Johnny Castle shares his fitness and wellbeing tips

31-year-old Lewis Griffiths stars as Johnny Castle in the touring production of DIRTY DANCING - THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE. We caught up with Lewis at our Tottenham Court Road gym, where he revealed his favourite foods, chatted about the workout regime keeping him fit for the role - and why he believes in professional karma…

JOHNNY CASTLE IS AN ICONIC ROLE. DO YOU FEEL THE PRESSURE TO LOOK A CERTAIN WAY?

Not really. My predecessor started off in the role with a naturally slender physique, but by the time he left he’d got a much sturdier frame and bulked up, just from playing Johnny. Besides, it’s not so much about how I look - I’m more concerned with developing the strength and stamina that I’ll need for the show.

HOW DO YOU WARM UP FOR A SHOW?

I start with shoulder rolls and chest stretches before moving on to my legs. I’ll always do quadricep and hamstring stretches, and as many ankle rolls as I can to help mobilise the joint. I stretch out the Achilles too, and the arches in my feet. Everything from the waist down needs to be limber because the entire show involves bent legs, hip rolls and thrusts - it’s Dirty Dancing after all, you can’t do it with locked knees and straight legs!