Godzilla: 20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know
16. It Was A Nightmare For The Godzilla Actor
The actor who portrayed the title character in the original Godzilla film, Haruo Nakajima, found the experience unbearable. His outfit weighed a whopping 220lbs (100 kilograms). Nakajima said it felt like “dragging a tire and giving a piggy-back ride to a fat man while walking.” His suit weighed him down so much, he could only walk a maximum of 30ft while wearing it.
He got so hot in the costume, he regularly passed out. Also, a cup of sweat was drained from his body every day while working on the original film.
On top of that, he couldn’t see anything while in the Godzilla suit.
How could it possibly get worse?
By setting the poor guy on fire. In the scene where Godzilla is set ablaze, you can see the monster screaming and flailing his arms around. In that scene, Nakajima wasn't acting. He was desperately trying to put the fire out before he was permanently injured.
Despite enduring burns, electric shocks, and near suffocation, Nakajima played the character in 12 movies over 18 years. He retired from acting in 1973 and passed away in 2017 at the age of 88.