Dwayne Johnson hated the Black Adam costume at first – but then they took away the padding

(Image credit: Warner Bros)

There are few actors who know their bodies like Dwayne Johnson. The star's biceps have biceps, but that didn't stop the Black Adam costume department adding padding to the antihero's suit. That didn't go down well with The Rock.

"These are the best costume-makers in the business, who have done all the most amazing costumes. They’re so talented. They come over to the house. I put it on. And I fucking hate this costume," Johnson tells Total Film in the new issue of the magazine. "Everything was padded. So they immediately start tearing and cutting and ripping. When I put that costume on the second time with no padding, just cut in a way where it was enhancing the work that I had put in – I felt..." He clicks his fingers and beams. "I’m Black Adam."

Johnson, it turns out, does not do things in halves. "I wanted to come in not only in the best shape of my career, but also in the kind of shape that was befitting of an unstoppable supervillain who becomes an antihero," he says.

"The easy version was I just continued on the same training regimen, not push myself, and find a Black Adam costume that covered my body up with some padded muscles in certain places, and no one will ever know. But I prefer to go the opposite way, and really come in in phenomenal shape and redesign a costume where I didn’t need padding."

The results speak for themselves. Johnson's Black Adam costume is a skin-tight suit that shows off his enormous body – and comes with an awesome lightning bolt. Superman should be scared.

Black Adam opens in cinemas on July 29, 2022. For much more on the film, check out the brand new issue of Total Film magazine when it hits stands (real and digital) from Thursday, December 9.

Total Film's Black Adam cover — (Image credit: Warner Bros/Total Film)

If you’re a fan, why not subscribe so that you never miss an issue? You’ll save money on the cover price, have the issue delivered to your door before it’s on newsstands, *and* you’ll get subscriber-exclusive covers like the Black Adam one below. What are you waiting for?

Total Film's Black Adam subscriber cover — (Image credit: Warner Bros/Total Film)

Jane Crowther is a freelance writer and the Editor-in-Chief at Hollywood Authentic magazine, having formerly been the longtime Editor of Total Film magazine. Jane is also the Chair of The Critics' Circle and a BAFTA member. You'll find Jane on GamesRadar+ exploring the biggest movies in the world and living up to her reputation as one of the most authoritative voices on film in the industry.