Joel Edgerton has joked that he expects a giant model of himself on every film after Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods And Kings.

A picture of Joel Edgerton at a premiere
Joel Edgerton (Joel Ryan/Invision/Press Association Images)

The Australian actor, who plays Egyptian Pharoah Ramses, came face-to-face with the 50-feet-high statue on the Spanish set of the Biblical epic, which was modelled on his own features.

Christian Bale with the giant head of Ramses
Christian Bale with the giant head of Ramses (Fox UK)

“That’s a requirement in my contract these days. If I come to work on a movie, I bring a big statue of myself,” he quipped.

But he said: “It was sort of narcissism for sure. It didn’t look exactly like me, that would be totally weird. It was more like a rough likeness – incredibly handsome obviously. Part of me was really proud that I got this massive statue especially when I found out where it was.

“We were shooting on a different set and the set in Spain was huge so I needed to get in a car and ask them, ‘Can you take me to my head?’ I never thought I’d say this in my life. I went there and took some photographs. I was standing on the scaffold and I was about as tall as the eyeball was.”

Joel Edgerton as Ramses in Exodus: Gods And Kings
Joel Edgerton as Ramses in Exodus: Gods And Kings (Fox UK)

Joel had to shave off his hair, don eyeliner and dress in extravagant outfits to play the ruler.
“It was very extreme, it’s the most extreme look and transformation I’ve ever had,” he explained.

“I had to shave from the head down, the eyeliner, and the amazing costumes. I needed that. There was the odd thing that was uncomfortable and I often took as long to get in the costume as I did in the make-up chair.”

Joel Edgerton as Ramses in Exodus: Gods And Kings
Joel as Ramses in Exodus: Gods And Kings (Fox UK)

He added: “But the costumes were incredibly empowering. It made me feel really powerful in a gold skirt and all this make-up. When I looked at that stuff on the rack, I was like, ‘Is it going to make me look really tough and cool?’ And it did. It had a strange effect.”

Exodus: Gods And Kings opens in cinemas on Boxing Day.