Stephen Lang's good physical fitness impresses in "Avatar" and "Avatar: Way of Water"

Stephen Lang wanted to make a good impression when he first appeared in the hit film "Avatar". The actor has been training hard for months in his gym in northern New York, even though he was 50 years old.

"I was a good athlete, but I wouldn't say I was a great one. I've always been a little gym mouse during high school and college. Weights were a constant part of my life. But I was one of those guys who used the gym without really knowing what I was doing," Lang revealed in an interview with Men's Journal.

The actor was already in full shape when the opportunity to enter "Avatar" appeared: "I was doing my solo show Beyond Glory, which is a military play, when Avatar appeared. I was already in shape to be able to do that." "The training for the original Avatar was quite straightforward, reaching weight training with strength. That was very different."

"On the set, I would have the film crew drop the equipment and make push-ups with me. I made them do three-finger push-ups until I did one-finger push-ups. This was the colonel in me—keeping those around me dialed and always ready," the actor concluded.