Alexander Skarsgard's misery diet

Alexander Skarsgard went on a "misery" diet to get in shape for 'The Legend of Tarzan'.

The hunky actor plays the title role in the upcoming movie and though he enjoyed filming, he hated the tough exercise and eating regime he had to go on in order to be in peak physical condition.

He told Closer magazine: "It was the misery diet. It was awful. I was on a strict diet and exercise plan for eight months to get in shape. I ate a lot of chicken breasts, it was really hard.

"I got called back to do more filming a few months after wrapping up and I was like, 'Nooooo' because I didn't want to go back on the diet again."

There is already speculation the movie will spark a sequel, but the 39-year-old actor is hoping the role will have very different requirements the next time around.

He joked: "Hopefully in the next one, Tarzan has gained weight and has been eating lots of cake and drinking pints of Stella. I'll write it!"

Despite all the action involved in the movie, Alexander - who is dating Alexa Chung - only got injured during an intimate scene with co-star Margot Robbie, who plays Jane.

He said: "Even though I'm fighting apes, the only injury I got was from a sex scene with Margot - she hit me.

"Our director, David Yates, wanted the sex scene to be really animalistic, so he was behind the camera saying things like, 'Hit him harder! Come on!' He kind of egged us on and wanted it to feel very primal so she beat me up."

But despite his injuries, Alexander got on really well with the 25-year-old actress.

He said: "It took us three seconds to realise we really got along, we had the same sense of humour.

"Tarzan and Jane have to be drawn to each other and the audience need to feel it - obviously it wasn't hard acting that with Margot, she's so charming."