Name: The 'Superman' Cast Talk Superman's Suit, Lex Luthor's Weakness, and the Expansion of the DCU
Uploaded: 2025-06-18T17:22:24.000Z
Duration: 19 min 41 s
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The imperative

Hello everyone, welcome to our big ticket interview for Superman.

To-infinitive

I'm Perri Nemiroff and I'm lucky enough to be sitting next to Nicholas Holt, James Gunn, David Cornswet and Rachel Brosnahan early congratulations on the movie I cannot wait to see it.

I got many many questions Let's do it interrogate you right now beginning with you James big two-parter to start here Can you tell me a little bit about making sure that this movie feels like a full story all on its own?

But also doesn't necessarily set up other films, but just tease up your growing DC film universe for success going well I mean, I think the most important thing is that this works as a movie by itself It's a complete story with a beginning a middle and an end It's an important part of the life of all three of the characters that these people play That's by far the most important at the same time.

We're introducing a whole new world, which is a lot of fun you know, we're in an alternate reality where superheroes have existed for 300 years and Now we're just picking up on the story of one particular superhero Three years after he comes on the scene who happens to be the most powerful metahuman of all time powerful metahuman of all time and one with a Super cool suit, which is where I'm gonna go next with you David I imagine you love the entire Superman suit, but I'm just a nerd for the details So can you maybe pinpoint like a little detail tiny aspect of it that you really?

Appreciated and maybe informed how you played the character the cape really makes a big difference It's it's the it's the unsung hero of the suit Most of the fittings don't include the cape and it is literally the last thing to go on before you go on set It just changes the silhouette and the way it flows behind you.

It just adds gravitas to the thing I think I have to imagine it's the coolest thing ever when you get to put on the suit and then show it not Only to your co-stars, but your friends and family so that was making me wonder Is there any particular reaction to you in the suit that I don't know is the most memorable or is the most fun to think?

About I sort of forgot that I was wearing the suit.

I would I would wear it a lot and so run your house Yeah, yeah but I do remember the first day we did camera tests before we started shooting coming on and seeing Nick and Rachel for the first time and them seeing me for the first time I must admit I felt a little self-conscious like I you know, I hadn't gotten used to the suit yet I hadn't filled the boots yet with my own sense of confidence So to have them see me and sort of go like that looks pretty cool like that that works pretty well That meant a lot I don't I don't like to describe myself as giddy But I was giddy when I saw I was like grinning from ear to ear.

I was blown away I was I was very excited took me back to being a big kid I think one of the fun things also was every time kids came on set was really is like Santa Claus You know and all the kids are just like oh my gosh It's Superman and in a way I think it's even more powerful than seeing somebody like in a spider-man or Batman costume or something because it's it's him He's there and they really would get so excited.

Oh, my son was in complete Oh, yeah magic to see his face seeing you.

I remember your son's favorite character was mr. Handsome He would be laying in bed and then he'd be like dad mr. Handsome Mr. Handsome is Lex's, you know Creature he created a petri dish that drives around on this, you know flying platform The ugliest grossest creature in the world and for some reason also, I remember one of our producers Chantal Hurst son Also was just obsessed with mr. Handsome.

He's Grew up and still loves everything genre.

I have a feeling that would probably be a personal favorite as well, David I want to follow up briefly on something you had just said You know when you first put the suit on you didn't feel like you filled the boots Do you remember the specific moment when you had confidence and thought you filled the boots and you were Superman when you put the lifts in?

Yeah, I think it was at the end of the first week of shooting We shot part of the sequence that you see in the teaser trailer where the kaiju is blasting fire in Metropolis And that was my first moment as Superman getting to check on people There's a moment where I just check in with the bystanders and make sure that everybody's okay and that felt like a very Superman moment where I sort of wasn't worried about myself or how I looked anymore or the fact that I was strung up by wires.

