Tom Chamberlin

In praise of Prince William’s buff arm

  • From Spectator Life
@dukeandduchessofcambridge

Prince William is a genius. In a single Instagram post, he hoisted focus back over the Atlantic from his prodigal brother, and it seems he and the Duchess of Cambridge have been trending on Twitter ever since. What was the post? He flexed his guns. We have all been there, at the gym where the lighting gives shadowy definition to our various appendages, but we resist the shamelessness of taking a pic. The Duke however, was getting his vaccination, so there is no better justification to have a pic taken of you with your sleeve rolled up, and weren’t we all impressed?

Not the first time we have been pleasantly surprised by toned beta-males (heir to the throne does not an alpha make), a little like when comedians do drama – ‘gosh did you see Jonah Hill in Moneyball?’ we say. Perhaps what is behind this, is that most of us accept we don’t look like Chris Hemsworth. Because people like Alain Delon and Paul Newman exist, us lesser mortals enjoy the sense of opportunity derived from the unexpectedly jacked.

Recently I interviewed Bob Odenkirk, the 58-year-old actor best known as Saul Goodman who has gone through a two-year transformation for his movie Nobody. He says in the interview that he was hoping to reject any kind of audaciousness in the choice he made to play this character and get into this kind of shape, but he knew that was not particularly convincing, seeming as he was known in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul as a mulleted man in ill-fitting suits, and 50 kilos heavier. The film is tremendous fun but the impact of a man his age having that kind of horsepower was a pleasant surprise.

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