Ebon Moss-Bachrach is currently taking up space in Hollywood after his Primetime Emmy win for his performance in The Bear, and now, he will be starring in the upcoming reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise, marking his second Marvel Studios project after The Punisher.
The official cast for The Fantastic Four previously made headlines, and joining Moss-Bachrach in the team are Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and Joseph Quinn. The actor will be portraying Ben Grimm, aka The Thing.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach Reveals Important Details About The Thing’s Costume
During his guesting at Jimmy Kimmel Live, actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach shared he was asked to play Ben Grimm in Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four at the beginning of August last year during the writer’s strike.
When asked about The Thing’s iconic suit, Moss-Bachrach remarked that the studio might skip the costume and just rely on motion capture like Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk.
“I don’t think it’s the suit, apparently. I think, in the past, they’ve done the suit. Michael Chiklis wore a suit. Apparently, the suit was really uncomfortable, and we’re past that, I think.”
The original actor in 2005’s Fantastic Four actually wore the costume, even down to the teeth, he wore a prosthetic one. Fans can only imagine how awful it would have been to wear such a suit during long hours of filming. Moss-Bachrach added:
“It’s a little kind of cosplay, you know. It’s a little amateur – that stuff now with the technology we have. So yeah, I think it’s mostly performance capture. I think that’s what motion capture, performance capture.”
Still, Michael Chiklis’ effort proved his dedication to the role, and he played the character as close to the comics as possible. As per IMDb, Chiklis as The Thing was Stan Lee’s most favorite performance in any Marvel movie.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach On The Importance Of Honoring Comic Book Characters
While some fans may get disappointed that Ebon Moss-Bachrach won’t be donning a real The Thing suit, it is worth noting that he pays respect to the character. As someone who has portrayed a figure from the comics, the actor knows the importance of staying faithful to the source. He once spoke of this in a 2017 interview with Screen Rant:
“There is a huge [fan base] and it’s very important to Marvel and also important to me to kind of honor the character. And it’s cool to play a guy who’s from comic books. You don’t want to just come in just sort of play it completely different and throw it all out.”
It’s comforting to hear that Moss-Bachrach has so much reverence for The Thing because he is one of the most iconic and well-loved figures in the Marvel universe.
There’s always a pressure that follows when one is playing a character previously portrayed by a great actor, and as a legacy icon, The Thing will get his own fresh new take that fans can look forward to.
The Fantastic Four will arrive in theaters on July 25, 2025.
