Announced as the new Superman in June 2023, David Corenswet has undergone a significant physical transformation to prepare for this role.
An intense role. In the “Manly Things (Sort Of)” podcast, David Corenswet shared details about his physical preparation to play the superhero in the upcoming “Superman” film.
“I didn’t weigh 108 kilos at the start of filming. I reached this maximum weight there. I didn’t fit into any of my pants,” he said. Additionally, ‘The Politician’ actor highlighted the difficulty of maintaining his peak weight while filming, admitting that his initial transformation “wasn’t very pleasant” as his body had yet to adapt to everything the extra weight he had gained.
David Corenswet joked that it was during a reading of “Superman” that he realized he was gaining weight, to the point of wearing a double XL sweatshirt. “That was at the peak of my muscle mass, and then I slowly lost weight before filming started. I started shooting at 103, 104…I knew I wanted that to be my excuse to see what it felt like to gain as much weight as possible,” he explained.
A necessary transformation
Although footage from the film remains largely under wraps, Paolo Mascitti, the actor’s personal trainer, shared a photo of the actor working out, saying: “David has been working his butt off, I can’t wait to reveal more about the training we did for this iconic character.
Christopher Reeve, known for playing Superman between 1978 and 1987, gained 30 pounds after training with “Darth Vader” actor David Prowse. For his part, Brandon Routh gained 11 kilos for his role in “Superman Returns” in 2006, after starting weightlifting.
Playing the superhero in five films in the DC cinematic universe, Henry Cavill followed a strict diet, requiring 10 hours of sleep, 6,000 calories per day and intense exercise.
Directed by James Gunn, “Superman” will be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.
