Hugh Jackman Stuns Nicole Kidman With Buff Body And Horse Skills 10/7/08

Hugh Jackman got into character to play a stockman in Baz Luhrmann's Australia by learning to ride a horse like a pro, working out daily and eating every three hours.

The Aussie actor was so committed to bulk up his skinny frame for the film, he'd get up in the middle of the night to just eat egg whites.

Jackman admits he adopted the diet of a Australian bodybuilding champ, who "wakes at four in the morning, has egg whites on dry toast, then goes back to bed so he gets some food in him before he trains at 6am."

The regular snacking took time to adjust to, but he tells Men's Journal magazine he was "pretty strict" on his eating habits, adding, "It's pretty fine eating. I got used to it - and my energy level went through the roof."

Australia co-star Nicole Kidman was more than impressed with the actor's commitment, especially when it came to riding horses.

She explains, "Hugh's amazing because he has such athleticism. He could barely ride at the beginning of the film, but by the end he was a great horseman. He will make Aussie stockmen proud."