Some recently released Justice League merchandise seemed to indicate that Steppenwolf would have a more humanoid appearance than he did in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's Communion clip. The reality is that with Justice League’s Steppenwolf, the use of CGI effects was so heavy that it wasn’t even necessary for actor Ciaran Hinds to interact with his co-stars during filming.
During a recent visit to BBC's The Michael Ball Show Hinds admitted that he’s "not really" a comic book person, and added that he got the part "out of the blue". He also said that he didn't "even have a costume" for Justice League:
It's all done in motion capture. So, basically, they stick a helmet on your head, they put two cameras around, and they capture all your expressions, facial expressions. They're going to concoct some kind of construction, and they will use my facial expressions - eyes, mouth, voice. They'll turn (me) into this murderous, avenging Steppenwolf from the planet Apokolips, apparently"¦who's bent on Hell on Earth.
According to Hinds’ description, his character is physically fit and fanatical. But not so long ago, he described Steppenwolf as "old, tired, still trying to get out of his own enslavement to Darkseid". We’ll have to wait until November 17 to learn which description is the accurate one.
When the interviewer asked whether he’d met co-stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, and Ray Fisher, Hinds responded:
No, I don't know whether they were all afraid to come and meet me"¦no, no they weren't, really. Because it's imaginary, you do it with green screen.
The interviewer was a bit surprised at that, and remarked that it must have been a challenging experience. Hinds agreed, but added that he enjoyed the experience, and Zack Snyder and his crew were very supportive:
Well, yeah, most things were challenging for me. That was another challenge, you could say, yeah. But it was quite fun. And they're very encouraging in what you do, suggesting, “Over here, look over there, imagine that, do this here, they're coming at you now.”
