The following article contains spoilers for Black Adam, now playing in theaters.
When an actor playing a character who flies has a problem with heights, it might seem like a problem. But Aldis Hodge, who plays Hawkman in Black Adam, says the film's wireworking team calmed those concerns, at least somewhat.
"We would start the days pretty early," Hodge told CBR, regarding working with the crew responsible for making Hawkman fly. "I got down there a couple of months before we started shooting so I could train with the wirework team. We had a fantastic team. I remember the first day getting in the wires. They took me up and then brought me all the way down so I could land. They took me up about 40 feet. In my mind, I was like, 'We don't want to start at 5 feet and figure it out from there? We don't want to ease our way into this?'"
"Regardless of how macho, manly, or strong you think you are, there is nothing that prepares you for going up 40 feet in the air and looking directly at the ground," Hodge said. "'OK, we are going to drop you now.' 'Wait. What?' You are speeding towards the ground, and you just have to challenge your fears, which was the best part of the experience for me."
Black Adam not only introduced the titular character -- played by Dwayne Johnson -- into DC's Extended Universe, but also the Justice Society of America, including younger members Cyclone and Atom Smasher, as well as legacy characters Doctor Fate, played by Pierce Brosnan, and Hodge's Hawkman.
"Again, our rigging team was top-tier in the world," Hodge continued. "I felt super comfortable and safe with the team, but I still had to challenge my fear of heights. They pull you up and are like, 'Ready? Action.' You are sitting up in the air for a little bit. Sometimes you are carrying other people with you. All you see when you are heading towards the ground [is] you see the ground rushing at you. By mechanics, you have to figure out how to manage your weight, balancing your weight, because of where the harness is holding you. You have to learn your body in a completely different way."
In the film, Teth Adam receives the power of Shazam, but is later imprisoned by the Council of Wizards for misusing those powers in the name of vengeance. Adam is freed via mystic incantation millennia later, but upon learning of his awakening and the potential threat he presents, Amanda Waller summons Hawkman and the rest of the JSA to take Adam down and bring him into government custody.
Black Adam is now playing in theaters.
Source: CBR