Biografía

Former bodyguard for singer/actor Tyrese Gibson.

He trained for several months, with a former Navy SEAL, to prepare for his role as Lt. Sean Macklin in Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia (2009). Upon finding out that the studio did not provide a Navy SEAL to consult on the film, Joe flew his SEAL trainer to the set in Puerto Rico and put him up in the cast's hotel, out of his own pocket, in hopes of adding authenticity to the production.

He trained for five months to play the character Alcide Herveaux on True Blood (2008), since the character is described as "having arms like tree trunks" in Charlaine Harris' novels. Manganiello said that, even considering the grueling training, the most difficult aspect of the role was getting Alcide's Southern accent right.

Received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2000).

Friends with Matt Bomer, they attended the same drama school together.

[2012, on being in shape for Magic Mike (2012)] When you're shirtless one or two days a week - which is how it works with True Blood (2008) - you can ramp up and ramp down the intensity of training. When you're shirtless every day, there's no let up. So we spent a fortnight doing thousands of push-ups, thousands of curls, thousands of lat raises. We basically spent every day working out for two weeks in a row. After that, I needed a pretty hardcore vacation. But it was worth it. It was the most fun I've ever had in my life. One hundred percent.

[2012] I screen-tested, alongside James Franco, for my part in El hombre araña (2002) the week after I graduated from CMU (Carnegie Mellon) and got the part. However, it didn't start shooting for six months, so I paid the bills as a bodyguard for singer/actor Tyrese Gibson and as a bouncer at a Mexican rock bar and an after-hours club.

(2012) I grew up a misfit. I never fit in. I had all of these parts that were in direct conflict with each other. I was an athlete, but I was extremely artistic. I was a big strong kid who was also very sensitive and empathetic. I was a jock who was good at math and chess and loved to read. I didn't know what group to hang out with in school until I started acting. When I did, I realized everyone was as weird and out of place as I was, and that I could combine all of those weird opposing characteristics together and create characters that made sense to me in my weird way. Acting was the only place that I ever felt like I belonged so went for it with everything I had.

(2012, on being a sex symbol) It's flattering, but it's not really something I need to be concerned with. I'm glad people feel that way, obviously, but it doesn't change the fact that I have to haul my ass to the gym every day and then get home and study. I put my pants on the same way I did when no one cared. Quitting drinking and smoking have been the two biggest turning points of my entire life.

[2010, on staying in shape for True Blood (2008)] During the season, I work out twice a day, six days a week. And it's protein from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. It's just protein and vegetables every day. But I get one cheat meal a week.