David Corenswet admits Superman’s weight gain “didn’t feel great.”

David Corenswet becomes aware of his physical transformation for his upcoming role James Gunnis new Superman Film.

“I knew I wanted this [movie] “This will be my excuse to see what it feels like to gain as much weight as possible,” Corenswet, 31, revealed on the Saturday, September 28, episode of the “Manly Things (Sort Of)” podcast. “To strengthen myself SupermanI was looking for an excuse to really gain weight. I thought 210 [pounds] wanted to make myself happy and then I got to 238. That was the highlight.”

Corenswet, who was announced as the new Clark Kent in June 2023, explained his long-standing desire to build muscle.

“I always felt thin, and I always felt like I couldn’t fill a shirt, and I always felt like I didn’t quite have the physical presence that I wanted to have,” he said. “At my max I was 238. It was so great. I want to go back.”

Although he enjoyed achieving his goal of gaining weight, he also realized that accelerated weight gain can also have disadvantages.

“I put on one of those crewneck sweatshirts, like an XL or XXL sweatshirt, and I thought, ‘I’ll fill this out.’ This is amazing,” he said. “I couldn’t fit into any of my pants. And it didn’t feel good because I did it so quickly, my body just wasn’t used to the extra weight and I was still trying to eat a lot.”

Corenswets Superman Predecessor, Henry Cavillwho played the 2013 superhero Man of Steel until his last appearance in 2022 Black Adamalso underwent physical changes to play Clark Kent.

“I felt a lot of pressure,” Cavill, 41, said Muscle & Fitness in 2013. “Mostly by myself to do it right. This isn’t something you’re doing wrong. The pressure became particularly noticeable when I started negotiating with myself during training. My head kept telling me to stop or stop pushing myself so hard and save energy for later sets by doing fewer reps, but then I remembered I had to do it right and started exploding .”

Cavill announced in December 2022 that he would no longer play the iconic superhero after meeting with Gunn, 58, and the producer Peter Safran.

“I won’t be returning as Superman after all. “After the studio told me to announce my return in October before hiring, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life,” he wrote via Instagram at the time.

Next to Corenswet Rachel Brosnahan was hired to take on the role of Lois Lane Nicholas Hoult was chosen for the role of supervillain Lex Luthor.

Audiences got their first glimpse of Corenswet’s transformation in May when a photo of him in costume and a release date for the film were shared via Instagram.

“Get ready,” Gunn teased alongside the photo.

Superman will be in theaters on July 11, 2025.