Celebrities Who Admitted That Their On-Screen Costumes Were A Torture To Wear

Costumes are an integral part of an actor’s job, but some are more comfortable and practical than others.

In fact, many celebrities have confessed to suffering from various wardrobe malfunctions, as well as hazardous conditions where a type of makeup or a costume has caused significant trouble.

Indeed, certain actors have revealed that they have had trouble breathing while wearing extremely tight corsets, while others have admitted to losing all patience due to the lengthy hours spent in the makeup chair.

As a result, we at Bored Panda are taking a look at some prominent actors who have exposed the problems they faced with their costumes while shooting a movie.

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#1 Jim Carrey In "How The Grinch Stole Christmas"

Jim Carrey has described the process of transforming into his iconic Grinch character as “being buried alive every day,” claiming it took eight and a half hours in total.

However, Rick Baker, the makeup artist in charge, has recalled it being more like two and a half hours. 

Jim hated the experience so much that after 92 days of filming, producer Brian Grazer reportedly brought in a man whose job it is to train CIA operatives on how to endure torture in order to help him deal with the pain of the makeup chair.

#2 Ryan Reynolds In "Green Lantern"

In 2010, Ryan Reynolds opened up to GQ about playing the Green Lantern for the 2011 movie, while wearing a suit that he found particularly hard to wear. 

He recalled wearing his iconic green costume: "It's made of actual woven misery.

"Whatever material they've used, they've managed to make it the most heat-conducting substance known to man. 

"I literally begged them to just put me in a nonbreathable rubber unitard."

As the 47-year-old actor shot in the sweltering weather of New Orleans, Ryan joked: "It was like shooting an entire movie inside Alec Baldwin."

#3 Scarlett Johansson In "The Avengers"

Scarlett Johansson, who played Black Widow in The Avengers, told ABC News in 2012 that the tight outfit she had to wear was like a “wetsuit.”

As a result of the heat becoming so bad during filming, Scarlett said that she hallucinated while shooting a fight scene on a makeshift roof.

She recalled: “It was so hot, I would wring out my socks at the end of the day.”

The broadcast reported that the demands of her stunts, she said, "shredded" her costumes, which had to be replaced every few days.

Scarlett explained: "They're like tires.

"You would just go through sets of them. 

“Every time you get a new costume, you just feel real nice and then three days later, it's like the discount Widow."

#4 Tom Holland In "Spiderman: No Way Home"

​​While Tom Holland was playing Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his suit exhibited all sorts of problems. 

Appearing on The Graham Norton Show last year, Tom recalled the impracticality of lacking a zipper as he said, "I asked for a zip, and I didn't get one."

The 27-year-old actor further revealed that in order to keep himself energized, he had to "pop out" the eyes of his Spider-Man suit and pass down a pipe "through the hole underneath the eye socket." 

This was the only method that allowed Tom to drink "some things" without taking his suit off.

#5 Lily James In "Cinderella"

In a 2015 interview with Time, Lily James, who played the famous Disney princess in the 2015 Cinderella movie, opened up about wearing restrictive costumes.

She said: “When I put that dress on, I felt like I could be a princess. 

“But then I’m glad that it only lasted a night! Or like, a movie-magic night. 

“It was just so big, so heavy. 

“With corsets, it’s interesting when you put them on, realizing that’s what women actually wore—that’s what they wore every day, and they’re just so constricting. 

“I’m not surprised they ditched those corsets! 

“In the blue dress, it was particularly tight. 

“On the one hand, it helps in the way you stand and the way you move, but on the other hand, it takes your breath right up into your chest. 

“When I was trying to dance, I didn’t have the capacity to breathe to support the physicality, and so I had to keep taking breaks and loosening the corset.”

#6 Robert Downey Jr. In "Iron Man"

During the first Iron Man movie in 2008, Robert Downey Jr. faced difficulties with his sight as a result of his costume.

In order to save their budget on CGI, Marvel reportedly employed an actual metal suit during the filming. 

Subsequently, Robert wasn’t able to properly see while shooting scenes.

While speaking to David Letterman, Robert said: “Initially, everything was really there. 

“They wanted to spend as little as they could on CG replacement, so I remember this helmet went on, and there’d be a shot, and I’d be in this whole suit, and they’d say: ‘Alright, Robert, it’s like you landed on the roof, so when we say action, just go like that, like you just landed, and then start moving forward.’”

#7 Rebecca Romijn In "X-Men"

Rebecca Romijn, who played Mystique in the 2003 X-Men movie, revealed that she had to spend “eight or nine hours every day just to get into costume” — which was just blue body paint. 

She told Entertainment Weekly about the arduous time she had wearing the makeup: “The first one, it was eight or nine hours every day just to get into costume. It’s a little less now. 

