The Greatest Showman: Keala Settle reveals surprising problem with filming as Bearded Lady

The musical has been an almighty success around the world, but – as it lands on DVD and Blu-ray after a stunning run in cinemas – Settle has explained why shooting scenes as Lettie Lutz had their obstacles.

In a featurette, which you can watch above exclusively on Express.co.uk, she laughed about how the beard – provided by the hair, make-up and costume team – would slip due to sweat.

“I wanna keep my beard on, so I’m trying my hardest not to sweat!” she said.

“And that doesn’t really work so much!”

She also opened up on the inspiration she drew from Lutz, a character based partly on Josephine Clofullia and Annie Jones.

“The beard was what made Luttie, and what gave her that grit and that strength,” she mused.

“I don’t have that strength as Keala. But when that beard goes on and I become Luttie, that’s when the strength comes.”

Settle has had enormous success for her work in the film, with her song This Is Me becoming the breakout smash of the movie’s soundtrack.

It was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Song, a title it had already won at the Golden Globes.

The song was also a giant chart smash around the world, helping the soundtrack to spend – as of today – 15 non-consecutive weeks at No1 in the UK.

Yesterday, Express.co.uk shared another featurette from behind the scenes of the movie, showing Hugh Jackman opening up on his bond with co-star Zac Efron.

“It was so exciting to work with Zac,” he said.

“He’s been in many musicals but he hadn’t done it for at least ten years, and he was really excited and determined to do something he hadn’t done before.”

Director Michael Gracey heaped praise on their genuine bond, saying: “It was really wonderful watching friendship build and watching the effect it had on the number [The Other Side].

“The song by the end becomes a celebration as they head into the circus, and you see Phillip’s mind blown by what he’s agreed to.”

The film’s other stars include Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Paul Sparks and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

The Greatest Showman is out on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday.