‘Hunters’ Star Josh Radnor on How His Wardrobe Helped Him Find His Character

“What we choose to wear is really revelatory of our inner life, so for the guy who wears this kind of stuff, what’s going on internally?” – Josh Radnor

Many actors who have starred in major franchise movies, like Star Wars or a superhero movie, have spoken about how empowering it feels to be wearing an iconic character’s costume. However, an actor doesn’t need to be wearing Jedi robes or a Batsuit to feel their performance impacted by costuming.

During an interview with Collider, actor Josh Radnor spoke about how costuming can aid an actor into portraying a particular character, particularly in a show that is a period piece like Hunters:

“It’s hard for me to isolate a single costume piece because they all became vital. Sometimes you find a character working from outside in, and sometimes it’s inside out. This was a character that was more outside in, honestly. I went to have my consultation with the wardrobe people, and the hair and make-up people, and I had this big beard. I just hadn’t shaved for awhile, and the make-up gal looked at me and said, ‘I’m thinking mustache and chops.’ And I was like, ‘That’s what I’m thinking.’ So, we found this great facial hair look. And then I looked at myself and I didn’t, I didn’t look like myself. I looked like a different person. I went into the wardrobe fitting and they started putting me in all of these outrageous ‘70s duds, with jewelry and four buttons, unbuttoned down to my bellybutton. It changed my walk and the whole feeling in my body. From that, I just found the guy. I had shoes that I really loved. I had this leather jacket that I really loved. I had all of these pieces of jewelry that I really loved. Wearing these big, chunky rings made my hands do different things. Between the facial hair and the wardrobe, it all served to help me find this guy. What we choose to wear is really revelatory of our inner life, so for the guy who wears this kind of stuff, what’s going on internally? Why does he choose to dress like this? That all served me really well, as an actor.”