Dolph Lundgren is so close to his fiancée of one year, Emma Krokdal, that they even work out together.
On Wednesday new images of the movie star, 63, and the Norwegian personal trainer, 24, exercising side by side were shared by Muscle And Health magazine.
‘When you’re talking about someone’s looks – there’s the facial structure and the muscles and all that kind of thing – but looks come from the inside as well. You can’t expect to have a youthful body without the mindset to match,’ Dolph told the magazine.
Also in his interview the Rocky star discussed overcoming his dark past that included regular beatings from his father. The actor said exercise, acting and meditation have helped him deal with the scars.
Happy duo: Dolph Lundgren is so close to his fiancée of one year, Emma Krokdal, that they even work out together
Dolph first talked exercise.
He feels staying young looking has to do with the ‘dichotomy between being a fighter and his laid-back nature.’
‘Most people know me for saying “I must break you” (as Ivan Drago from Rocky) and running around with an assault rifle, but I guess I have two sides,’ he said.
Then he shared that growing up in Sweden was rough. His father Karl Hugo Johan Lundgren (1923–2000), was an engineer who worked for the government.
And he was hard on Dolph.
‘My childhood was abusive, and my dad beat me a lot,’ said the star.
‘I think a lot of kids who were beaten by their dads go into contact sports or the military because they’re some- how trying to be strong and make up for that. On the other hand, I have a certain softer side to me and a search for the inner truth.’
Work it! On Wednesday new images of the movie star and the Norwegian personal trainer exercising side by side were shared by Muscle And Health magazine
He started martial arts when he was 14 years old and he had to learn to be a fighter.
But he also had to practice the spiritual side of it.
This seemed to give him some kind of ‘inner peace and inner calm,’ he said.
‘Practicing karate and judo was an internal journey as well as a physical one. As I got older, I started to do a lot of meditation. I’ve always continued with that spiritual journey,’ added Dolph.
They work hard: ‘When you’re talking about someone’s looks – there’s the facial structure and the muscles and all that kind of thing – but looks come from the inside as well. You can’t expect to have a youthful body without the mindset to match,’ Dolph told the magazine
Two sides: He feels staying young looking has to do with the dichotomy between being a fighter and his laid-back nature. ‘Most people know me for saying “I must break you” (as Ivan Drago from Rocky) and running around with an assault rifle, but I guess I have two sides,’ he said
‘I had a very tough time dealing with the trauma of my childhood up until about five years ago or so. I sort of went in both directions because of it, I guess. Most people who know me, know that softer side and the people who don’t know me, don’t.’
Acting help him deal with his emotions.
‘My analyst (therapist) said, “You can either hijack an emotion and use it as a fighter in a ring for a real fight, or you can use it for a movie character.”
But he said the problem is you can hijack an emotion and use that, and you feel good for a while, but then three days later it comes back, and it starts ‘running your life.’
He added: ‘In my case, I was very self-critical and self-destructive.
‘There was a time in my life when I was drinking too much and doing dangerous physical feats. If you asked me to do anything a little bit dangerous I’d have said yes!
Hard start in life: Then he shared that growing up in Sweden was rough. His father Karl Hugo Johan Lundgren (1923–2000), was an engineer for the government. And he was hard on Dolph. ‘My childhood was abusive, and my dad beat me a lot,’ said the star. Seen in the 80s
‘Had I not have become an actor, I’d have been far more destructive for sure, and that would have ruined my life and my kids’ lives. If you look at fighters and you look at their private lives they’re usually not very stable.’
He has made over 70 movies now.
‘I remember when I first started, I read an article about John Wayne — he’d made over 100 movies and I’d made one. I read this article and I was going, holy sh*t, I’ve made one and I’ve got 99 left! but now I’m creeping up on him.’
Emma talked to the magazine about how Dolph has helped her get in shape.
‘I have been doing boxing with Dolph for a few weeks now and I love it so much!’ said the siren. ‘Such a fun way of getting a full-body workout and a good cardio session,’ the blonde added.
