10 Nightmarish On-Set Experiences That Actors Never Want To Go Through Again

Costumes are an essential part of movie-making, especially in sci-fi and superhero movies. However, sometimes Hollywood can take their costume game too far and turn it into nightmarish on-set experiences for the actors. Can you imagine sitting in a chair for 7 hours straight to apply the makeup, or being vacuum-sealed in a latex suit?
Until today, some movie stars are still haunted by these nightmarish on-set experiences. So let’s hear their stories and find out how much shit they have to go through to give us amazing performances. Scroll down and read more.

1. Doug Jones — The Shape of Water

Source: Fox Searchlight Pictures/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

Doug Jones is no stranger to playing monsters. However, his role in The Shape of Water is going to haunt him for a long time. It requires 4 assistants to help him put on the latex suit, then comes the gloves, the fiberglass neck pads, and a helmet with a special gill control mechanism built inside.
After everything was done, Jones could not breathe through his mouth. The heavy makeup and suit left him quite helpless as he couldn’t even open a door by himself.

2. Paul Bettany — Avengers: Age of Ultron

Source: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

To transform into Vision, Paul Bettany had to spend 3.5 hours sitting through the makeup process. Then he had to put on a tight spandex suit which leave no room for comfort. To keep the actor from overheating, the costume was equipped with some kind of cooler, which we later found out that are just tubes filled with icy water.

3. Lily James — Cinderella

Source: Lionsgate/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

The dress might have looked magical and stunning, but it was hell to put on. Lily James had to wear an extremely tight corset that stopped her from digesting food properly. The actress couldn’t eat anything but soup. The actual dress consisted of 12 layers of silk in different colors, which took 45 minutes to put on every time. You can probably imagine how heavy it is.

4. Jeff Bridges — Tron

Source: Walt Disney Productions/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

Bridges’ character wasn’t allowed to have any anatomic characteristics. So the actor had to put on a special bandage and then covered everything up with tight overalls. Bridges jokingly claimed that the bottom part of the costume was so tight he got scars from the bandages on his skin.

5. Michelle Pfeiffer — Batman Returns

Source: Warner Bros./ Courtesy of Everett Collection

It might have been 30 years since Michelle Pfeiffer starred in Batman Returns, but her nightmarish on-set experiences still haunt her until this day. To get into her latex costume, the actress was sprinkled with talc from head to toe. Then she would be vacuum-sealed into her suit. Finally, they use a silicone-based gel to cover the whole latex outfit to give it more gloss. No wonder why Pfeiffer hates it so much!

6. Rebecca Romijn — X-Men

Source: 20th Century Fox/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

Rebecca Romijn’s experience with Mystique was also very unpleasant. The actress had to start the makeup at midnight so she could be ready on the set by 9 AM like the other actors. It took 7 hours to get everything done, and it was not a fun process. Her skin was covered with blue paint and scales were glued all over her body. Romijn was constantly worried that her private parts would expose.
The worst thing about the whole costume was that it left blue marks everywhere. Everybody would know when the actress used the lavatory thanks to the colorful trace she left on the toilet seat.

7. Oscar Isaac — X-Men: Apocalypse

Source: 20th Century Fox/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

Another X-Men actor who also had to go through hell for his character was Oscar Isaac. The costume weighed 40 pounds, and he was covered in multiple layers of glue and latex while wearing it.
The actor had to be put on a specially designed saddle and rolled into a cool tent to get some relief in between takes. After his shots were done, the makeup-removing process would tear off his skin in pieces. This happened every day until the movie was finished.

8. Emma Stone — The Favorite

Source: Fox Searchlight Pictures/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

For her part in The Favorite, Emma Stone was squeezed into a “whale shell.” The actress wore extremely tight corsets that shifted her inner organs after a while. She couldn’t breathe normally for the first month on the movie set and had to smell menthol to deal with her problem. She nailed her role, but the experience would no doubt haunt her for a long time.

9. Anthony Daniels — Star Wars: A New Hope

Source: 20th Century Fox/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

Can you imagine putting on a 60-pound costume and running around in an extremely hot climate place like Tunisia? That was exactly what Anthony Daniels have to go through for his role in Star Wars: A New Hope.
To make matter worse, the costume’s left leg shattered on the first day and cut the actor’s leg. The most terrible thing about his experience was how indifferent everybody was. They seem to have forgotten that he was a real human underneath that armor.

10. Peter Mayhew — Star Wars

Source: 20th Century Fox/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

Peter Mayhew also suffered during the shooting of Star Wars. Chewbacca’s costume was made of yak hair and mohair. Due to the humidity of the snowy area, the costume would get wet and start to smell horrible. Not only did it affect Mayhew negatively, but it wasn’t fun for the rest of the crew as well.
These stars went through some really nightmarish on-set experiences huh? They probably have some regret taking on the roles, just like these famous actors. Find out about the parts that Ryan Reynolds, Robert Pattinson, and other stars wished they had never played here!