Supergirl's Tyler Hoechlin: Learning to fly as Superman was painful

Once Teen Wolf alum Tyler Hoechlin mastered the art of suiting up as Superman, his next heroic act in transforming into the Man of Steel this fall on Supergirl was just as trying: learning how to fly.

Spoiler alert: Hoechlin doesn’t actually possess the power of flight. Nor does Melissa Benoist, who portrays the titular heroine on The CW’s super series. To achieve that feat, there’s a bit of TV magic involving wires and green screen needed. So, just how difficult is it to fly?

“I wouldn’t use the word difficult,” Hoechlin tells EW. “I would use the word painful after hour seven or eight. It’s a harness that’s not necessarily the most comfortable thing to wear. It really only holds you up with two straps and they go from the back part of your waist, through the legs, up to the front part of the waist, and so it’s just not the most comfortable way to be supporting your entire body weight for that amount of time.”

Hoechlin concedes, “At the end of the day, you’re flying around in a Superman costume — it’s really hard to complain.”

Hoechlin will make his Supergirl debut in the Monday, Oct. 10 premiere on The CW. Read about his experience suiting up here, and find out how he landed the role here.

For more from Hoechlin’s interview, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, on newsstands now.