Superman Star David Corenswet’s NFL Training for Mr. Irrelevant Came With a Painful Cost

David Corenswet pushed through a brutal injury while training for his next big role after Superman. The actor revealed the physical toll of preparing for Mr. Irrelevant and the unconventional coaching decision that shaped his transformation.

David Corenswet developed shin splints while preparing for Mr. Irrelevant role

David Corenswet suffered shin splints during his physical training for the upcoming football biopic Mr. Irrelevant. The actor revealed the injury during an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight on September 16, 2026. He explained that sprinting took an immediate toll on his body during the preparation process.

Corenswet shared that the shin splints appeared just three weeks into his training regimen. “They don’t go away unless you rest them and I didn’t have time to rest them,” he stated. He powered through the pain by icing his shins between training sessions.

The Superman star also revealed he worked with a middle-school football coach for the role. “That was the appropriate level for my level of expertise,” Corenswet joked about the unconventional training choice. He admitted he genuinely needed to learn the basics of the sport from scratch.

Beyond the physical challenges, Corenswet found an unexpected thrill in football’s physicality during filming. He described dreaming about his first hit the night after experiencing it on set. “There’s a need for the violence of it, the physicality, the chaos,” he explained about football’s addictive nature.

Director Jonathan Levine, however, kept Corenswet’s contact limited to protect him during production. The actor noted that an amazing football double handled the most dangerous hits instead. A full squad of experienced football players also supported the production’s action sequences.

Mr. Irrelevant tells the true story of John Tuggle, the last pick of the 1983 NFL Draft. Tuggle became the first “Mr. Irrelevant” to make the roster of the team that drafted him. He played for the New York Giants before his death from cancer in 1986.

The film stars Isabel May and Michael Shannon alongside Corenswet in the biographical sports drama. Paramount Pictures will release Mr. Irrelevant in theaters on December 25, 2026.

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