Fame and fortune for DC Expanded Universe stars comes with a price. From claustrophobic costumes to prejudiced writing, the life of a DC superhero actor can be quite challenging. Besides the obvious rules such as having to participate in mandatory press tours, being contractually obligated not to reveal any plot lines, and staying out of trouble off-screen, we will look at some of the more peculiar rules and unique situations that come with the job of being an internationally famous DC superhero actor.

We'll go back to the early days of television, where George Reeves as Superman was saving Metropolis on primitive black & white screens, to Ben Affleck being told not to pee in the Batsuit, to Forbes Magazine musing that an R-rated Harley Quinn project would not be a good idea. We'll also see how the director of the Beatles' hit film A Hard Day's Night was asked to take over the directors job of 1980's Superman II. Is the price of fame and fortune too high? Probably not, considering how great it must be to be part of a successful superhero franchise, but never the less, some of these unique rules and situations make for a fascinating read...

So, strap in, and get ready to learn about the rules that make being a DCEU actor a tough job.

20 Respect The Batsuit

It seems that fighting crime is not the major challenge that faces the Caped Crusader. Bathroom breaks are the real challenge for the Dark Knight, at least based on Christian Bale’s advice to Ben Affleck, who inherited the role from Bale.

Bale, who played the Batman in three of Christopher Nolan's epic interpretations of DCs brooding hero, had this advice for the award-winning Affleck: "make sure they put a zipper in the suit."

Apparently, Bale had to have assistants help remove his Batsuit whenever he had to relieve himself.

Naturally, this was somewhat embarrassing for the A-list actor. Bale related these words of wisdom to Ben Affleck at the New York premiere of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Who knew that fighting crime would come with such a precarious situation as this? As we'll learn later in this list, this isn't the first time that costumes get in the way of things; since DCEU actors don't get too much say in their costumes, they can often be a hassle to deal with or uncomfortable for their actors. We can only hope that Affleck actually listened to Bale's advice, as he clearly knew what he was talking about.

19 From One Lois To Another

The late Margo Kidder, who triumphed as Lois Lane in the Christopher Reeve’s Superman franchise, made it very clear that she was disappointed in how the role of the iconic female reporter for Metropolis's Daily Planet had evolved since she first took on the role in the 1978 release of Superman starring Reeve as the crime fighter from Krypton.

Kidder complained that Lois Lane's character in the Zack Snyder reboots were a step backward.

She says they were portraying the overly ambitious reporter as an old-fashioned damsel in distress. Kidder went on to say, “They didn’t give her anything to do! I mean, how stupid is that?" Before landing the role of Lois Lane, Margot Kidder had been on the cusp of the "new wave" of Hollywood in the early 1970s. She was once the "den mother" to then up and coming directors Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma, Martin Scorsese, and others who all hung out at Kidder's seaside home in California and discussed the history and future of the film industry. Kidder was disappointed at how the writers of the current Superman films treated Amy Adams' role as old-fashioned and a bit prejudiced, and wished she would have had more.

18 Shape Up Or Ship Out...

Superheroes have to be in top physical shape in order to be best prepared to save the planet from the continuing onslaught of supervillains. Gal Gadot had no problem staying in great shape for her role as Wonder Woman, after all the training she had while serving in the Israeli army. Along with the army training, Gadot still had to embark on a muscle building regimen to transform herself into the right look for her Wonder Woman character before the production could start. This involved training for over a six month period in which the Israeli-born beauty pageant winner turned actress had to work out seven days a week in order to transform herself into the Amazon superhero.

Gadot would have to work out daily for six months to transform herself into Wonder Woman.

Gal Gadot debuted in the Fast and Furious films before being cast in the role of Wonder Woman in DC's 2016 release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Soon after, she appeared as the lead role in Wonder Woman and Justice League.

The character of Wonder Woman was created in 1941 by William Moulton Marston. Marston, who led a very bizarre lifestyle, to say the least, was also credited for the early development of the lie detector. Along with Superman and Batman, the Wonder Woman character has always been one of the most popular franchises in the DC portfolio.

