Superman Star David Corenswet Reveals What It Was Really Like Suiting Up As The DCU’s Man Of Steel

Recently, Superman star David Corenswet opened up about donning the cape, revealing the downsides to wearing a supersuit. The actor makes his debut in the James Gunn-helmed film this July alongside Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult. Corenswet joins a long line of actors to play the Man of Steel, starting way back in the 1940s with Kirk Alyn up until the 2020s with Henry Cavill. Each Superman has had a distinct suit—with the notable exception of Tom Welling in Smallville—and these outfits come with some pitfalls.

Speaking with People, Corenswet revealed the most constricting part of wearing the suit: bathroom breaks. The actor explained: “There are lots of zippers, but there’s no single zipper that allows me to go to the bathroom, which you would think would be quite straightforward, but nothing is straightforward about these things.” According to Corenswet, tailoring the costume to make it more easily removable was cost-prohibitive.

Nonetheless, he said that the experience was far from torture. Corenswet stated that his dresser made long days of filming much easier for him, explaining: “I had the most amazing dresser you could ask for, Scotty, who was sort of like a, I don’t know, he felt like a mob fixer. […] He would make excuses for me if I needed, and we got very good together at getting in and out of the suit, so he would do it quite quickly, and I could take breaks if I needed to over the course of a day.”

Unfortunately, Corenswet also called the first time he wore the suit “underwhelming” as the entire garment was not yet constructed and was missing the S logo. Additionally, he revealed that the costume was “quite snug” because it was tailored to his physique from before he put on around 40 pounds of muscle.

Corenswet’s experience with a restrictive costume isn’t an outlier among actors in the superhero film genre. The actor himself noted this, saying: “You hear actors who play superheroes talking about squeezing into the suits; I got kind of claustrophobic in the suit the first time just being constricted in all those places at the same time.”

Corenswet’s “intense experience” was likely made more “claustrophobic” as a result of his suit being made for his weight at the time of his initial screen test instead of post-workout. Nonetheless, the form-fitting suit makes Superman a more visually imposing figure by highlighting his muscles, something intentionally undercut by the brighter colors and trunks of the suit.

Though the experience of wearing the suit wasn’t entirely pleasant for Corenswet, the final product looks great. Taking a uniquely bright approach, the new costume balances making Superman look strong and yet still approachable. Corenswet himself said that his Clark wouldn’t want children to fear him, hence the combination of suit characteristics. Though Superman won’t be released until next month, Corenswet’s suit has been showcased in multiple teasers, only fueling the fan excitement to see him on the big screen.