Anthony Carrigan is opening up about the deeply personal connection he has to Superman.
The actor, who plays Metamorpho/Rex Mason in the upcoming James Gunn-directed "Superman" film, told "Good Morning America" that Christopher Reeve, who starred as the DC Comics superhero in the 1978 "Superman" film and its sequels, helped him embrace his alopecia, with which he was diagnosed as a child.
"When I was a kid, my mom told me about all of these actors and people who had alopecia, and she told me about Christopher Reeve," Carrigan said at the film's premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night.
'Superman: Legacy' cast: See who's playing Jimmy Olsen and other DC characters@gma #AnthonyCarrigan on how #christopherreeve and his journey with #alopecia made his @Superman ♬ original sound - Good Morning America
Carrigan continued, "That was really special, because I really figured, well, if Superman could have alopecia, then I can have alopecia."
Reeve, who portrayed the Man of Steel in four "Superman" films, was diagnosed with alopecia areata as a teen. He opened up about the disease in an interview with The New Yorker in 2003 and also spoke about the condition in his 1998 autobiography, "Still Me."
Reeve died in October 2004 at the age of 52.
Alopecia is a blanket term for hair loss. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are different types of alopecia, and experts believe some types occur when a person's immune system inappropriately targets their own hair follicles, which stifles hair growth.
There is no cure for alopecia but there are treatments, including steroid injections and oral steroids or various immunotherapies. Red light therapy may have benefits for some patients with certain types of hair loss, but not all, according to research published in the journal Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, available on the National Library of Medicine's website.
The disease can take an emotional and physical toll on those who have it.
Carrigan said knowing about Reeve's struggle with alopecia was "a big deal for me" growing up.
"So knowing that I'm now part of 'Superman,' I'm now part of this legacy," he added.
In Gunn's "Superman," Carrigan's character, Metamorpho, also known as The Element Man, has the power of manipulation. In production notes for the film, Carrigan said his character can "turn himself into whatever he wants" because of this power.
"So, it's a blessing and a curse. He, I think, sees it more as a curse," he said. "He does not like the way that he looks, which I can certainly relate to. You know, growing up with alopecia, that was something that I wished that I could change about myself back then, and it really affected my self-esteem. It affected the way that I moved through the world. And so, that's certainly a kind of aspect of this character that I feel like I can really relate to. But since then, since accepting that, it really has become a kind of superpower of mine, this different, unique look of mine."
Lois Lane interviews Superman in the film's official trailer
Carrigan told "GMA" at the premiere that he hopes audiences who watch "Superman" walk away feeling joy, hope, and a "renewed sense of being a good person and doing right."
"I think getting in touch with your humanity too," he added. "Because it's in short supply these days. I think people are really disenchanted with the world, so we need movies like this that [are] going to inspire hope and inspire us to do good in the world."
Gunn's "Superman" also stars David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
Also starring in the upcoming film are Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher and María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer.
The cast also includes Isabela Merced, who plays Hawkgirl; Edi Gathegi, who plays Mister Terrific; Nathan Fillion, who plays Guy Gardner/Green Lantern; and Wendell Pierce, who plays Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White.
"Superman" flies into theaters July 11.
