Superman star Anthony Carrigan details the process of being fit into his costume to play Metamorpho, and it sounds like something out of a horror movie. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly as part of the outlet’s Superman preview coverage, the actor discussed what it was like transforming into his metahuman character. Carrigan discussed the various things he went through during hours-long makeup sessions before filming, but he felt it was “worth it” because it allowed director James Gunn to depict Metamorpho in a practical way. Carrigan hopes that will allow audiences to better connect with what is happening on screen because it’s real.
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“It’s things that were glued on me, but then they painted on detail, and then more things were glued onto that,” Carrigan said. “I’m not kidding when I say that I was glued in, I was sewn in, I was completely enveloped. I was tied in … roped in, basically. But all in service of this incredible costume … It’s worth it because you can actually feel the texture of something. Your brain notices the difference.”
Superman marks the first time Metamorpho has been featured in a live-action film. As the name suggests, the character has the ability to transform his body into a wide variety of materials. Though Metamorpho has been portrayed as a hero in the comics, in Superman he will be more of an unwilling antagonist. In the interview with Entertainment Weekly, Carrigan discussed how Metamorpho is forced to be “an agent of the bad guy” (meaning Lex Luthor) and fight against Superman.
To date, fans have been treated to brief looks at Metamorpho in action in various Superman marketing materials. People got a better idea of what Gunn might have in store when a collectible Metamorpho figure from McFarlane Toys was unveiled, seemingly showing off the full extent of the character’s powers. All of Metamorpho’s limbs sport different designs and textures on the figure, suggesting he will be transforming into all kinds of materials during the film.
The process of turning Carrigan into Metamorpho sounds like it was very uncomfortable. With today’s filmmaking technology, Gunn and crew probably could have easily made Metamorpho a photorealistic CGI character. Still, one has to appreciate the lengths the team went to going the practical route. Even with how advanced digital effects have become, Carrigan is right in saying the brain can still spot the difference between something practical and CGI. It goes without saying that Superman is going to have plenty of CGI over the course of its run time, but it’s nice to see that Metamorpho will be the real deal. Having the character be an actor in a practical costume will allow him to feel more tangible, eliminating the prospect of the uncanny valley.
Assuming Carrigan’s Metamorpho has a recurring role in the DC Universe, it will be interesting to see if the makeup process is altered or streamlined for subsequent appearances. Now that the filmmakers have this valuable experience, they might be able to come up with a way to make things a little easier for Carrigan so he doesn’t have to sit for five or six hours at a time. Even if they can’t, Metamorpho is shaping up to be one of the more compelling and interesting additions to the DCU.
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