Hugh Jackman's 'Les Miserables' Diet Made him Grumpy
By: Rosemina Nazarali
Published: January 7, 2013

Anne Hathaway wasn't the only person on the Les Miserables set you was likely starving. Hugh Jackman also shed quite a bit of weight to look the part for the movie. Even though the actor admits the diet altered his mood, he says it was all worth it. 
"I realized the sacrifices had been worth it, that the headaches, dizziness -- and the grumpiness -- had been a relatively small price to pay," Jackman said. "The scene is near the start of the film when Valjean is about to be released from prison on parole after serving 19 years of hard labor, during which time he has often been close to starvation." 
Jackman put himself on a diet of lean protein to lose 20 pounds before filming the movie. He also went on a crazy starvation cleanse right before it was time to shoot the scene he mentions above. 
"I'd already shed 20 pounds, through exercise and a very lean diet, before I embarked on that 36-hour period in which I drank nothing and ate very little and I knew I was pushing myself and my body to the limit," Jackman added. "But the non-consumption of liquids is a very clever bodybuilders' trick for giving one sunken cheeks and sunken eyes and, boy, did it work. Maybe just a little too well..."