better than ever after focusing on his back.
"It's a beautiful, surfy little town," says Demos from Wollongong, an idyllic town in New South Wales, Australia, where he grew up and where he returns whenever he can. Wollongong was also where Demos discovered his love for training in the great outdoors as a young man. "I'm very biased, but it has everything. You've got mountains, you've got the bush, you've got the surf. I grew up on a 130 acre farm. I keep coming back here,” he beams. Also on a recent visit, Demos was joined by his real-life partner Sarah Shahi, whom he met on the set of Sex/Life and fell in love with. Well they say art imitates life! "Sarah only came for three nights because her schedule didn't allow for it," says Demos. "She's awesome because she's a champion and she flies here just to meet my mom and my best friends. Hopefully Sarah will be back downstairs soon, but she got mad at me because she never saw a kangaroo or a koala,” he laughs. "That's first thing on the list for next time."
Adam Demos
Exercising is an integral part of Adam Demos' culture
"I used to get up and go surfing before we took the train to school. Everyone played rugby here,” recalls the actor, who went on to work for his father's demolition company. "Sport is kind of in the culture down here." After moving into other careers like a job at the local steel mill, Demos decided to pursue his nagging dream of becoming an actor. "It was very out of nowhere," he says. "Because I didn't do drama at school." netheless, he enrolled in an acting class in Sydney and seriously got the bug from there. "I ended up in a play before I'd ever sat in an audience and seen one."
Demo's big break as the tongue-in-cheek "Solo Man" (an iconic Australian character behind the "male" Solo drink) is perhaps the role that impresses his friends and family the most. Mom has another poster on the fridge. It was a life-changing experience, and after beating more than 300 applicants for the spot, the actor was more than ready to take on Hollywood competition. While Demo's roles often required him to strip naked in the name of an exciting scene, the actor is safe and consistent when it comes to how he diets and works out. "I've made a commitment to exercise, to stay in shape and to stay healthy because it just makes you feel better," says Demos. “It feels good and is the best way to start the day. But I think if you get a role and they tell you you're going to be naked, quite a bit, that's certainly a big motivation to do everything a little bit more intensely and disciplined."
Adam Demos grew solid working on his foundation
Demos is still able to stay slim by going outside. "I don't like cardio in the gym, I love big hikes, and I love swimming laps," he says. "There's a really cool saltwater pool here in Wollongong." The star also refuses to embark on any crazy Hollywood diets to prepare for his more exposed scenes, but says paying attention to his core and back has been a game-changer for his career and his well-being.
"[In the past] I just trained as hard as I could, but I had a pretty shaky lower back from construction work, plus I was silly, and I never really trained legs or core," says the actor. "I just spun around thinking that my back would keep me from doing such exercises, but it turns out my back problems stemmed from a lack of foundation."
Before filming the first season of Sex/Life, Demos went to Toronto to train with strength and performance coach Cole Gronwall at Swat Health to rehabilitate his back.
"They said we have to get your foundation right to prevent injury and because then you can work more on your legs you're going to burn so many more calories. So it was a really slow process but we worked on a new stimulus like heel lift squats every month.” Demos, who is 6'3'', started with just the barbell to correct his form and then switched to light weights. "We would always start with a compound movement (using more than one muscle group at a time) and then move on to (more focused) accessories."
Demos has been strengthening his back with accessories like back extenders, and for him, high volume with low weight works best. "I think trainers are amazing and I just try to take all the little gems they give you so I don't waste my time when I'm not with them. w I think the most important thing for my longevity is to train my legs, core and back.”
Before focusing on his foundation, Demos struggled to tie his shoelaces without feeling sore, but now he can stand around pain-free during long days of shooting. "I haven't had any problems for years," he says. "I thought the problems were just due to years of construction work, but I was just neglecting the core, legs and glutes. Once we figure it out, I'll be fine."
With Season 2 of Sex/Life now streaming on Netflix, all of this will be music to the ears of his adoring fans who are watching the new episodes now. "I think the second season takes the things that people loved about the first season and then they spiced it up a little bit," shares the heartthrob. “But they also added new storylines and new characters. In season two we find new partners, but we keep pulling together.” So does Demos and his hometown of Wollongong.