I was just worried about you know, everybody else Definitely feels right in the finished product, but I can't wait to see more but in that trailer just absolutely nailed it James will stick with the suit a little more with you now because I love hearing about how these types of things evolve So I am curious What did you picture your Superman suit looking like day one and how does it compare to the finished version?

Everyone's gonna see in the final film The only thing I knew is that I didn't want it to look too much like a wet t-shirt, you know I didn't want to have Muscles that were you know built into the suit.

I wanted to create you know a world where Metahumans actually existed but that also they wore these uniforms for various reasons and that it was in a way a So I just kind of went from there working with Giuliana who did all my costumes Guardians of the Galaxy and just kind of taking it You know bit by bit by bit by bit until we ended up with the beautiful suit that we ended up with and you know Also getting David's input frankly I mean was, you know as we started to build it up around him getting his ideas One of the biggest questions was were we gonna have trunks or we were gonna you know, not have trunks I talked to Zack Snyder who was like, you know I tried a billion different versions with the trunks and at the end of the day It just I tried it but it just I couldn't get there and I was feeling exactly the same way and Giuliana and I talked And she said, all right.

Well, I'm gonna try, you know, we'll do one version where we try both trunks and not trunks I went in with David he tried in not trunks and he tried it trunks and I still was gonna go with not trunks and Then you said well you were you wanted trunks in theory you like theory Theoretically, I like the idea of trunks because it's you know Superman I grew up with but the problem is they look kind of silly You were looking for a way to make him look cool or you were looking for a function and explanation for having them Yeah, and my thing was just maybe they're supposed to look a little silly Maybe the reason he wears them is to look a little silly basically to undermine how powerful he really is in this version of the DCU Everyone knows he's an alien.

He can blow things down with his breath he's sort of this terrifying creature and David saying that was like he but he really likes kids and human beings and people and he wants kids not to be afraid of Him and so that was the thing that made me decide to have keep the trunks I love touches like that thoughts like that Yeah, he does contribute to filling out the world and making it feel as real as possible Rachel I'm coming your way now I'm curious about your portrayal of Lois as a journalist because Journalism is a field that is evolving constantly So what is something about her as a modern-day journalist in this movie that maybe sets her apart from iterations of the character?

We've seen in the past One of the things we talked about a lot is her wardrobe and how this characters evolved so much from era to era She's probably one of the characters that's undergone the most transformation as far as all the different comics go.

She's hungry She's courageous and determined and she'll do just about anything to get a great story But today to be a print journalist and to be able to do all of those things.

It looks a little bit different I think we prioritize Comfort, you know in order to be able to do the job to the best of our ability and so talked a lot about how we could pay homage to all of the previous iterations of Lois and Find something that felt both true to the character, but in a world that obviously has some heightened elements How can we make this feel distinctly human and also modern and so she wears flat shoes?

That was also important to you I feel like David we tried on a couple boots that made me about this much taller and David was like, she's too tall Well, there are no lifts in my boots.

I know but you're still you've got a foot on me anyway Yeah, I'm already looking up David's nose 95% of the time but David was like not flat shoes flatter Can they get any flatter lower to the ground?

There is nothing more relatable to me than an on-screen journalist wearing flat The other thing I mean I think also for Lois like and and Clark and Jimmy to the idea that in Perry and The idea that their journalist is a real part of the story It's a part of you know What they conflict over at the beginning of the film in terms of how they see the ethics of journalism It's part of what Lois does throughout the movie and trying to get to the truth And so it isn't just a matter of like oh, she's you know, Lois Lane and her job as a journalist It's actually a part of what we see her doing in the movie.

I think I might build on that a little bit I want to dig into the the Clark and Lois relationship Can you each tell me what it is about the other character that draws your character to them?

But then I also want to know something that they have a difference of opinion on something that you know Maybe threatens the foundation of their relationship, but could help them grow together.

