Speaking of the costume, star David Corenswet made it clear that “the suit looks a lot cooler than it feels.” He gave detail about how much of wearing the suit was “not glamorous”, with the actor being rigged up to cranes and pulleys. He outlined this process, describing the suit as hot, before going into details about how the costume felt and what it meant to be seen in it. While wearing the costume had some meaning unto itself, he stressed the significance of others seeing him in the costume.
“It’s like when you get, I don’t know, a nice haircut, and you forget about it, but then you walk around, and everybody’s like, whoa, you look great. For once, I walked on set, and I had others who saw me in the suit for the first time. So I got to see other people see Superman, and I didn’t feel like Superman, but it was so amazing watching my cast mates and the crew members who are also getting to work on this amazing historic piece of media. The moments when they saw it for the first time or when they saw Superman fly for the first time, not getting to be that particular, but getting to witness them, witness it. And then the best thing is seeing kids see it when crew people would bring their kids to set or getting to see first person, a five, 6-year-old kid see Superman. There’s nothing like it. It’s amazing.”
James Gunn was with him, who provided more context into the designing and creating of the costume, saying that he “didn’t want to have it look like a wet t-shirt” and “didn’t want it to have a bunch of fake muscles in it.” That was a difficult task in a superhero production, though, which led to some doubts when it was finished. Gunn describes being convinced by Corenswet that the suit truly did suit the character, with the director explaining how Corenswet’s perception of Superman’s colorful costume and character influenced him.
“David goes, yeah, he’s an alien from outer space who’s super powerful, who doesn’t want children to be afraid of him. And it touched me in the moment, and it touches me now as I say it is, that is who he is, and that’s where the costume comes from, and that goes along with Jerry and Joe’s original vision with the heartening back to wrestlers in the circus and these other things. And that’s who Superman is. And that’s why he has a reason for his color; his costume is so colorful. It’s because he doesn’t want to scare children. He’s got red beams that come out of his eyes. He can blow over things with his breath. He wants to not be scary to children.”
The influence of seeing this suit on set was significant for all of the parties involved. Nicholas Hoult, who plays Lex Luthor in the film, said that seeing the costume left him in awe, and made him “feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.” With the iconography of Superman’s costume being so culturally important, it seems that the familiar look was impactful, even throughout the making of the film. Hoult continued, saying:
“It made me feel like a kid again. And there was one scene where he flies into this set, and I was watching, and I was like, I had a little grin, a little private grin on my face. I was like, this is amazing. Then I turned around and saw everyone else in the room with the same look on their faces, watching him. And that’s the effect that he’s talking after that it has on everyone. It’s really special.”
What James Gunn And David Corenswet’s Superman Costume Comments Mean
The Superman Suit Design Is Iconic And Familiar
Superman’s costume holds a great deal of meaning for many people, and seeing that realized in bright, glorious colors seems to tug at the heartstrings of everyone involved. Every live-action Superman iteration has worn a version of this suit, with their own twists on it. However, the description of the colors and the trunks helps to establish this version as feeling familiar. Much of the talk of the character’s legacy appears to be quickly accessed by the simple colors and design of the suit itself.
Superman’s identity is core to the themes of the film, and it is exciting to know that this matters on a script level as well as in the design and visuals of the character. Hearing Gunn and Corenswet talk about the costume and its use suggests that they were able to create something special and unique for the film. This has since been solidified with the first looks at the character, with Superman’s design being something genuinely unique and exciting.
Our Take On James Gunn And David Corenswet’s Superman Costume Comments
The Core Idea Of Superman Seems To Be Important To The Film
Hearing stories of reactions to the suit, and how quickly it accessed memories of who Superman is, is incredibly promising. While “Legacy” is no longer a part of the film’s title due to it suggesting Superman looking back rather than ahead, director James Gunn has made it clear that much of the film still contends with that theme. Understanding Superman, and seeing so much of his history being accessed visually – even in the design of his costume – has only made me more excited for this film to arrive.
