Actor Ryan Reynolds is all smiles for the cameras at Comic Con in San Diego, California July 24, 2010. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- In the movie, Ryan Reynolds is green. But in real life, he's black and blue.

"You want to be able to stay out of the hospital for as long as you possibly can during the shoot. But it is a Martin Campbell movie, so you're bound to be there once or twice," says Vancouver's Reynolds, who's currently shooting next summer's superhero epic Green Lantern with Campbell (Casino Royale).

"You really feel what Martin once described as a knife fight in a phone booth. I think that's a really apt description of how his action feels."

In the film, Reynolds stars as Hal Jordan, a test pilot enlisted into an extraterrestrial police force armed with will-powered, energy-manipulating rings. For that reason, the character's costume isn't made of Spandex, but light, meaning that instead of the usual skintight rubber garb, Reynolds is outfitted in a motion capture suit that will be digitally replaced in post-production.

"Because it's actually not seen on camera, they've managed to find a material that I think most people would agree is the most aggravating substance on earth.

"We're shooting in Louisiana, which is pretty close to the sun in terms of the hottest place you can find anywhere around. So it's a little bit difficult, running around in a unitard in the New Orleans high summer heat. But if I were wearing anything, it's going to be pretty uncomfortable doing an action movie at this time of year in the deep south, so I can't be too hard on the suit."

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