RoboCop drama: Why did Michael Keaton call Joel Kinnaman a b****?

Joel Kinnaman got a dose of tough love on the RoboCop set. He tells SheKnows about the time he was scolded by co-star Michael Keaton.

Photo credit: Sony Pictures

Joel Kinnaman has some big, metal shoes to fill. This week, the Swedish actor takes on the iconic role of RoboCop. Best known for his stint on AMC’s The Killing, Kinnaman takes a sci-fi turn as RoboCop‘s Alex Murphy.

Once Kinnaman signed on for the film, he knew the character’s famous suit was a part of the deal. As expected, it’s not the most comfortable thing to wear. When Kinnaman first put it on, he had some labor pains. “It was traumatic. I mean it was a b**** putting it on [for] an hour and 45 minutes,” he tells SheKnows. “We were out in Pasadena, it was a super-hot day and I was just sweating like a pig. It was cutting into my ribs and my shins. It was just hurting. Everything was hurting.”

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If anyone could understand Kinnaman’s pain it was co-star Michael Keaton. The veteran actor dealt with the same issues as The Dark Knight in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. But his reaction to Kinnaman’s complaints was more visceral than loving.

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“He’d be like, ‘Quit crying like a little b****! Like you’ve got it so easy. These young guys nowadays. [With] my Batman suit I had to glue — they glued it to my face and you’re sitting here whining and complaining?'” Kinnaman’s response was to just suck it up.

“I have respect for my elders so I couldn’t say anything back,” Kinnaman said. “I’d just take it.”