Brie Larson may not be the most popular actress in a superhero suit around, but her advice to every actor who takes on such a role is noteworthy. Larson shared that she would reach out to these actors via email to give them insights into the training for the role and particularly costume advice. Handling a spandex is not an easy job as a superhero actor and Larson knows it enough to share her two cents on the matter.
It was one of the things that Christian Bale first talked to Ben Affleck while passing Batman’s baton to him. Bale suggested Affleck make sure that he could go to the toilet without the help of anyone, unlike him in The Dark Knight movies.
Brie Larson Gives Advice To Every Actor Taking On A Superhero Role Because It’s “Strange”
Brie Larson was one of the elite guests on the panel of top drama actresses in Hollywood during a recent THR Emmy Roundtable. She was joined by actresses like Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Jodie Foster, Sofia Vergara, Anna Sawai, and Jennifer Aniston. Larson’s historical drama series Lessons in Chemistry landed her a place on the Roundtable.
The interviewer asked her about her calls to new actors who were cast in superhero roles. When Naomi Watts asked her whether she was a “superhero mentor”, The Marvels actress replied, “Always”. Larson shared that she was the first person to reach out to new actors who land such roles. She shared that it was a “very specific and very strange” role to get cast in.
The new actors need specific advice to tackle the role, which she had from her experience. She shared that she would tell them to train and prepare their body as much as possible as the hardships of the job could only worsen. One of the most important pieces of advice she gave was on understanding how to go to the bathroom in the superhero spandex suit.
She added that in her first movie in the role, Captain Marvel, it took her 45 minutes to get in and out of her costume. She shared with the other actresses on the THR Roundtable:
I’m the first person to email everybody because it’s very specific and very strange. People are like, “I don’t know how to do this.” Yeah, no one does. Why would you? I’ll say, “Train, because you’ll want to be as prepared in your body as you possibly can because it only gets harder as the job goes on. And really understand how to be able to go to the bathroom in your suit.” The first Captain Marvel, it was a 45-minute thing to get me in and out of that costume.
Jennifer Aniston was curious whether there wasn’t a little secret trapdoor in the costume. Larson shared that there wasn’t and that’s why she had to advise them on making a plan. She shared that she had to time her bathroom breaks to avoid an embarrassing situation or interrupt the filming.
It added a lot of pressure for the actress and she shared that it made it hard to be the “cool, confident” superhero in the movie.
Christian Bale Gave The Same Piece of Advice To Ben Affleck For Batman v Superman
Christian Bale was one of the most celebrated actors in the Batman role. While his Batman stood strong against Heath Ledger’s Joker and Tom Hardy’s Bane, the hardest thing for Bale was going to the bathroom in the suit. When he passed on the baton of the caped crusader to Ben Affleck, he only had one piece of advice for him.
He shared with Access Hollywood that he told the Gone Girl actor to make sure that he was able to go to the bathroom without having anyone help him. During the filming of The Dark Knight trilogy, Bale shared that he had to have someone help him out of the costume if he had to pee. He shared with Access Hollywood:
The only thing I said to him was to make sure to [be able to] take a piss without having anyone help him, because it’s a little bit humiliating. You have to have someone … help you out of the costume in order to be able to do that. So that was my main piece of advice for him.
The problem is not unique to Brie Larson or Bale, as other actors like Tom Holland have also shared struggles with the suit. Holland found it difficult to drink water in the suit but when he found a way, he had another problem. The more he drank water to keep himself hydrated in the hot suit, the more he had to pee, thus Holland had a vicious cycle of problems on hand with his Spider-Man suit.
Lessons in Chemistry is now available for streaming on AppleTV+, while Larson’s superhero role as Captain Marvel is available for streaming on Disney+. Bale and Affleck’s Batman movies are now available on Max.
