What it's like to make superhero shoes
From Wicked to Sherlock Holmes and Marvel superheroes: Jeff Churchill has been the shoe-maker on some of Hollywood's most iconic projects
Sony
- Jonathan Wells
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Although “90 per cent of the time our shoes don’t make it into the frame,” movie shoemaker Jeff Churchill has crafted hundreds of pairs, carving out a niche in superhero footwear for films like Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
BREAK IN I grew up outside Toronto. I studied theatre and costume design at university and worked in every department – sound, electrics, costumes. When The Lion King musical came to Canada, I was asked to do the shoes because shoemaking combined lots of things I’d done before: carpentry, sewing, metalwork. Later, on a trip to London, I met with some film designers and got work on films like Kick-Ass and Thor: the Dark World. Suddenly, my Toronto-based studio became a film footwear workshop.
PERFECT FIT People reach out because they need something that can’t be bought off the shelf. Tom Cruise is always specific about what he wants, as he does his own stunts. He asked for the same shoe in four forms – for standing, walking, running, and jumping. In Wicked, Ethan Slater (Boq) wears clogs that needed to look like wood but function like dance shoes. Cynthia Erivo’s boots as Elphaba have no back seam – the lines are horizontal to cup her leg.
BIG SHOES TO FILL We have a stock of versatile materials in the workshop. I have some suppliers – for good running soles, for example – but more often than not, we’ll make everything from scratch. The biggest pair I’ve ever made were for Robert Maillet in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes. He’s a professional wrestler-turned-actor, and seven feet tall with US size 24 [UK 23] extra-wide feet.
SPIDEY STEPS On Spider-Man: Brand New Day, we ended up making so many boots for Tom Holland and his stunt guys. Everything was being done practically, so there was a lot of wear and tear. We ensured every piece of footwear was made to feel like a trainer, with flexible athletic soles integrated into boots that match, and were integrated into the costume. That means if they become damaged, we have to make a whole new pair of boots. That’s the same with the costume – all the parts need to match!
WALK A MILE Usually we do in-person fittings on bigger projects. The alternative is that we 3D-print body parts. I have a whole box of celebrity feet and legs! Shoes must be comfortable, otherwise actors won’t wear your shoes for the rest of their careers. But they also have to be bulletproof, so we use carbon fibre and steel to give them integrity, and put steel cores in heels. Even when they look normal, there’s loads of structure inside them. You could probably drive a truck over any of them and they’d survive.
LOST SOLES After filming, studios tend to lock the shoes away, but occasionally, I’ve seen red carpet pictures and thought: “That b*****d stole the shoes! They’ve made it out into the wild!” jonathan wells
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day is available in UK cinemas from 29 July
Authors
Jonathan Wells
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