10 Actors Who Had Horrendous Experiences On Set Due To Their Costumes

Margot Nolan
Jun 07, 2022
Jun 07, 2022

We know the process of casting unique and weird-looking characters is quite troublesome, especially when they’re non-human or wear bodysuits. While some movies do use CGI and special effects, some still use the traditional bodysuits to make the characters look as realistic as possible.
And wearing these suits is no small task to make. They are thick, heavy, hot, and sometimes unbreathable to the average actors/actresses. It’s no surprise that some performers had to go through extremely rough times while on set with these ridiculous costumes. Imagine wearing a 40-pound bodysuit AND heavy makeup at the same time, such as the case with Oscar Issac portraying Apocalypse in X-men: Apocalypse (2016).
You may think to yourself “They’re not that bad, right?” Well, these actors have to wear these bodysuits on most of their sets, and some could last for a whole day. Think about that. To prove our points, below are the 10 actors who had horrendous experiences on set due to their costumes.

#1 Paul Bettany — Avengers: Age of Ultron

Source: © Avengers: Age of Ultron / Marvel Studios

Originally, Paul was the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S., an AI. When the actor was invited to turn into Vision in the Avengers: Age of Ultron film, everything changed. Bettany had to sit in the makeup chair for 3.5 hours. His face was first coated with many layers of makeup, and then he was put in a tight spandex outfit. To avoid the performer from overheating, the suit was supplied with an additional cooler (tubes filled with chilly water).

#2 Jeff Bridges — Tron

Source: © Tron / Walt Disney Productions

Bridges' character, the "digitized" Flynn, was to be devoid of any anatomical traits, therefore the outfit designers had a difficult job on their hands. The actor was wrapped in a customized bandage that was covered by tight overalls for this. The actor joked that there were still scars on his skin from the bandages since the bottom portion of the outfit was so snug to his body.

#3 Doug Jones — The Shape of Water

Source: © The Shape Of Water / TSG Entertainment

Doug Jones' acting career includes a wide range of monsters. It's no surprise that he got used to heavy makeup. Despite this, he will forever remember his work on the film The Shape of Water. Because of the amount of time spent on makeup, the actor's filming day would begin 3 hours earlier than his colleagues. Four assistants would first pull the latex suit over Jones' torso, then the gloves with membranes, and lastly, fiberglass neck pads and a helmet with a specific gill control system attached to him.

#4 Emma Stone — The Favourite

Source: © The Favourite / Element Pictures

The film is set in England during the 18th century when women still wore tight corsets for the sake of fashion. And of course, there is nothing comfortable about wearing these. Emma Stone admitted that she struggled to breathe normally during the first month of filming. She even had to use inhaling menthol. Plus, it wasn't the only issue she had: her inside organs began to move after a while. Fortunately, Emma was able to overcome these difficulties quickly, but she will remember that event for the rest of her life.

#5 Oscar Isaac — X-Men: Apocalypse

Source: © X-Men: Apocalypse / Marvel Entertainment

The main villain's outfit for the X-Men: Apocalypse film weighed 40 pounds, and the make-up technique, which involved applying many layers of adhesive and latex, took several hours. Isaac was thrilled with the idea of working with many talented actors before the production began. And he was devastated when he realized he'd have to spend most of the shoot alone. He was put on a specially built saddle and rolled inside a cold tent to cool off between takes. This happens on a daily basis. The makeup removal method was equally painful: it ripped off his skin in chunks. That does sound like pure agony, doesn't it?

#6 Michelle Pfeiffer — Batman Returns

Source: © Batman Returns / Warner Bros.

Despite the fact that the filming of Batman Returns took place about 30 years ago, the actress vividly remembers the terrible experience. Michelle had to go through actual torment to get dressed in the latex suit in 1992 since the technology was not as advanced as it is now. She was initially doused in talc from head to toe.
They would use a suction device to suck out the excess air from within the garment once she had finally managed to fit into it. Finally, a silicone-based gel was applied to the latex to provide shine. A simple trip to the restroom became a real nightmare because of the suit's multi-hour preparation.

#7 Anthony Daniels — Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV)

Source: © Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV) / Lucasfilm Ltd.

The 60-pound outfit took nearly 2 hours to put on. In addition, some shoots took place in Tunisia, which has a very hot environment. The actor's leg was cut when a piece of the costume fractured on the first day. The crew's apathy was possibly the most horrifying aspect: many individuals would just forget that there was a real human behind the armor.

#8 Peter Mayhew — Star Wars

Only dog owners may understand and sympathize with Peter Mayhew's pain. Chewbacca's outfit was constructed of yak hair (a cloven-hoofed bull) and mohair. Chewbacca's skin would always become wet and start to smell awful because the second half of the story was shot in the snowy terrain. We're sure it was difficult not just for Peter, but also for the rest of the staff.

#9 Rebecca Romijn — X-Men

During the filming of the first installment of this franchise, this actress had to go through 12 hours of makeup in order to turn into the blue-skinned mutant Mystique. Later, the team was able to reduce this time to only 7 hours. Rebecca, on the other hand, had to spend most of her time on the makeup artist's chair. The actress would get her makeup done at midnight so that she could be on set with the other actors by 9 a.m. Scales were initially affixed to her body, and then her skin was painted blue. The costume's most irritating feature was that it left blue markings all over the place.

#10 Lily James — Cinderella

It took 45 minutes to put on that wonderful outfit, which was made up of 12 layers of silk in various hues. Lily would wear an exceptionally tight corset to make her waist seem lovely without retouching. It was so difficult that the actress had to go on a special diet while filming.
"When the corset was on, we'd be on continuous days, so we wouldn't stop for lunch — you'd be eating on the run," Lily explained. I couldn't loosen the corset in that instance. So if you ate anything, it didn't digest correctly, and I'd be burping in Richard Madden's face all afternoon, and it was just extremely awful.

Bonus: Batman

The only thing all Batman actors have in common is their dislike for the iconic Batsuit. They've all stated that donning this superhero's costume was excruciating. Val Kilmer revealed that putting on the outfit took him an hour and 45 minutes, and taking it off took him 45 minutes. And he also needed a large crew of helpers to complete it. Lastly, the garment lacked apertures for the ears, causing hearing problems, and it was really hard for the actor to follow the director's directions.

Share this article