Nicholas Hoult is set to impress fans with his baddie role as Lex Luthor in the upcoming James Gunn-directed film, ‘Superman‘. But who inspired his villainous performance? In a recent interview with Empire magazine, Hoult revealed that he looked up to Gene Hackman and Michael Rosenbaum for inspiration before playing the iconic villain opposite David Corenswet’s Superman.
After he bagged a role in James Gunn’s directorial project, he rewatched Gene’s portrayal of Lex Luthor in the Christopher Reeve-starring film trilogy – ‘Superman‘, ‘Superman II‘, and ‘Superman IV: The Quest for Peace‘, and Rosenbaum’s performance in the TV show ‘Smallville‘.
“Gene’s one of my all-time faves, just as an actor in general. I went back and watched Gene. And Michael Rosenbaum, who was the first Lex I saw, growing up watching Smallville. It’s interesting when you play a character that’s been played before and draws inspiration from all of those places,” Hoult said.
A new official still of NICHOLAS HOULT as LEX LUTHOR
Via @empiremagazine pic.twitter.com/w9sUfm3AlM
— DCU Updates (@DCU_Updates) June 2, 2025
Who else played the iconic villain? Apart from Hackman and Rosenbaum, Lex was also played by Kevin Spacey in ‘Superman Returns‘ and Jesse Eisenberg in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice‘ and ‘Justice League‘.
About ‘Superman’: In the upcoming film, Superman embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.
Cast: ‘Superman‘ stars David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, Nicholas as Lex Luthor, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Isabel Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.
Release date: The James Gunn-directed film will be released in the UAE on July 11, 2025.
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