Who is David Corenswet? New Superman actor on journey to sky-high superhero

In true Clark Kent form, the new Superman would like to correct the record. David Corenswet gave an interview to Entertainment Weekly in 2019 where he said his “pie-in-the-sky ambition” was to play Superman. At that point, the role was not on the market. And Corenswet, a graduate of the New York performing arts school Juilliard and a native of the US city of Philadelphia, was just making a name for himself in the industry, with roles in two Netflix series: The Politician and Hollywood. Tall, dark and, you know, handsome, he had been told that he looked like Superman for a long time. However, he did not, he says now, think that he was going to get the chance to play him. But a few years later, he was cast to lead James Gunn’s Superman, which will begin a new, hopefully high-flying era for the DC universe of films. It caused that once innocent quote to take on a life of its own. Many headlines and stories misinterpreted the phrase and wrote that he said it was his dream role, as though he had manifested it into existence. “I said it was my pie-in-the-sky ambition, which I meant to mean that there was no [expletive] way it was ever going to happen,” Corenswet, 31, says. “I sort of was thinking of it as, ‘Oh, who wouldn’t love to get to play an iconic role like that? Wouldn’t it be amazing and impossible if we lived in a universe where that could even be considered?’” Right around the time when Gunn was starting to think about casting his new Superman movie, he decided to watch his friend Ti West’s movie Pearl. In that darkly comedic horror, Corenswet stood out to him as an interesting and charismatic presence. He played a projectionist at a local cinema who catches the titular character’s attention. West had nice things to say about him, too. “David was one of the very first auditions that I got,” Gunn says. “Instantly, it was a relief because he had a playful charm about him that was not evident in Pearl. He had a sense of humour. That made me go, ‘Ooh, this might be a really good match.’” That was just the beginning of the long casting process. Even Nicholas Hoult, who was ultimately cast as Lex Luthor, was up for the Superman part. And though it was “extensive”, Corenswet says it was one of the most “satisfying audition processes” he has ever gone through – not because he booked the role, but because he felt he got the opportunity to show them what he had to offer. Gunn says that Corenswet actually has a lot of Superman in him. “Superman is a square and David is a square,” he says. “He listens to [Great] American Songbook. Like Dean Martin and Cole Porter. That’s what he listens to on his iPad. That’s weird. But oh, so Superman.” When Gunn called Corenswet with the good news, the first person he told was his wife. The second was his sister, who could not pick up the phone because she was on a golf course. “She texted, ‘Is it possible that was a phone call with super good news?’” he says. “I said, ‘Yes. Super good news.’” There are almost three roles involved in playing Superman. There is the person he is with his parents. There is Clark Kent of the Daily Planet newspaper. And then there is Superman. “He’s a public-facing character, he’s a symbol,” Corenswet says. “There’s a presentational element to it, because he does want to present an image of calm and authority. While he doesn’t always feel that way, he always wants to make other people feel that way as Superman.” To prepare for Clark Kent, Corenswet looked at the All-Star Superman comic and how former Superman actor Christopher Reeve changed his posture when love interest Lois Lane left the room. But he also drew inspiration for the voice and demeanour from his brother-in-law, who is 207cm (6 foot 8) and 122kg (270lb), but is the “quietest, most wonderful man”. “That’s where I sort of took the spirit of Clark,” Corenswet says. “He’s this big presence, but he’s desperately trying to be as small as possible and as quiet as possible.” Gunn has promised that the film is “a personal journey for Superman that’s entirely new”. He is a character who is “pretty damn good, but flawed”. And anyone who has seen the trailer knows there will be romance with Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane – but there is even a different spin on that. “He’s in love with her,” Gunn says. “She’s the one that needs the convincing in the relationship. It’s not him. You really see where he needs her in his life.” The movie is the start of a new era for DC films and will raise Corenswet’s profile immeasurably. He has been in big movies before, including Twisters. But being Superman is different. “The thing that it changed about my life immediately was that I had this amazing mission that I got to go on, of playing the part and getting to be a piece of making this awesome film,” he says. “I have so many new friends now. James brings together such a familial cast and crew. And shooting the film is sort of like an extended summer camp.” Adding to the summer camp vibes: on the last day, they even gathered to watch a little blooper reel that Gunn had put together. But what will happen come release is not really something he can fathom at this point. “I expect some things will change when the film comes out,” he says. “But you know, one still has to wake up and eat breakfast.”

Who is David Corenswet? New Superman actor on journey to sky-high superhero

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}In 2019, David Corenswet made a comment about wanting to play Superman. Now he stars as the titular character in James Gunn’s 2025 reboot

In 2019, David Corenswet made a comment about wanting to play Superman. Now he stars as the titular character in James Gunn’s 2025 reboot