Actors in Hollywood are constantly sculpting their bodies to fit in the flesh of their on-screen characters, some whittling themselves down as others pile muscle on muscle.

For actresses, however, it’s a much different story, especially when it comes to the quintessential femme fatale roles; female stars are always prodded to shed their weight like it’s dead skin to portray the lethal yet seductive action figure that the audience goes insane over.

Angelina Jolie

And as if Angelina Jolie hadn’t already molded herself entirely for her breakout role, the filmmakers still went ahead and tampered with the movie posters to make her physique look even more unrealistically appealing.

Angelina Jolie’s Vigorous Training for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider 

Adapted from the iconic Tomb Raider video game series, the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider films star Angelina Jolie as the eponymous heroine.

And since the character is a zealous adventurer, the Oscar-winning actress had to look the part too. That meant, vehement training and intense workout routines paired with a strict diet regimen.

“It was two and a half months of tough training,” Jolie, 48, once told Cinema.com. She added –

Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft

“They had me on bunjis. I’m dog sledding. They had me up at seven each morning and handed me a protein shake. Suddenly, a nutritionist was giving me five meals a day. But you had to do these things to maintain your energy.”

Safe to say she completely devoted herself to that routine, so much so that at one point, the director, Simon West, got incredibly concerned about Jolie’s wellbeing with all the deadly stunts she was doing and the relentless training she was undergoing. Even so, the Mr. & Mrs. Smith star’s commendable dedication wasn’t rewarded all too well.

Her Figure Was Altered in the Film Posters

Despite toning and shaping her body to look the part of the deadly yet irresistible action heroine, the filmmakers somehow still deemed it necessary to enhance Jolie’s physique in the movie posters more than it already was.

For the posters of the 2003 sequel, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, the Gia star posed in a grey skintight catsuit.

But since the outfit gave away a faint outline of her nipples, the moviemakers decided to use special effects to smoothen them out of the posters. And that too, without consulting with Jolie first.

The poster for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider sequel

“I still can’t get over that they airbrushed my nipples out of the posters for Lara. Look at that. No nipples. I think it’s rather strange and odd. Nipples are lovely.”