Motion capture technology has come a long way since it was first brought to mainstream attention by Andy Serkis’ pioneering work in The Lord of the Rings, with rapid advancements in the near two decades since making it easier than ever for filmmakers to expand their imaginations in terms of what can be brought to the big screen.
When you think of mo-capped superheroes, most people will instantly experience flashbacks about Ryan Reynolds’ terribly animated costume in Green Lantern, but more actors than you realize in comic book movies have their signature outfits enhanced by visual effects. During the first Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. at several points wore full-sized armor, but eventually that was trimmed down to little more than a chest-piece, with the technical wizards doing most of the work behind the scenes in post-production.
Similarly, War Machine, Black Panther and Spider-Man have all had their costumes heavily augmented with CGI, while the Hulk, Groot and Rocket Raccoon are obviously fully-digital creations, leading to some bizarre-looking set photos from the Marvel Cinematic Universe where epic battles between the forces of good and evil are just a bunch of actors in leotards standing against a greenscreen.
Having been a part of the MCU for almost a decade, Don Cheadle is no stranger to slipping into the mandatory mo-cap suit, but he revealed in a recent interview that there was one key piece of the outfit he was missing, with Mark Ruffalo telling him he was much better off wearing a jockstrap underneath to protect his modesty.
“I said to him, ‘I did a whole movie without it. You couldn’t have mentioned this before? I’m walking around here butt-ass naked practically, and you didn’t think to mention it?’.”
With the Infinity Saga now over and done with, there might not even be a role in the MCU for Don Cheadle anymore, so it seems as though Ruffalo’s advice may have come a little too late in the end. But hey, better late than never, right?
Published: Apr 23, 2020 09:39 am