Michelle Pfieffer Had to Be Vacuum Sealed in Her Catwoman Suit and the Bird in Her Mouth was Real!
Michelle Pfieffer as Catwoman in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns is one easily one of my all-time favorite superhero casting decisions. She was awesome in that rol,e and it’s crazy to think that Annette Bening was originally cast! Luckily for Pfieffer, Bening got pregnant and couldn’t do it anymore. In an old interview with Pfeiffer, she talked about this:
"As a young girl, I was completely obsessed with Catwoman. When I heard that Tim was making the film and Catwoman had already been cast, I was devastated. At the time, it was Annette Bening. Then she became pregnant. The rest is history. I remember telling Tim halfway through the script that I'd do the film, that's how excited I was."
The actress ended up going through a few months of whip and kickboxing training and ended up doing all of her own stunts in the movie involving the whip! You can watch her below!
Pfeiffer also had to be vacuum-sealed in her Catwoman suit! As you can imagine, the suit was incredibly uncomfortable to wear, but she looked awesome in it! Pfeiffer revealed the difficulties of wearing the iconic outfit:
"It was the most uncomfortable costume I've ever been in. They had to powder me down, help me inside and then vacuum-pack the suit. They'd paint it with a silicon-based finish to give it its trademark shine. I had those claws, and I was always catching them in things. The face mask was smashing my face and choking me…we had a lot of bugs to work out."
One of those bugs involved trying to find a way to let her use the bathroom! Despite the discomfort, Pfeiffer embraced the challenge and was fully committed to the role. She was so committed that the scene where she had a bird in her mouth involved a real bird! That was not faked! Burton said in an interview:
"I don't think I've ever been so impressed. She had a live bird in her mouth while the camera was rolling. It was four or five seconds, and then she let it fly out. It was before CG, it was before digital. It was so quick, it seems like it was an effect."
Pfeiffer added that she never really thought about what the potential danger of holding a live bird in her mouth might be when she did it:
"I look back and say, 'What was I thinking? I could've gotten a disease or something from having a live bird in my mouth. It seemed fine at the time. I don't think the bird was drugged or anything. We did that scene in one take. I think Tim likes to torture me a bit, it's like a little brother [or] brat kind of thing."
Well, luckily she ended up fine! Pfeiffer's dedication to the role paid off, as her portrayal of Catwoman is still considered one of the best in film history. She brought a mix of sensuality, strength, and humor to the character, making her a fan favorite.