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Superman's Newest Enemy: His Codpiece

from Newsweek / The Associated Press

The big "S" and the cape were no big deal for people designing the costumes for Superman Returns. Brandon Routh's codpiece was the real issue.

Superman costume designer Louise Mingenbach tells Newsweek magazine there were all kinds of things to consider. Like was the codpiece "too big? Was it not big enough? Was it too pointy? Too round? It was somebody's job for about a month just working on codpiece shapes. It was crazy."

Routh doesn't complain about any of this. You hear about how hard he's working only from other people.

"Poor Brandon," says Parker Posey, who plays Luthor's girlfriend Kitty Koslowski. "He's got everyone touching him all the time. He's lying on his stomach and he's got five people coming up and pulling his underwear down, sticking their hands up the butt of his suit. I can't imagine what it's like."

Well, what is it like?

"I'm pretty OK with myself and with my space," Routh says, sitting in a "hot tent" between takes to keep warm. "I don't have special issues with people getting too close to my bubble."