Christopher Judge started training to play Kratos in the God of War series — then talked himself out of it

Christopher Judge revealed at Fan Expo Canada that he actually began physically preparing to play Kratos in Prime Video's live-action God of War series before deciding the role wasn't for him. He started working out, got bigger, and even read for the part — but his own body and mind pushed back.

Judge said the difficulty memorizing lines was the first warning sign. "That was my mind and body starting to tell me, 'You don't want to do this,'" he explained. Having spent his 30s and early 40s as one of the leads on Stargate, he had no interest in returning to that grind at 62 — 16-to-18-hour days, constant dieting, constant training. The legacy angle tempted him (he mentioned wanting something to leave his grandson), but the reality of what the job actually demands won out.

Judge voiced support for both actors who've been attached to the role. He called Ryan Hurst — who was originally cast before tearing his bicep filming a stunt in July — an absolutely right choice, citing Hurst's deep familiarity with the games as a longtime player and new father. When Amazon decided not to wait out Hurst's recovery and recast the role to Dave Bautista, Judge's main concern was practical: Bautista had lost significant weight in recent years, and Judge worries about the health implications of putting it all back on for the part. He made clear he thinks Bautista will be great — he just hopes the physical transformation doesn't come at a cost.

Judge has been publicly critical of the production before, slamming the showrunners in August for not involving the writers of the 2018 God of War game. At the Fan Expo panel he softened that slightly, saying he wants anything God of War to be great. Fan sentiment around the show has also shifted — early reactions to the first promotional image in February were rough, but the mood improved after Hurst shared a photo of himself in full Kratos makeup that looked considerably better than that initial poster.