David Corenswet Takes Superman to New Heights

David Corenswet is a fanboy. He loves Star Wars, Edgar Wright films, and, yes, Superman. So when he heard James Gunn (alongside Peter Safran) was taking over DC Studios, and his first film would center on the Krypton-born icon, he knew he had to throw his hat in the ring. “[Gunn] was quoted saying he was hoping to do a bright, optimistic, hopeful take on the character,” Corenswet recalls, “which happened to align with my hopes for Superman.” Together, they delivered a joyous take on the franchise, restoring a lightness that had been missing in recent iterations. Though Superman is an alien, Corenswet imbues his alter ego, Clark Kent, with humanity and humility. He’ll reprise the role in Gunn’s 2027 Man of Tomorrow, opposite Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor. But before that, Corenswet will play New York Giants underdog John Tuggle, alongside Michael Shannon, in Mr. Irrelevant.

Did you have to audition for the role of Superman?

Yes, I put myself on tape. Nobody was meeting with the director, James Gunn, so I didn’t feel left out of anything by having to make a self-tape. My agent said something like, “Even the Oscar winners are having to tape,” but I heard it as “David, you’re up against some Oscar winners,” which was not particularly helpful.

Did you scream when they called to tell you that you landed the part?

No. I very rarely scream. One of the reasons I’m an actor is to get some opportunities to scream. I was very calm, and I immediately felt relief, because at that point I knew I had a job for the next few years. That’s always my first feeling when I get a role.

Did you always want to be an actor?

I did my first professional play, All My Sons, by Arthur Miller, in Philadelphia when I was 9. I think the next youngest person in the production was 25. It was the greatest, but I didn’t know if I wanted to be an actor. Both my parents were lawyers. According to my grandfather, I expressed a desire to be both a professional baseball player and a professional football player. He said, "David, some people find it difficult to do both." It wasn’t until I went to Juilliard that I started to get a picture of what it meant to be a professional actor.

For Juilliard, you have to audition with both Shakespeare and a contemporary piece of writing. What did you choose?

I did Romeo. "But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks…” And then I also did the opening monologue from a play called Zooman and the Sign, by Charles Fuller. My high school acting teacher—who is my longtime mentor and a very accomplished Black actor himself—said, “You’ll do Romeo, and they’ll fall in love with you, and then you’ll do a play written by a Black playwright for a Black character, and you’re going to confuse the hell out of them.” It worked pretty well.

Who makes you starstruck?

Alan Tudyk, who plays Robot Number 4 in Superman. He's a Juilliard alum and has played so many great characters. He is hilarious. His scene is one of my favorite parts of the movie. He improvised that line "Someday you'll give me a name." I was so glad that made it in, because we were sure it was not going to. When we got to that moment, I burst out laughing.

When you were growing up, who was your cinematic crush?

Natalie Portman in the Star Wars prequels. She was a pretty badass, amazing character played by a badass, amazing actress. But I didn’t have a poster of her on my wall. I had a poster of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. They’re my other cinematic crushes. Hot Fuzz is my favorite movie.

Are you more like a cat or a dog?

Everybody who knows me would say I'm more like a dog. I am loyal and cuddly and on the larger side. It’s hard to snuggle a cat. With a big dog, you can really wrap your arms around them. And you can wrap your arms around me, if you play your cards right.

Style Director: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Codirector: Frank Lebon. Director of photography: André Chemetoff. Hair by Jawara for L’Oréal Professional at Art Partner; makeup by Lauren Parsons for Sisley Paris at Art Partner; manicure by Jolene Brodeur for Dazzle Dry at the Wall Group. Set design by David White at Streeters.