Yeah, we talked about this a lot So I think Superman really loves Being Superman and he loves that he has this ability to come in and save the day and be the protector and be a symbol Of good and hope but secretly what he loves about Lois Lane is that she is his match She isn't taken by the symbolism and the visual and sort of the ideal of Superman She asks the hard questions so it's actually very frustrating for Superman because he wants to be this sort of pure symbol of good and Lois keeps finding all these ways that He like screwed up a little bit or he didn't quite or was he really well intentioned there?

or did he think through the consequences of things there and So it's it's very frustrating but that frustration is this amazing.

She's the only place He really gets that and actually is a little convinced by it and maybe you know Wonders a little bit questions himself a little bit.

So that definitely draws him to her Yeah, I think she's somebody who sees around every corner She's ten steps ahead of everybody else and it's what makes her brilliant But I think can also make her have trust issues with the people in her real life And I think one of the things that she loves so much about Superman is He is so radically present he's able to look at just what's in front of him and it's I think she finds it both of an Incredibly frustrating and also really endearing quality, you know There's definitely times where she's like, that's awesome that you save that cat out of the tree But over here a building burned down and there were like a hundred people inside of it So can we just like have a little bit of perspective here?

but yeah they bring out the Humanity in each other each of them frustrates the other in that way that leads to sparks and romance and passion that chemistry Yeah, sounds like an ideal combo.

I can't wait to see more Nick with Lex first.

I kind of want to lay the foundation a little bit Can you tell me something about past iterations of the character that you wanted to hold tight to and honor in your portrayal?

But then also something about the Lex we'll see in this movie that is uniquely your own There's so many great actors played Lex.

I've adored their performances, but we're all kind of using the same Basis in the history of the comics to formulate the character I think what's lucky for me is James's writing is so dynamic and fun and and the dialogue is so smart that you get this Really rich world and characters to jump into so that's I'm coming from a great place already with what's in the script and also the Whole world that James has built up around that for this universe.

I wasn't going in trying to do something particularly different or similar to what people had done before it's just trying to be truthful to what I Felt connected from the comics and those source materials to this script in this story I think yeah, it wasn't a conscious decision to try and do something different But I was also the brilliant thing about working with James is he's very collaborative on ideas and and trying things But he's also very clear in what he wants and he's also honest in like his opinion on things Well, like he'll say like this is working.

This is you know, I need this that doesn't work so then you feel like you're in a great place as an actor with confidence to like try things and Be guided by someone who really knows what they want and what they're doing another burning question I have about your Lex is so obviously super smart.

No, I'm not smart really dumb I couldn't play smart so we have to super smart and also I read in another interview that he's very imposing So I have to imagine he goes into this movie with a lot of confidence, but I am curious when he goes up against Superman What do you think he fears is his greatest weakness in that fight?

Well, that's something that we did discuss and you said early on, you know, because you're going up against someone who's all-powerful It's like you need someone who does feel like they could potentially be a credible threat towards them I think that's again very smart in the writing in the way that Lex is maneuvering in the chess pieces He has in play we are weak and that's what Superman shows us is that we are and I think since he's shown up Lex has tried to be you know All these things to humanity in this godlike Savior character and suddenly this person's taken all the adoration that he feels he deserved And and also taken away, you know their fate in some ways and he thinks they deserve to control that I think Lex looks at Superman like a lot of you know, artists print artists, especially look at AI I think he sees him as a threat to his livelihood and his legacy He's a guy who's just built his whole life around the idea of legacy and ego This guy comes in and he thinks he's a jerk.

He's just Simple guy wearing a stupid costume that all of a sudden Everybody loves and every woman loves and all of the things that he cares about now are all going to him.

I Wanted to end on this particular question because a little obsessed with the idea because making movies is hard But I love highlighting the like the pride the passion and the joy that artists have On set when it comes to bringing these movies to screen for fans.

So big question But for each of you, can you isolate the single moment of making Superman that brought you the most joy as an artist?