17 ...But Not Always

Contrary to the muscle-building regimen that Gal Gadot had to go through in order to get into top shape for her role as Wonder Woman, Michael Keaton did not have to display the same physical prowess for his role as Batman in the 1989 Tim Burton film. One would think that in casting the role for the Caped Crusader a director would look for an actor with a strong physical presence and impressive stature, but Burton decided early on to go in another direction for the actor who would portray Batman in his reincarnation of the franchise.

And as it turns out, it was a good thing that he did!

Casting Michael Keaton, who previous to this was known mainly to be a comedic actor, might have been incongruous to what was expected, but both the producers of the film and Burton liked the look in Keaton's eyes, and his hot temper. In preparing for the role, Keaton studied Frank Miller's 1986 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns comic series, which created a grim and darker world for an aging Batman to contend with. This helped Keaton develop the serious tone that was telegraphed so well to the film audience through the look in his eyes and foreboding demeanor.

16 Don't Be Too Cute For Your Own Good

The golden rule of portraying The Joker is not to be cute and non-threatening. The macabre supervillain is the epitome of pure evil and has traditionally been cast to be anything but cute. From Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's Batman, to Jared Leto in Suicide Squad, the role has always been dark and menacing.

This was the fear critics had when Heath Ledger was originally cast as the insane clown in Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece The Dark Knight.

Nolan's choice for the role was at first universally panned by naysayers who thought it would be a disaster to have an actor with the happy-go-lucky demeanor and "boy next door" good looks of Ledger. In hindsight, Ledgers transformation into the crazed nemesis of the Caped Crusader, and the soon after the tragic passing of the actor both would cast an ironic conclusion to this sad episode in the DCEU. When asked about their favorite Joker, many people will say Heath Ledger. He really just embodied the character and brought him to a whole other level, one that was more creepy and less goofy than some of the other Jokers.

Just goes to show that looks aren't everything.

15 Stay True

Watchman director Zack Snyder knew what he was getting into when he championed the director's job for the 2013 release of the next entry in the Superman canon, Man of Steel.

In a 2016 Hall of Justice podcast, Snyder argued that he did not change the Superman character for the film, and that real comic book fans should know this. He was quoted as saying; "If you're a comic book fan, you know I didn't change Superman. If you know the true canon, you know that I didn't change Superman."

He went on to say; "If you’re a fan of the old movies, yeah, I changed him a bit."

That his goal was to set the tone for the world he was creating in the film and be more faithful to the comic book lore. When discussing the matter with Forbes Magazine, Snyder called out the fans of the Christopher Reeve franchise, who portrayed the man of steel as squeaky-clean, unlike the comic book persona that he was trying to emulate in his films. He was quoted by Forbes as saying, “The thing I was surprised about in response to Superman was how everyone clings to the Cristopher Reeve version of Superman,” which was not true to the comic book.

14 Keep That Rating Low

Earlier this month, Forbes Magazine reported on Australian actress Margot Robbie's latest insights on her "Harley Quinn and Friends" project that she is producing for Warner Brothers. Robbie has stated that the film would be "an R-rated girl gang movie." Forbes magazine feels that an R-rated Harley Quinn project staring Margot Robbie would alienate a wide segment of its audience.

It would be a bad idea strictly from a commercial standpoint.

The film is to be directed by Cathy Yan with a script by Christina Hodson. The tentative title is Birds of Prey and production is scheduled to start by the end of 2018 or early 2019. Forbes magazine went on to say that a "female-centric superhero movie is liable to play huge with conventional comic fans and women/girls of all ages who like these characters. And going R-rated would obviously prevent younger fans of both genders from seeing the picture in theaters."

DCEU actors must keep their characters as in-universe as possible. Marvel movies do incredibly well, and they tend to be lighter affairs, so it's not surprising that DC would want to follow suit as much as possible. Gotta keep up all that competition.

13 If The Suit Fits...

Michael Keaton, one of the early blockbuster DC superhero actors, suffered from extreme claustrophobia and dreaded having to wear the iconic (but confining) suit he wore in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film. Another problem he had with the suit was how restrictive the cowl was, making turning his head difficult to do.

