When I was hired to train Matt Damon, the studio executives expressed how important it was to transform Matt into an action hero for Bourne Identity. I decided to utilize the same method of dieting and training I used to win many of my champion body building competitions. Matt was extremely excited to work with me, which made my job a lot easier.

 

"Mike Torchia helped me transform my body and attitude to become a lean, mean fighting machine for my role as Jason Bourne in the movie "The Bourne Identity." -Matt Damon

Kevin Spacey never liked his body, and for American Beauty he had to change it completely. . . in only 3 months! For this movie, Kevin needed to transform his body during the actual filming. I took him from looking like a depressed, overweight middle-aged man and turned him into the buff, mid-life crisis “Lester” we all know and love from this classic flick. He was 23.8% body fat at the beginning of filming, but with my nutrition and training regime he dropped to 8%. The greatest compliment I ever got was when Kevin was on “The Tonight Show:” He attributed the physical, mental and emotional power that helped him win the Academy Award for Best Actor to me.

 

"I had a great trainer for "American Beauty". His name is Mike Torchia. I had to get in the best shape possible on a really short schedule. I'm grateful to him for getting my ass out of bed in the morning and showing up at the gym because that is half the battle." -Kevin Spacey

Al Pacino became a father of twins at age 62, so he wanted to get in shape to be healthy and energetic. But he didn’t like exercise, telling me, “When I feel like working out, I lay down and wait for the feeling to go away.” I had to get creative, especially when Pacino showed up for our first training session in a suit.

 

"I thought I could never find the time or desire to work out. Well, with Mike's incredible style of Fitness Training and knowledge of nutrition he made it happen and I feel terrific." -Al Pacino

I met Kim Cattrall on the set of a movie starring two of my clients, Christopher Reeve and Joe Mantegna. Seeing the great results her co-stars made, she was convinced I could help her get back into great shape after sustaining a serious back injury while making a film. Kim would thoroughly warm up her body with a recumbent bike, stretch, perform abdominal exercises and carefully work two body parts per session. After Kim started getting stronger, I focused on making her body lean and shapely, while maintaining her femininity. One day she told me about a phone call from her agent about an audition for a new television series. Kim soon landed a starring role. The series, of course, was Sex in the City.

Barr hated working out and dieting. After her television series ended, she began overeating excessively and eventually became obese. After seeing the transformation Kevin Spacey made in "American Beauty," she requested that her assistant track me down. Roseanne always felt Kevin Spacey had the worst body of any actor and decided that if I could make him look so good, there was hope for her. Roseanne made it very clear to me that she’d had many trainers who’d failed to help her lose weight, and that she wouldn’t do any strenuous exercise routines. In addition, she loved chocolates and would never go on a diet! I had to get really creative with Roseanne and devised a method to stimulate her muscles so she could firm up and burn calories. As for her meal plan, I re-engineered her favorite cakes and cookies to be highly nutritious and still great tasting.

Working with Sinbad turned the gym into a stand-up comedy club. He sought my help, in fact, in preparation for a comeback tour. Over the years, Sinbad had allowed his belly to expand well beyond what his 6’5” frame could handle, and he was tired of trying to conceal his bulk. On top of all this, he had severe knee problems, which became excruciating with his extra weight. I had to help him lose the weight and at the same time strengthen his leg muscles to take the pressure off his knees.

I was a big fan of Joe Mantegna and being Italian, I could understand his mindset. Joe's career didn't take off until later on in his life, when he won a Tony for Glengarry Glen Ross, landed roles in The Godfather III and Bugsy, and soon starred in Homicide and Searching for Bobby Fischer. After finally making it, he slipped into a comfort zone with overeating. Eventually he became pudgy and he starting being cast in much older roles, playing the same type of characters. Joe requested my help to get lean and feel vibrant again. I re-engineered his favorite recipes, and designed a workout and nutritional program he could ease into, to look and feel younger again.

 

"I hate exercising and swore I would never give up pasta. Mike formulated a routine to ease me into fitness. He's shown me a healthier style of eating for my entire family where I didn't have to compromise my love for food." -Joe Mantenga

I met Frances Fisher, who had acted in Unforgiven and Titanic, at the Academy Award party at Spago after Kevin Spacey's victory. Frances was a single mother working full time as an actress, a lifestyle that was sapping her energy. She wanted to spend more time with her daughter and make exercise part of their daily life, so I designed a fun workout program she could do with Frannie, her and Clint Eastwood’s young daughter. I also cleaned out her cabinets, replacing unhealthy foods with organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, lean meats, fish, and poultry.