You're probably the most fun to work with on a day-to-day basis But my favorite stuff was the the interview scene in the first two days because it was simply a scene of these two actors Just having a conversation shot for two days Very long scene in the movie, but it is just about the way they see each other It's the way they see the world.

It's the way they see their relationship.

It's the way they see Journalism and the way they see ethics at the very core and it brings in a lot of the things that make a relationship fiery and passionate because your opposites and it also brings in a lot of things that are gonna push them apart and seeing the movie and these these actors and the characters work in such a human real level that Deconstruct superheroes not in the way of like making.

Oh these superheroes that are powerful are now bad guys It's more like really not deconstructing them It's it's it's a it's going deep with these superheroes in a way that Alan Moore did or you know And to see their portrayal in those first two days of shooting and know that in two days We shot 10% of the movie was really truly a joy, you know And then I had to spend another five months hanging you from wires and trying to get shots.

Yeah, that must be so hard for you You Stole my answer though.

I think that was that it was the same Those were my first two days on set and it was such a blast I didn't think that a superhero movie in theory could feel like that could feel so Human and grounded and we had so much space Under James's watchful eye to play and try things and really discover the core of these characters It was the perfect scene to start with because we really got to figure out who they are In these two days and then just built on that foundation for the rest of the movie and it was just you know It's early in the process, but it was really different I think from everything else you guys have been shooting at that point and there was just this energy from the crew And it was it was so much fun.

I've ever had on set It was a great way to start a big action-packed Movie is just two days in a room almost like doing a play for me.

Thank you There I was gonna say me two moments Well, the nice thing is we had read that scene before and then we had worked on the scene quite a bit before we shot It and then we spent two days shooting it.

That was sort of my comfort blanket of like, okay This is I know what I'm doing here Like yeah, it's gonna work when Nick was cast I thought this is one of the best things that will happen to this movie is getting Nick Holt as Lex Luthor the first time I saw him at his camera test walk out of the shadows in costume It was like something ripped out of the page of the comics the way he held his hand.

It was so immediate I'm sure he was still figuring stuff out, but he didn't show any of that and it was quite intimidating I didn't feel like I had figured stuff out at that point.

So it was this amazing challenge In character of I'm gonna have to go up against this guy and match him at the same time I already knew at that point that he was a very lovely man and was very supportive and wanted me to do well And so there was no rivalry off-screen, but then the first time we did go up against each other Nose-to-nose in a scene.

I tried so hard to to match you or to best you in some way and And I just couldn't yeah It was I felt like I couldn't and it was amazing because in that scene I don't quite win I don't come come out the winner of that scene It's just great to be across from a scene partner who you can feel such affection for and so supported by off-camera and so Completely cut down at the knees.

Yeah on camera Wow Those things that scene was really fun that scene in the office Yeah, you know one of the moments it was I mean all of those things were mutual and what I felt as well But there's one moment again just going back to there's a scene where David flies into this set that we had built I Remembered like obviously there's loads of things going through your head and you're doing the scene and you're getting ready for that And there was a moment where I just looked up and was you in the suit flying into this set?

And I was like there was just me that was like, this is like the magic of movies This is the magic of my childhood.

This is all the things I would hope it would feel like the person I would hope playing Superman he like embodies the character perfectly So there was all this encapsulated and I was just kind of standing there dumbly like grinning being like, oh This is magic to be here And then I turned around and everyone else in the room Was kind of lit by the sunlight behind you or whatever and they were all had kind of that expression on their faces as well Just this like this movie magic and like real-life magic of what it was and that was really special to be there for that one of the greatest joys of being someone who sits in a movie theater and like feels that magic at that stage of the process is Hearing that the people who make the movies have those same kind of experiences.

I love it I'm gonna say an early congratulations on your movie Thank you for chatting with me today and to everybody out there Superman is in theaters on July 11th tickets are on sale now