Adam Brody calls ‘Shazam’ suits ‘infantilizing’ and ‘uncomfortable’
“It’s more like you’re going to the Met Ball,” Brody said of the high-maintenance costumes.
Adam Brody recalls the not-so-great part of starring in the superhero franchise Shazam.
The “Fury of the Gods” star called the DCU costumes “infantilizing” because of how much effort it takes to put them on. “They’re very infantilizing because you like to do little for yourself, you always need help,” Brody said. GQ UK. “We each had a kind of pit crew to help us put on our wristbands and get in and out of our gear.”
She continued, “You don’t feel naked, you’re bulky, you’re in a bunch of things, you know, it’s more like you’re going to the Met Ball or something.”
However, Wrath of the Gods was much easier to shoot than its 2018 predecessor. “The first time, the suits were much bulkier and more uncomfortable. We were also in Toronto in winter, our big scene was in the water at night. So it was freezing, it was the most uncomfortable I’ve ever worked in,” Brody said.
The “Kid Detective” actor added that he’s “always wanted” to be in a superhero movie, sharing, “To do something of this magnitude, I think that’s part of the appeal. The costuming, the stunts, the heroics and just the scale of what you’re working on is on a much different scale than what I usually work on.”
Co-star Helen Mirren similarly spoke about the film’s intense costumes, saying on “The Graham Norton Show” (via People).
“We’re angry goddesses wearing incredibly heavy costumes,” Mirren said. “It was very hot and uncomfortable and actually Lucy said at the end of the first day of filming, ‘They’re going to kill us’ in all seriousness.
Lead actor Zachary Levi admitted back in 2019 that putting on the clothes was like wearing an ‘onzie’ made for superheroes.
“It’s just the discomfort of wearing a solid spandex adult-sized shirt sometimes. It’s super tight, it’ll be like a second skin, I’d overheat in it. I would freeze in it – said Levi CinemaBlend in 2019. “Electronics would sometimes be a dance in it. But all this, whatever, I’ll take it ten times over if I do it again. If I’m going to be the guy wearing the suit, I’m going to do the pieces, I’m going to do it.”
“Shazam!” Costume designer Leah Butler made headlines when she revealed that each of the 10 costumes cost more than $1 million. Directed by David Sandberg it beeps, “I wouldn’t be surprised… He’s doing updates even during filming. The early gloves restricted Zac’s hand movement too much. So it’s not like it’s a million dollars in material or that it costs that much to make one. It’s the whole process of making multiple copies and versions.”
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