As the world gears up for the arrival of ‘Superman’ this July, the man behind the cape, David Corenswet, is stepping into the spotlight with revelations about his experience with donning the iconic suit.
In recent interviews, Corenswet has opened up about everything from the trials of wearing the iconic supersuit to the personal transformation that came with simultaneously preparing for two life-changing roles: Superman and fatherhood.
David Corenswet’s Superman Suit Had Down-To-Earth Issues
Speaking with People, David Corenswet candidly described the difficulties of suiting up as DC’s most iconic hero. While the suit may look flawless on screen, it’s less glamorous from the inside. “There are lots of zippers,” Corenswet said with a laugh, “but there’s no single zipper that allows me to go to the bathroom, which you would think would be quite straightforward.”
Related: James Gunn Explains How ‘Clayface’ Horror Movie Fits Into New DCU
Tailoring the suit for easier use, he noted, was “cost-prohibitive.” So, instead, Corenswet relied on his “amazing dresser,” Scotty, who became an essential part of daily production. “He felt like a mob fixer,” the actor joked. “He would make excuses for me if I needed, and we got very good together at getting in and out of the suit.”
Additionally, the first time Corenswet wore the suit… it was incomplete. “It was missing the S logo,” he revealed. “It was quite snug, too, because it was made for my pre-Superman body.” At the time of his initial screen test, Corenswet hadn’t yet bulked up. However, by the time filming began, he had gained roughly 40 pounds of muscle. The result was unsurprisingly claustrophobic.
“You hear actors who play superheroes talking about squeezing into the suits; I got kind of claustrophobic the first time,” Corenswet shared. The suit was a psychological and physical challenge in itself. “Being constricted in all those places at the same time” was not something he had anticipated. Still, he spoke with genuine admiration for the craftsmanship of the costume and the intention behind it.
Corenswet On Dealing With Twin Secrets Of Fatherhood And Superman
In a twist of fate, David Corenswet didn’t just learn he’d be testing for Superman, he also learned he was going to be a father. And it happened almost simultaneously. “She told me that she was pregnant two days after I found out I was going to screen test for Superman,” Corenswet revealed in the same People interview. “For the first several months… we weren’t telling anybody. We had these two quite huge secrets that we just had between the two of us. And that was intense.”
In case you missed it: James Gunn’s “Weaker” Superman Might Be Exactly What The DC Universe Needs Right Now
It’s hard enough navigating one major life milestone, but Corenswet and his partner were juggling two. And when filming for ‘Superman‘ began, the timing was close enough to their child’s due date to make things even more complicated. “It was very close,” he said. “Not direct, but still very close. Just having to do two big unknown things at the same time.”
Despite the pressure, Corenswet found moments of humor and connection in the shared experience. “She gained about 40 pounds while she was pregnant,” he laughed, “and in the same period, I gained about 40 pounds, gaining weight for Superman. I had to use her pregnancy pillow,” Corenswet added with a smile. All in all, David Corenswet’s path to becoming Superman wasn’t just a story of muscles.