Keaton turned the handicap into a reflection of the characters calculating and analytical nature.

This led to the stiff appearance that is so apparent when watching him portray the caped crusader in Burton's franchise-reviving film. Keaton used this to his advantage and incorporated the difficulty of movement in how he portrayed the Batman character, turning the handicap into a reflection of the character's calculating and analytical nature. Since Keaton had no say over what the suit is made of or when/how long he has to wear it, it was one way of overcoming this and making the character have an extra layer to him.

DCEU actors never have much say, if any, over the costumes that they must wear in their films, since their costumes are a crucial aspect of their characters. This even goes for newer actors, in films like Wonder Woman and Batman v Superman.

12 Better To Burn Out Than To Rust

Some of the best film scores in recent times have been written by legendary composer Hans Zimmer. His scores can easily be compared to the masterful works of the great John Williams. From 2005's Batman Begins to 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Zimmer's haunting themes and memorable melodies have added a touch of class to the superhero genre.

Along with his superhero film credits, the sixty-one-year-old composer is also known for his scores for Blade Runner 2049, Pearl Harbor, Inception, and Dunkirk, to name a few. In 2016, legendary film score composer Hans Zimmer said he would retire from the “superhero business” because he was running out of fresh ideas. He was quoted as saying; "I have officially retired from the superhero business. It’s just me."

Though DCEU actors (and others involved) have to stick to their contracts, after some time those contracts will expire. In Hans' case, it was just time to hang up his hat. Other actors are still tied to the movies for the foreseeable future, including Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill. When they become as prolific as Hans Zimmer, maybe they'll be able to retire too, but it's way too early for that!

11 It's Over When The Tank Is Dry

The celebrated Batman: The Animated Series starring Kevin Conroy's voice acting as the Caped Crusader ran for 85 episodes. Its stylized tone and animation made it a hit with Batman fans and led to the release of feature animated films in the same style as well. The series also featured the voice of Star Wars actor Mark Hamill as The Joker.

Contrary to popular belief, the series was not canceled due to poor ratings or lack of interest.

When Conroy was asked why the series ended he explained that “They didn’t stop making the shows because the audience wasn’t there or the actors weren’t there, they stopped because the creators ran out of ideas for stories. And they didn’t want to compromise on the quality of what they had and start creating kind of silly stories.”

Conroy is also known for being the voice of Batman in the Arkham video games. DCEU is only as good as long as there are still stories to tell. This is more crucial with an animated series than it is with the films, as the films have an infinite amount of comics (almost) to draw inspiration from. But it's still a shame.

10 Bad Guys Finish First

Another thing with the DCEU is that you have to be dedicated to your role and make sure that you embody the character as much as possible. It's important that the audience likes you, as you are the face of the franchise, so to say.

In a recent Ranker poll, the late Heath Ledger comes out on top as the best actor in a DC movie. Ledger beat out wonderful performances by the likes of Christian Bale and Michael Caine, who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. Curiously, the only female actor to finish in the top ten was Anne Hathaway, who portrayed Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises.

The top ten also featured an even split between the good guys and bad. What stands out in this list is the incredible talent that it contains. For instance, Academy Award-winning actor Jack Nicholson comes in at number 10 for his portrayal of the Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 film Batman. Other notable entries are Michael Keaton, Russell Crowe, Gene Hackman, and Marlon Brando, to name a few. It is quite an impressive list of top Hollywood talent that Ledger tops, which makes it even more tragic that his career ended too soon.

9 Don't Take It Too Seriously

The surprising and tremendous success of the iconic sixties Batman TV series starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin was due to its focusing on campy delivery and comic undertones. Those old enough to remember find it hard not to crack a smile when reminiscing about the somewhat bizarre series that aired from 1966- 1968 and featured campy humor and very corny dialogue.

The seriousness in which West played the role as Batman was obviously in jest but it worked.

