Dolph Lundgren Severely Hurt His Crotch While Filming Underwater Scene in “Claustrophobic” Wardrobe in $6.3B Franchise
James Wan’s Aquaman showed the potential of the growing DC universe, despite a rocky beginning. The DC adventure was a commercial and critical success, and the Saw director used cutting-edge new technology to give the cast the appearance of weightlessness in the water. However, Wan admitted that it was “painful” for some of the movie’s lead actors, including Dolph Lundgren, to film the first Aquaman.
Aquaman’s main cast consists of Jason Momoa, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Amber Heard, and a few others. Now that we know, the 65-year-old Swedish actor, Dolph Lundgren was also a part of that group. In the first Aquaman movie, he played King Nereus, and we can be sure he’ll reprise that role in the sequel.
But by the end of Aquaman, King Nereus had grown to be Arthur Curry’s (Jason Momoa) ally. And, thus, his continued appearance in the follow-up suggests that the entire underwater world may have to deal with a fresh threat.
Moving on, let’s talk about the main point: The Expendables actor had to face a few challenges while filming Aquaman.
Dolph Lundgren Was Uncomfortable While Filming Aquaman
Dolph Lundgren, who played King Nereus in Aquaman, acknowledged that he had to suffer while filming underwater sequences because of an uncomfortable “claustrophobic” wardrobe.
He experienced discomfort while filming because of his King Nereus costume, which included a wig, beard, helmet, and three layers of armor. In addition, he had to wear harnesses for underwater scenes, which hurt his groin.
Along with the lead actor, Jason Momoa, other actors were required to wear a rig and harness, in order to replicate underwater movement. During his interview with Cinema Blend, director James Wan recalled:
“He [Jason Momoa] wasn’t the biggest fan of the swimming rig we had to put him in. It’s not the most comfortable rig for actors. It puts a lot of pressure around the crotch. So for someone like Momoa, who is more than 200 pounds, it’s not the most pleasant experience.”
Aquaman presents a significant technical challenge for the director, James Wan, the cast, and the crew because about two-thirds of the film’s scenes took place underwater.
Although it sounds like it was quite uncomfortable at the time, Aquaman’s visual results paid off because the underwater scenes are incredibly realistic. Moreover, it undoubtedly helped the movie succeed and receive positive reviews.
But It Was Still ‘Less painful’ For The Actors
Later on, on the same Cinema Blend panel, James Wan discussed how the new technology had a positive impact on his cast, including Dolph Lundgren, Jason Momoa, and Amber Heard. This was probably some exciting news for those aforementioned stars, given how grueling film sets are. According to him,
“It’s less painful for the actors, which makes it easier for me as well, because they’re not screaming and yelling at me… but the most important thing is it really frees up the filmmaking to really do things I’ve never been able to do before. And that is exciting.”
Well, despite the pain, Lundgren allegedly enjoyed filming and would have appeared in the film for free, finding it a novel experience.
Once again, creativity is essential to the Aquaman franchise’s filming process. The laborious work and efforts were ultimately successful in the 2018 original film, along with significant visual effects. However, James Wan wanted to take the sequel a step further (figuratively), and the new method of filming seemed to make it easier for everyone.
The release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is anticipated for December 20, 2023.
Source – YouTube; CinemaBlend
