Vanessa Kirby Says Fake Baby Bump Was Heavier Than Her Real Pregnancy and It Was Surprisingly Tougher
- Jul 25
- 3 min read
25 July 2025
Vanessa Kirby, star of the upcoming Marvel film The Fantastic Four: First Steps, revealed on Late Night with Seth Meyers that wearing a fake baby bump filled with heavy rice packets during filming proved far more demanding than her actual pregnancy, causing a surprising bout of back pain that she later described as unnecessary and even absurd.
Kirby, who plays Sue Storm in the new Fantastic Four installment, explained that the prosthetic belly originally made of light foam felt too weightless to convincingly portray a second-trimester bump. She urged her costume designer "Flick" to increase the weight. “She kind of put heavy rice packets in the belly and it got so heavy and I got really bad backache,” Kirby shared during the interview. To her shock, her real pregnant stomach has felt significantly lighter and more comfortable than the artificial version she wore on set.
Her real-life pregnancy was first revealed at the CCXPMX Film Festival in Mexico City in May 2025 when she graciously cradled her bump in a form-fitting gown. Shortly afterward, her fiancé, professional lacrosse player Paul Rabil, expressed joy over the impending addition to their family in an Instagram post calling parenthood “life’s greatest adventure.” Kirby confirmed her anticipation on Noble terms, calling the process surreal yet exciting.
This unexpected gag between fiction and reality introduced a profound on-set parallel for the actress. She shared that embodying a pregnant superhero gave her new insight into the emotional texture of her character Sue Storm. Kirby emphasized how essential it was for her to bring authenticity to the role especially in balancing maternal identity with heroism in a high-stakes narrative, a choice that significantly informed her decision to accept the part.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps, set for release on July 25, introduces fans to Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm’s unborn child Franklin Richards, whose reality-altering abilities draw cosmic adversary Galactus into the family drama. Director Matt Shakman has highlighted the significance of birth as a pivotal theme in the film, describing it as one of life’s "truly fantastic moments" a quiet miracle amid cosmic turmoil.
Kirby praised the inclusivity and understanding she experienced from the Marvel team while filming Avengers: Doomsday during her actual pregnancy. She called working on the project “the coolest thing” and singled out the Russo Brothers and Marvel president Kevin Feige for their generous support. Balancing on-screen heroics with real-life motherhood, she described feeling deeply seen and respected on set.
Her account yielded witty yet resonant reflections on the absurdity of a fake bump that felt heavier than the real deal. “I gave myself backache for no reason at all,” she quipped, capturing the surreal crossover of artifice and reality in costume work.
For Kirby, this experience has extended beyond physical discomfort. Portraying a character undergoing pregnancy while navigating cosmic responsibilities allowed her to explore storytelling grounded in vulnerability, resilience, and maternal strength. In interviews, she emphasized Sue Storm’s multidimensional arc one that resists limiting women to reproductive roles alone. As she put it, her character did not retreat; she remained active, powerful, and centered throughout the journey.
With The Fantastic Four: First Steps premiering this weekend and Avengers: Doomsday scheduled for December 18, 2026, Kirby’s personal and professional moments continue to intertwine. Her public reflections offer audiences both comic book stakes and human intimacy a reminder that even superheroes wear real burdens and find empowerment in unexpected forms.
This story is as much about performance as it is about presence. Vanessa Kirby’s strange paradox a heavier fake belly than the real one speaks to how filmmaking can blur the lines between physicality and artistry. It’s a moment that grounds her character and her real life in shared material truth, where emotional weight can outsize physical flesh.
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