Twenty-six year old Australian actor Sam Corlett went vegan while he was in acting school, “to live more in line with his values” he says.  While his body was not naturally muscular he needed to appear so, first as Caliban in the Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and more recently as Leif Erikson in Vikings: Valhalla.

In order to get as big as possible, he feasted on massive stir-fries that included microgreens, veggies, tempeh and kimchi, along with chickpeas, black beans or tofu, and relevant spices depending on the cuisine he was trying to create.  He also did heavy lifting sessions in the gym along with more restorative yoga practices, to help him bulk up. He was able to gain 22lbs and the expected physique of a Viking!

In addition to choosing a plant-based diet for health and fitness, Corlett also recognizes the power of a plant-based diet to help prevent climate change.  “The Earth’s suffering is calling for us…all of us. A calling to return to love.  Let’s love the Earth as it loves us” he said in a recent interview.

The actor is also against using animal skins and hides in fashion.  This was a challenge on the set of Vikings: Valhalla, since animal hides were widely used for clothing in that time period.  Fortunately, once he let his views be known, the on-set designer was able to recreate the looks of the Viking armor using vegan materials.