It quickly became "must see TV" for both kids and their parents, who appreciated the obvious" wink of the eye" the show was playing on them. The show also featured a "window cameo" in which stars of the day would pop out of a building window that the Caped Crusader and his sidekick were scaling. Soon after its debut, having a cameo appearance on the show became the Hollywood "in" thing to do with noted celebrities, including Sammy Davis Jr, Jerry Lewis, Dick Clark, and Bruce Lee to name a few, popping out of a window to share a one-liner with the dynamic duo.

With the recent shift in Marvel films to be a bit more humorous, DC is looking to do the same thing now.

8 It's Not Always A Sure Thing

Comic book historian Les Daniels in his 1995 “History of DC Comics” tells of the decision to change the Director of the 1980 sequel to Superman, Superman II. Original director Richard Donner had already filmed most of Superman II while filming the first installment and assumed he would get the nod for the follow-up, but the studio decided to go with Richard Lester who had directed The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night. It was said that Donner had 75% of the second feature "in the can" but the producers, who Donner did not get along with, looked to Lester (after being turned down by Goldfinger director Guy Hamilton) to direct the second installment.

This story takes an interesting twist in 2006 when Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut was released. It was a combination of the Donner footage that was filmed during the production of the first film and was included in the official Lester release, along with "lost footage" that was shot by Donner and not used. Ironically, most aficionados of the Christopher Reeve franchise prefer the Donner cut to the theatrical release. It's not something that's as readily available, but it's certainly interesting to look at.

7 Even A Superhero Can Flop

After the success of the Christopher Reeve’s Superman films, it was thought to be a sure thing that the 1984 Supergirl film would be a smash hit. The producers of the extremely successful Superman films, Alexander and Ilya Salkind, thought they had the beginnings of another blockbuster hit franchise starring actress Helen Slater as Kara, the young cousin of Superman who becomes Supergirl, but history proved otherwise.

A poor script was the main culprit with its forced comic stylings.

There was also the convoluted love triangle between Supergirl and two unexplainable characters, that eliminated all the film's credibility. Even Chicago Times film critic Roger Ebert was quoted as saying "Why even go to the trouble of making a movie that feels like it's laughing at itself?"

DCEU actors might think that their job has security, but at any time their franchise (or specific character) might stop having films released. We've seen this a bit with the MCU, particularly with their TV shows, but it's always possible that this will affect DC again soon. It's good to always be prepared for any outcome, regardless of how sure you are that your movie will be big. Hopefully, though, the DCEU continues to thrive.

6 It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's A... Broadway Musical?

One of the best-kept secrets in the Superman lore is the fact that Superman did sing on Broadway! It’s a bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman – The New Musical Comedy opened on Broadway in 1966. The lead role was played on stage by Bob Holiday, who along with singing, flew across the stage tethered to a wire harness. The play was produced and directed by Harold Prince, a legend among Broadway producers, who was famous for smash hits that included West Side Story, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Cabaret, and most notably, The Phantom of the Opera.

Superman (the Musical) was planned long before Batman appeared on TV.

Unfortunately, the play had no memorable hit songs. It also faced stiff competition from the hit TV series Batman which aired around the same time. It eventually lost money and closed after 128 performances. Producer-director Prince was quoted as saying: "the show lost its uniqueness in the time it took to put it together, Superman was planned long before Batman appeared on the TV tube, but it seemed old hat by the time we presented it."

Maybe this could use a revival on Broadway.

5 DC Vs. Marvel: There Are No Rules

The ongoing global success of blockbuster superhero movies shows no sign of abating, and one thing is clear, rival studios will spare no expense to see to it that their respective franchise will come out on top in the battle for truth, justice, and big box office.

It's a battle that's been ongoing, and will likely continue.

The budgets of these mega-blockbusters are in the hundreds of millions of dollars and as each entry to the franchise progresses, whether it be DC or Marvel, you can be sure that budgets could even increase as the rival brands try to out-do each other. Some would say that so far Marvel has the edge with its "lighter" fare than the DC films which more often than not have a more series tone and to date have not succeeded at the box office to the same extent as the Marvel offerings. For comic book hero fans, this is all good news for it seems that the era of the superhero blockbuster shows no sign of slowing down.

