Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for CinemaCon

Adam Rodriguez had one of the most noticeable transformations in Magic Mike XXL, thanks to his much longer hair.

For Rodriguez, it was all about making the sequel bigger and better than the first, and the hair was a huge part of that.

“I definitely made the hair bigger and better,” Rodriguez said in an exclusive interview with StyleBlazer. “I was like, ‘Let me dye it blonde and see what the hell happens here.’ You know what, I didn’t know when I am going to be able to do this again. I feel like Tito started getting a bit more in touch with his artistic side, and found this new persona by living in Miami, and the hair was part of that whole thing.”

While his character Tito got more in touch with his artistic side, Rodriguez stayed focused on making sure everything from the workouts to the dance routines were “pumped up” to fit the name of the movie.

“The title was XXL so we had to be bigger and better than the first time around. I think we tried to do that with everything from getting in shape, being in better shape than the first time, pushing the limits with the dance routines, making those bigger and better than the first time,” he said.

And even though it is “a male stripper movie,” Rodriguez made it very clear, it is a movie that even guys can enjoy.

“Everyone says “male stripper movie,” and it is that, but honestly it is more of a comedy than anything else,” Rodriguez said. “It is right in the vein of ‘The Hangover’ and ‘Animal House.’ I don’t think guys will be disappointed.”

“Magic Mike XXL” hits theaters July 1st, but before you run to theaters, read on as Rodriguez opened up about his role in the movie, his upcoming role in “Empire” and upcoming therapy sessions for his daughter in the interview below: 

On how he prepared for ‘Magic Mike XXL’: “The title was XXL so we had to be bigger and better than the first time around. I think we tried to do that with everything from getting in shape, being in better shape than the first time, pushing the limits with the dance routines, making those bigger and better than the first time, which I think we definitely accomplished by having a 23-minute dance segment as the final of the movie. I think people are really going to enjoy that and then we really tried to pump up the laughs and make those bigger and better. The wardrobe was different, I think that Tito is just totally different in XXL than the first part. These guys have all grown in some way… I just felt that he was doing a lot of exploration and the hair just seemed like a fun thing that he was playing around with and I felt like it worked.”

On shooting that 23-minute final dance scene: “You worked the whole time to have that moment. That is the big climax of the movie. I’d have to put that up there as my favorite scene to shoot. It was everybody’s big moment to shine. We all worked so hard on our dance routines.”

On the hardest part about being a male stripper: “The hardest part about being a male stripper is knowing when to move on. I don’t think it’s a long term career for anyone. It seems like something to do on the way to doing something else. I think there are a lot of things like that in life, you got to know when it is time to move on to the next dream.”

On his go-to stripper song: “Pony” is a classic. Anything with a hard, sexy beat.”

On his family watching him strip: “My family’s got to come out and support, and I know they will be watching, even my grandmother. I think she will be a little bit more prepared this time. I’m totally fine with them watching.”

On his daughter one day watching ‘Magic Mike XXL’: “I will contribute to [Channing Tatum’s] therapy fund, and Channing’s daughter and my daughter will have therapy together (laughs)… they will turn out just fine.”

Keep on reading to find out about his upcoming role in “Empire”:

The post SB Exclusive: Adam Rodriguez On Going Bigger, Better (And Longer) In ‘Magic Mike XXL’ appeared first on StyleBlazer.