‘We like to throw in some assault bike intervals, stair sprints and body weight exercises as well and do a total of 10 x 3 minute rounds, plus warm-up and stretch. An hour flies by. If you have a good coach like I do, I’d definitely recommend implementing boxing!’
Acting helped: ‘Had I not have become an actor, I’d have been far more destructive for sure, and that would have ruined my life and my kids’ lives. If you look at fighters and you look at their private lives they’re usually not very stable.’ Seen in 1985
And he makes sure she is on target.
‘I have been doing boxing with Dolph for a few weeks now and I love it so much!’ said the fitness enthusiast.
‘Such a fun way of getting a full-body workout and a good cardio session. We like to throw in some assault bike intervals, stair sprints and body weight exercises as well and do a total of 10 x 3 minute rounds, plus warm-up and stretch. An hour flies by. If you have a good coach like I do, I’d definitely recommend implementing boxing!’
During the lockdown they took their workouts outdoors.
When in Los Angeles they hike in Franklin Canyon or bicycle by the beach.
‘During quarantine we have really switched up our routine and spend more time training outside, which I love!’ she added.
One of his top films: With Sylvester Stallone in a scene from the film Rocky IV, 1985
She also broke down her routine: ‘Currently I’m doing four days of strength training. Two upper-body days and two lower-body days. Then I do one day of boxing for an hour and one day of hiking. I find my routine a lot more functional now that it’s more varied, compared to going to the gym six days a week. I look forward to each workout!’
She also told the magazine that she wants to act one day.
‘I don’t think modeling or competing is for me, but I loved acting when I was younger. I used to do a lot of theater and it was my dream to become an actress as a child, but when I got a bit older I just got into the fitness industry and that’s what took me to LA. I work as Dolph’s trainer on movie sets so I am getting a close look at movie production. Sometimes Dolph and I work on scripts together. I’m not sure I’ll hit the movie scene, but you never know!’
And she has a favorite motivational phrase: ‘What’s meant to be will be, which I have tattooed on my arm, and also Everything happens for a reason. I truly believe that every tough time leads to something good and it helps to have that in mind when going through something difficult. I have learned so much from my downs and it has made me who I am today!’
The shoot was by Per Bernal for Muscle and Health magazine.
Set to wed: The May-December couple started dating in 2019 after meeting at a gym and they went public with the relationship in January 2020
Lundgren found fame as boxer Ivan Drago in 1985’s Rocky IV, a role he reprised for 2018’s Creed II.
He’s also known for the franchise films Universal Soldier and The Expendables and next up he’ll be returning as King Nereus in Aquaman 2 which he recently hinted may start filming in London this summer.
Lundgren announced his engagement to Krokdal in an Instagram post on June 29, 2020.
It’s believed they started dating in 2019 after meeting at a gym, and they went public with the relationship in January 2020 at the Cana Dorada Film & Music Festival in the Dominican Republic.
In love: The action star announced his engagement to the personal trainer in an Instagram post on June 29, 2020
In Aquaman 2 he is set to reprise his role as Xebel King Nereus in the sequel to the 2018 DC Extended Universe flick.
Shooting began in July in London.
The Creed II star also admitted he had the most ‘fun’ filming the first movie alongside the likes of Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Willem Dafoe (Nuidis Vulko), but admitted being in a harness for several hours a day was a ‘tedious’ experience.
He added: ‘[‘Aquaman’] was certainly a new experience. The only water I ever saw was in my bottle of Evian that I drank. There was no water on set. It was really very dry.
‘So you hang in the harness all day — five, six, seven, eight hours a day — and you move your legs in a certain way, you talk, and you move around, and then your hair is added later in the computer. So it’s very, very tedious, but it’s a different experience. And it was fun to work with all the great actors — there’s [Willem] Dafoe, and Patrick Wilson, and of course, Jason Momoa.’
Currently, Aquaman 2 is slated for release on December 16, 2022.