With this rivalry, there are no rules, just friendly competition, for the most part. Who knows who'll come out on top?

4 Don't Count Your Bat-Chickens...

Of all the incarnations of the Batman film franchise, the one that is almost universally agreed upon to be the least satisfying (to be polite) is the 1997 Joel Schumacher production of Batman & Robin. George Clooney, who played the Batman had followed actors Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer, who both took on the lead role in the two previous Tim Burton installments of the franchise with more success.

In a panel promoting his 2014 film Tomorrowland, George Clooney apologized for "ruining Batman" and wearing the notorious suit. Clooney was quoted to say; "With hindsight, it's easy to look back at this and go, 'Woah, that was really [bad] and I was really bad in it... It was a difficult film to be good in." In another interview the actor admitted; "I thought at the time this was going to be a very good career move. Um, it wasn't."

The production of Batman & Robin was plagued with problems and was criticized for being "over the top" and just plain silly.

This included the performances of Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey, both who hammed it up a bit too much in their respective role as the supervillains Two-Face and The Riddler.

3 No Say In Who Their Coworkers Are

In a 1982 interview with David Letterman, the late Christopher Reeve admitted that he was disappointed with the effort Marlon Brando put into his role as Jor-El in the 1978 blockbuster Superman.

He showed his dissatisfaction with Brando's dedication to the character long after the film was released, but was still fresh enough in everyone's minds.

In a very candid interview with Letterman, Reeve went on to say that the Oscar-winning actor who played his onscreen father, Jor-El, was "only in it for the money — and it showed." The IMDB website states that Marlon Brando earned a reported salary of 3.7 million dollars for two weeks' work. At the time, this was the highest salary ever paid to a film actor. Reeve ended the Letterman interview by saying that "Marlon's going to [end] me, but anyways..." At least he knew that what he saying was going to be controversial, but at the same time, it was obviously something that he had been thinking about for several years.

Christopher Reeve went on to play Superman in three more Superman films. Reeve passed in 2004, after living many years completely paralyzed after a 1995 horseback riding accident. He truly was one of the greats.

2 Don't Take The Role Literally

In the pioneer days of television, one of the early hit shows was Superman, starring George Reeves as the man of steel. The show ran form 1952-1958 and was one of the first TV series that transitioned from black & white to color. Each episode started with the iconic "Look up in the sky, its a bird... it's a plane..it's Superman!" and featured Reeves out running a locomotive and having bullets bounce off his chest.

Unfortunately, the star of the series met a tragic end when George Reeves was found gone on June 16, 1959.

He had grown despondent and depressed over the fact that he was being typecast as Superman and that his future career would suffer for it. To this day, there is still an air of mystery surrounding Reeves' passing. He was found gone in a suspicious way, but it has never been conclusively determined if it was self-done or not. Persistent wild rumors that Reeves ended it all in an in-character way by jumping to see if he could fly have mostly been debunked, but the mystery of his passing remains. Either way, it's something that was tragic and sad, and he should be remembered for his accomplishments.

1 The Mustache Must Go

In a recent interview on Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast, Richard Donner, the director of 1978’s Superman: The Movie, related how he got superstar Gene Hackman to shave off his mustache for the role of Lex Luthor. The story, as told by Donner, goes something like this: Hackman was cast for the role of the supervillain Lex Luthor, but was not very enthusiastic about how he would look in the role. This included the bald head and lack of mustache that Hackman proudly wore.

It became Donner's job to convince Hackman of the importance of Luthor's iconic look. Donner, who had recently shaved off a mustache of his own, had the productions makeup artist apply a very prominent mustache before his meeting with the Oscar-winning Hackman, and proceeded to make a deal with the A-list actor: He would shave off his if Hackman did the same. According to Donner, Hackman agreed and as soon as he had it shaved off he asked Donner to honor his end of the deal. Donner then ripped off his fake whiskers and gleefully told Hackman it wasn't necessary anymore. As for the bald head, Hackman agreed to a bald wig for one scene, which is why there is the big "bald head reveal" towards the end of the film.