If you were watching “Superman” and found yourself thinking, “That Rex fella sure seems familiar somehow,” you would be correct!
The transmutating metahuman Rex Mason, aka Metamorpho, is a scene-stealer in James Gunn’s DC reboot; a surprisingly heartfelt creature (though perhaps there’s nothing less surprising than a soulful would-be monster in a James Gunn movie) capable of turning himself into any substance … including Kryptonite.
Here’s everything to know about who was under all the makeup, prosthetics and effects.
Who plays Rex, aka Metamorpho, in “Superman”?
Actor Anthony Carrigan plays Rex — and if you had trouble spotting that in the credits, it’s probably because the character is called “Rex” for most of the film, but credited as “Metamorpho” in the end scroll.
Audiences will most likely recognize Carrigan from his three-time Emmy-nominated performance as NoHo Hank in Bill Hader’s “Barry.”
This isn’t Carrigan’s first time dropping into the world of DC. The actor played Victor Zsasz in 20 episodes of “Gotham” between 2014 and 2019, as well as Kyle Nimbus (aka, “The Mist”) in two episodes of “The Flash.”
It’s also not his first time in heavy makeup and costuming. Carrigan played the delightful murderbot-turned-sweetheart Dennis Caleb McCoy in yet another relentlessly optimistic movie, “Bill & Ted Face the Music.”
How did Carrigan transform into Rex?
“It’s things that were glued on me, but then they painted on detail, and then more things were glued onto that,” Carrigan said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I’m not kidding when I say that I was glued in, I was sewn in, I was completely enveloped. I was tied in … roped in, basically. But all in service of this incredible costume.”
The actor said the process took between five and six hours in makeup, but he thinks the practical effects’ payoff is worth the extra effort. “It’s worth it because you can actually feel the texture of something,” Carrigan said. “Your brain notices the difference.”
Carrigan also said he can relate to Rex’s complex relationship with his powers and how they affect his physicality. The actor has spoken openly about his real-world journey to accept his own distinct physicality, growing up with Alopecia.
“I had to make a choice as to whether to embrace it or try to keep hiding it,” Carrigan told TheWrap in 2019. “I knew I couldn’t hold on to that shame any longer, so I just went for it. Not everyone was on board with it, not everyone thought that I could do it or that I was attractive enough to be an actor. But I did it.”
Carrigan echoed those sentiments and drew a connection between his background and Rex’s struggle with how his powers manifest in a recent interview with “Good Morning America.” “So, it’s a blessing and a curse. He, I think, sees it more as a curse. He does not like the way that he looks, which I can certainly relate to,” he shared. “You know, growing up with Alopecia, that was something that I wished that I could change about myself back then, and it really affected my self-esteem. It affected the way that I moved through the world. And so, that’s certainly a kind of aspect of this character that I feel like I can really relate to. But since then, since accepting that, it really has become a kind of superpower of mine, this different, unique look of mine.”
Next up, Carrigan is set to appear as Calypso in “Twisted Metal” Season 2 and will star in Alex Winter’s film “Adulthood” alongside Josh Gad and Kaya Scodelario.
“Superman” is now playing in theaters nationwide.
