I was a tree in Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show – it was so tough that people cried and quit

Yes, each tree in Bad Bunny’s halftime show at the Super Bowl was an actual person. Hundreds of performers were hired to portray the foliage of a Puerto Rican sugarcane field. One such shrub has spoken out about the experience – and guys, it sounds tough.

José Villanueva was paid $18.70 (£13.68) per hour for this work. He told NBC that he had to practice in the costume more than most performers, as he had to move more on the field. On the first day of rehearsals, the costume felt like “50 to 60 pounds for like four hours straight on your shoulder”. He said: “That was killing me. It was bad.”

He claimed: “20 per cent of the people, they quit. They said they didn’t want to do it. It was so heavy that they had people crying. They had people going through panic attacks. And a lot of people left.”

@layton.maxwell

pls i could not stop watching them 😭 #fyp #Superbowl #badbunny

♬ sonido original – ͒yo1ner

José said the crew learned from this feedback, and soon made the costumes lighter.

The people portraying plants apparently struggled to see through their costumes, and often bumped into each other in rehearsals. Performers wore safety goggles to protect their eyes from grass.

José still seems to have loved this experience overall. He said being a tree was “too good to be true” as their view of Bad Bunny’s show was “something totally different”. He added: “I wanted to cry, but I was holding in the tears.”

@bainbridgejenna

#Superbowl #badbunny #halftime #seahawks #patriots

♬ [Raw recording] Record playback noise 01 (3 minutes) – Icy Light

The casting call for this gig details eight rehearsals ahead of the game day, ranging from six to 14 hours long. Applicants were required to have “ability to wear and move in costumes weighing up to 40 pounds” and “ability to wear costumes that fully cover the body, including head, arms, and feet, for extended periods”.

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The production company Roc Nation has been contacted for comment.

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