sally hawkins learned to hold her breath for three whole seconds for her shape of water stunts.

Here is yet another amazing example of dedication to craft, as two time Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins tests the limits of the human body in her preparation for the newest Del Toro film, The Shape of Water, by learning to breathe underwater for three whole seconds.

After being cast as a lonely janitor enamored by a muscular Abe Sapien, she knew the role would come with some major challenges.

"Learning sign language was only half the battle," said the actress. "I knew the otherworldly aspects of the film would require me to acclimate to the world of an underwater creature, and I was fully prepared to challenge myself physically as an artist." The Shape of Water star trained for six months with five time gold medalist and two time deceiver Ryan "Pinocchio" Lochte, who worked Hawkins to the bone. Under his tutelage, she endured a strict swimming regimen, including stretching in child's pose while submerged in a tub of water, standing in her neighbor's front yard as the sprinklers came on, and drinking fountain water directly through her nostrils. But before she could swim, she first had to learn how to float.

"The first few days were tentative, just the basics. I tested the water, so to speak, by sticking my face in bird baths around London for one second at a time, just in and out, like a bird," said Hawkins. "Then I was able to graduate to standing in the shallow end of a pool with my mouth open for two whole seconds, which I was quite pleased with myself for pulling off." It certainly shows a brilliant work ethic, considering the fact that Hawkins trained so hard she was hospitalized due to high levels of chlorine in her bloodstream and self inflicted wounds from a pair of DIY gills she carved into her neck.

However, the intensive training certainly paid off as the moments of her character held in the arms of her pescado lover were both authentic and breathtaking. Although Hawkins had nothing but respect for her scaly co-star, she knew it was essential that she was ready to go tail to tail with him on set. The actress had this to say about the healthy rivalry between her and Fish Man --

"It was really important for me to be able to keep up with him on set. As he was a fish man from the sea, it was clear without preparation his underwater physique would swim circles around my human form, and embarrass me in front of Guillermo. But if there's one thing I learned from Lochte, it's to always swim like it's your last swim on Earth, and that you've got to inhale before you go in the water, not exhale the way I used to. And after a little more training and some hard work, I should be able to hold my breath for more than three seconds, just like Phelps."

Guillermo Del Toro's new tale of love and fantasy certainly deserves all the due diligence Hawkins has placed into the character, and with her newfound swimming achievements, she'll certainly be a strong contender for the upcoming Aquaman film or the always anticipated reboot of Kevin Costner's Waterworld. And despite permanent blurred vision and bloody stool from all the chlorine, Sally Hawkins has no regrets whatsoever on sacrifices taken and is keen to pursue her new side career in competitive swimming with a shot at taking the gold at the next 2020 Olympics.