“I couldn’t fit into any of my pants”

David Corenswet, who was announced as the new Superman in June 2023, underwent a major physical change in preparation for the role.

“When we started filming, I didn’t weigh 238 pounds. I was 238 years old at most,” the actor said in episode 27 of the “Manly Things (Sort Of)” podcast. “I couldn’t fit into any of my pants.”

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The “Hollywood” actor also mentioned the difficulty of maintaining his peak weight throughout the production process. He shared that the transformation he went through at first “wasn’t very pleasant” because his body had not yet adjusted to all the extra weight he had gained.

Corenswet joked that while reading for the movie, he realized he had become a size 2XL.

“That was the peak of my weight,” Corenswet said on the podcast. “And then I slowly lost weight before we started filming. I started shooting at around 228, 230… I know I wanted it to be an excuse to see what it would be like to gain basically as much weight as I could.

In May, Paolo Mascitti, the personal trainer of the “Superman” cast, shared a photo of the film’s titular star in an Instagram post.

“David Corenswet gave his all; I can’t wait to share with you more of the training we did to prepare to play this iconic character; stay tuned for more,” Mascitti wrote. The post included two photos: a first look at Corenswet in his official Superman costume and a photo of the actor flexing his muscles at the gym.

The premiere of the film “Superman” directed by James Gunn is scheduled for July 11, 2025.

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