Rachel McAdams talks getting sweaty on set of Southpaw

Speaking to Stylist magazine, she said: “I felt connected to Ani on a gut level”.

Ripped and torn… Jake Gyllenhaal in a scene from movie Southpaw.

“I figured Maureen would understand boxing really well”.

The 34-year-old actor majorly buffed up to play a boxer in new film Southpaw and embarked on a brutal training regime that saw him gain a whopping 15lbs worth of sheer muscle.

“I am not a father yet, but it is definitely a dream of mine, should I be lucky to have that to happen”, he confessed to Entertainment Tonight. “I didn’t know how to box before I started this movie and the way we were going to shoot it was as real as possible”. In a recent interview, Gyllenhaal explained how he prepared for the role and got into the flawless boxing shape.

“I knew that in order for me to pull it off in any way, I was just going to have to learn how to do it“, he added.

Rachel said: “I did a ride-along with police and I learned that everybody is lying to everybody else. It’s a total head to toe workout – you do one three-minute round and you’re toast”.

Gyllenhaal also revealed his fondness for Laurence, his on-screen daughter, and says she has made him want to become a dad soon. Still, he said, all that preparation was worth it. “I was just basically scared that I’d look like an idiot, so I worked as hard as I could”.

“From acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua (TRAINING DAY) and screenwriter Kurt Sutter (“Sons of Anarchy “), SOUTHPAW tells the riveting story of Billy “The Great” Hope, reigning Junior Middleweight Boxing Champion of the World (Academy Award® nominee Jake Gyllenhaal)”. “Fear is sometimes a good motivating thing”, he said.