In today's movie industry, there's arguably nothing harder than playing a Marvel superhero. For an actor, entering the Marvel universe is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But with great power comes great responsibility! And there's nothing easygoing about portraying the world's most famous movie characters.
Marvel actors are subjected to the harsh scrutiny of the public, to the enduring process of shooting a tight-scheduled blockbuster, and much, much more. If you thought that making millions of dollars dressing-up as a superhero was an easy job, we have some surprising set stories that will probably change your mind. These movie stars do earn a lot with their Marvel appearances, but they could not have worked harder for their money!
Thanos Wasn't Hawkeye's Biggest Problem
In Avengers: Endgame, the sharp-shooting bow legend Hawkeye joined the other Marvel super-heroes to fight the world-threatening Thanos. While defeating the villain was far from easy, Hawkeye spent most of the movie struggling with painful issues of his own. Well, not Hawkeye exactly, but Jeremy Renner, the actor responsible for portraying the hero on the big screen.
Renner was suffering from an arm injury during the shoot and there simply wasn't enough time to wait for his recovery. Undergoing pain, he was forced to use both of his arms on numerous occasions. After all, Hawkeye's power is all about shooting a bow! Bravely, Renner was able to overcome the painful fracture in both of his arms and ended up providing a convincing rendition of the bow-shooting avenger.
It Looks Tight Because It Is Tight!
There's no way around it, if you want to star in a Marvel movie, you'd better be ready to spend hours in your super-hero suit! But while most uniforms are uncomfortable, T'Challa's suit in Black Panther was over the top! According to the actor Chadwick Boseman, his super-hero uniform was so exaggeratedly tight it turned into a nightmare.
The actor described his suit as being "suffocating", and the pictures don't lie; that thing was as tight as it could be! We guess that's the price you have to pay for looking irresistibly cool in a Marvel hit movie.
Hard Work Starts Even Before The Shoot!
Tough times for our Marvel actors don't only start when the cameras are on. Before even entering the set, actors like Guardians of the Galaxy's Chris Pratt are forced to undergo a radical transformation. In Pratt's case, it was all about turning the Parks & Recreation's dad-bod character into a fully-ripped Hollywood hunk.
Heroism always looks better with a flat belly! Pratt knows all about it because he was forced to work hard for six months before the cameras even started rolling to lose a total of 60 pounds. Luckily, it was all worth it, since Guardians of the Galaxy turned out to be an unexpected worldwide box-office phenomenon.
"Improv" Whether You Like it or Not!
We guess Jeff Bridges isn't a big fan of improv comedy. When he was told that playing Obadiah Stane in Iron Man would require him to improvise the dialog, he complained about being one of those actors who requires a detailed script beforehand.
He was forced to adapt, and we think he did a great job rendering the vicious Iron Monger. But this is a reminder that no movie star is above the Marvel production rules, not even The Dude!
Portman Gets Fooled By the Producers
We're hoping this was a coincidence and not an evil strategy... It all started when Natalie Portman refused to appear in Thor: The Dark World to spend more time with her baby son. But then the producers hired Patty Jenkins, who was going to be the first female director to ever call the shots at a Marvel blockbuster.
Wanting to be part of the historical and empowering moment, Portman got back on track and even signed a contract. But as soon as the deal was made, Jenkins was fired from the movie, which was later directed by a man... Ouch!
Chris Evans Proves Money Isn't Everything
Being Captain America is a big job, even for an experienced and talented actor like Chris Evans. But for some reason, Marvel producers only offered Evans $300K for his first big-screen rendition of the super-hero. We know, it's a lot of money... But in Hollywood, this is not the sort of payment that's expected for a blockbuster star.
Nowadays, Evans' Marvel appearances earn him millions of dollars per film. But it seems like he was forced to sacrifice his first payment for a shot at becoming Captain America.
5-Hour Make-Up Sessions for Bautista
Unlike Chris Pratt, the former WWE superstar Dave Bautista made no big changes to his workout routine to appear in Guardians of the Galaxy. But we don't even know how he found the time to train during the shooting of the movie! Why? Well, the make-up sessions for his character Drax took around five hours to complete!
Can you imagine spending five hours per day just getting ready to work? Fortunately, it worked wonderfully, and Drax's characterization looks way better than many CGI-designed characters.
Removing the Baby!
If Dave Bautista suffered without the help of the CGI engineers, Scarlett Johansson ended up working long hours while pregnant thanks to the wonders of movie technology. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, a pregnant Johansson portrayed the deadly Black Widow while carrying a baby!
How is it possible that she looks so toned and slender? A team of hardworking CGI professionals was tasked with removing the future baby from every Black Widow scene. Altogether, it was a trying experience for both Johansson and the CGI team, but it ended up working wonderfully.
When The God is the DJ
Actor Idris Elba learned the hard way that portraying a Marvel character is a lifelong job... When he was called back for a Heimdall cameo in Avengers: Age of Ultron, he was reportedly very mad at the producers. Why? Well, he was in the middle of playing a DJ-set on the Spanish party island of Ibiza!
As most DJs know, the best part about playing live is the after-party. Poor Elba was forced to miss all the fun... He went straight from being sunny Ibiza's main attraction to playing a god from Norse mythology. Movie contracts are tough!