If being an actor is hard enough, wait until you learn what the superhero actors have to go through.
Seeing Wolverine, Iron Man, and other Marvel and DC superheroes on the big and small screens is entertaining, but not everything is fun and games for the actors behind the suits. So, Captain Marvel star Brie Larson shares advice for new superhero actors, specifically training and bathroom breaks.
Larson joins Jodie Foster, Jennifer Aniston, and Sofia Vergara on The Hollywood Reporter’s drama actress roundtable. The publication revealed that the Marvel star usually reached out whenever she heard someone would play a superhero role. That said, Watts couldn't help but asked Larson if she was a superhero mentor, to which she answered, “Always.”
“I’m the first person to email everybody because it’s very specific and very strange,” she said.
Usually, people would say they didn’t know how to do their superhero roles the first time, with Larson stressing, “No one does.” From there, she would advise them to train to prepare their bodies as much as possible, as the work would only get harder as it continued.
“Understand how to be able to go to the bathroom in your suit,” she added.
The 34-year-old revealed it took 45 minutes to get in and out of her costume as Captain Marvel. Hence, she strongly advised new superhero stars to get a plan when taking bathroom breaks. As someone who couldn’t stand people waiting for her, she had to time it her bathroom trips, which made her feel pressured.
“I think it’s a strange thing, especially when you’re a newcomer and you’re tasked with being the most powerful … and you feel scared,” she continued. “It’s so hard to be the cool, confident one when you’re like, ‘Do I know what I’m supposed to be doing?’”
What rules do Marvel actors have to follow?
Being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t easy. The actors have to endure intense training, strict diets, and more. Earlier this year, Hugh Jackman revealed how he kept himself fit while filming Deadpool & Wolverine, where he reprised his role as Wolverine. In a post on Instagram, he was seen lifting some weights, doing curls, and working out his biceps to look like a real superhero again.
Olivia Munn, who played Betsy Braddock in the 2016 X-Men: Apocalypse, underwent intense training to become an expert fighter. Director Bryan Singer said in the bonus materials for the film’s home entertainment release that the actress wanted to do a lot of stunts by herself, so she trained heavily in martial arts, sword fighting, and “all kinds of things.” To do those things, Munn revealed she spent about six hours doing constant workouts.
In addition, some superheroes’ hair and makeup are harder to do than others. Take it from Paul Bettany. The actor must spend many hours transforming into Vision in the Avengers movie. The same can be said for Dave Bautista and Zoe Zaldana’s roles as Drax and Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Of course, these rules will never be complete without being up to wearing uncomfortable superhero suits. The actors may look tough in their superhero costumes, but fans don’t know they can be extremely uncomfortable. Scarlett Johansson and the late Chadwick Boseman had to wear airtight body suits as Black Widow and Black Panther, respectively, and they had no choice but to do it while filming in the heat.
Other rules they must follow are safe stunts, cameos, joining the promotion, lending their faces to merchandise, signing contracts for one film, doing reshoots, and swearing to secrecy. Surely, these things show that being a superhero actor is a tough thing to do.