“Still, there are four women who do it, and having them in my personal space for that many hours a day is crazy-making. 

“You can go from being perfectly happy and having a nice time to just being, like, evil b**ch woman: ‘If one more person stares at me, I’m gonna pull my eyes out!’

“But having Alan as the other blue person was great. 

“We would hang out together like an old, bi***y, blue married couple, like, ‘No one understands us!’ 

“It was great because I was totally by myself on the first one, and I felt isolated. 

“It felt like I was doing a different movie than everyone else; my character didn’t even interact with anyone.”

#8 Emma Stone In "The Favourite"

Back in 2018, Emma Stone appeared on The Graham Norton Show to promote her film, The Favourite, in which she played a member of Queen Anne's court in eighteenth-century England.

As a result, Emma had to shoot wearing a corset, which she said was extremely unpleasant.

She recalled: "After about a month, my organs shifted because they had to. 

"It was only temporary, but it was gross." 

The 35-year-old actress admitted that wearing the period costume was a miserable experience.

She said: "It's historically accurate, but I couldn't breathe!"

#9 Val Kilmer In "Batman Forever"

V​​al Kilmer revealed why he disliked playing Batman in the 2021 documentary, Val, which explored his life and career.

During the documentary, the 63-year-old actor shed light on his disappointing experience playing the Caped Crusader in 1995’s Batman Forever.

He said: “Whatever boyhood excitement I had was crushed by the reality of the Batsuit. 

“Yes, every boy wants to be Batman. They actually want to be him… not necessarily play him in a movie.” 

Val went on to reveal that his bat suit was so confining that other people had to help him sit down and stand up. 

As the suit also restricted his hearing, Val said: “After a while, people stop talking to you. It’s very isolating.”

#10 Ralph Fiennes In "Harry Potter"

Ralph Fiennes, who played Lord Voldemort in the six Harry Potter movies, opened up about his costume in 2016, on The Graham Norton Show.

The 60-year-old recalled that the makeup and the costume that came with playing the Dark Lord were a hassle.

Ralph revealed that he would stumble on the costume all the time and also had to wear tights that he wasn’t particularly fond of. 

As his tights would constantly fall off, Ralph couldn’t walk as graciously as Voldemort was supposed to. 

As a result, the British actor recalled losing his patience and asking the costume designers to do something about it. 

The designers ended up resolving the problem by cutting the upper part of the tights off and turning them into something resembling stockings.

#11 Peter Mayhew In "Star Wars"

Peter Mayhew played one of Star Wars’ undeniable favorite characters, Chewbacca the Wookiee.

But as a result of the layers the actor had to wear, the actor described a very uncomfortable experience on set.

At some point, Peter wound up passing out due to overheating inside his Chewbacca suit while filming another franchise installment.

#12 Paul Bettany In "Avengers: Age Of Ultron"

Paul Bettany, who had to spend 3.5 hours daily getting ready for his role as Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron, had to squeeze into a “painful” costume.

He told USA Today: “It’s pretty painful, it’s uncomfortable.

“You’re working in it for 10 hours and not really being able to hear well. 

“There’s only this much of your face open to the air. 

“The first day is not the problem. 

“The second day is not the problem. 

“The third day gets a bit tough. 

“By the fourth and fifth day of the week, you are really having to meditate on the line of actors, thousands of them, who would love to be in your position. You have to concentrate on how lucky you are.”

#13 Robert John Burke In "Robocop 3"

Robert John Burke took over the title role in RoboCop 3, in 1993, after its original actor, Peter Weller, had turned it down. 

But as it turned out, the initial RoboCop costume had been allegedly built specifically for Peter, who was significantly smaller than Robert. 

As a result, Robert revealed that wearing the metallic costume had been a constant agony.

As the costume was made of 150 pounds of fiberglass and steel, the 63-year-old actor described it as a “torture chamber,” and said wearing it was like “acting with somebody on your shoulders.” 

Robert claimed that he had to frequently drop weight by jumping rope and sitting in a sauna so he could fit into the suit for the day’s filming.

#14 Michelle Pfeiffer In "Batman Returns"

Michelle Pfeiffer’s portrayal of Selina Kyle, AKA Catwoman, has long been a DC universe fan favorite.

However, in order to successfully achieve the iconic role, Michelle had to wear a rather distressing costume.
 
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2017, the 65-year-old actress revealed all of the ways that the suit was an unpleasant attire. 
 
Michelle recalled: "It was the most uncomfortable costume I've ever been in.
 
"They had to powder me down, help me inside, and then vacuum-pack the suit. 

“They'd paint it with a silicon-based finish to give it its trademark shine."

#15 Simone Ashley In "Bridgerton"