He’s taken off the thick glasses and the dark blue newsman suit. He’s even shed the blue tights, the cape and the big red “S.” It’s time for the world to meet the man behind the new Superman: actor Brandon Routh, and Hollywood.com was there when he came down to earth for an in-depth interview.
Hollywood.com: How do you feel about playing such an iconic character? Was there any initial reluctance on your part to assume the role of Superman?
Brandon Routh: Not reluctance at all. It was a great mantle to be able to take on really, a great legacy. I mean, to finally see it—I just saw the final product yesterday as well—is really amazing. It’s great to be a part of something like this. The sphere of Superman is great to have around. I’m really excited to be a part of it and share in the legacy. I just saw the A&E documentary Look! Up In the Sky that Kevin Burns and Bryan [Singer] did. That showed me, again, the history that’s in this character.
HW: Were any of your acting choices conscious nods to Christopher Reeve?
BR: Well, he is my Superman. So as I’ve said, when I read the script for the first time I was envisioning him, because that’s who I envision Superman as. So there are definitely elements where I’m sure it looks a lot like him, and I’m probably channeling that energy, which is great and I’m proud to be a part of that. Then there are other times where it’s completely different. Everything that I do, pretty much—there is probably more old in my performance than new, because there is almost 70 years of history in the character and everyone who is watching it is seeing it through their vision. So they’re seeing what they want to see. They’re seeing as much of me as they want to see, and they’re seeing as much of someone else that they want.
HW: Your Superman seems somewhat more vulnerable than previous versions.
BR: Yeah. That has to do with the script. It allowed me to do that, which was fantastic because we really get to see the character mature and deal with some issues, some things that I think as an audience member really pull us in. I think that Superman’s journey is to become comfortable on Earth. Of course he has his role as Earth’s greatest protector, but he also wants to be as happy as he can, and if that happens to be with Lois he’s going to find a way. It might not be easy, but that’s the journey. So it was great to be able to play that. Other than that, I think that one thing is that with the flying we wanted to make it as graceful as possible. Of course that’s easier with the CGI element, but there are many shots that are really, really me and that’s some great stuff that I’m really proud of. So we wanted to make that as graceful as possible and just the movement of the character being very regal and having a great sense of power when moving, which is a difference between Superman and Clark as well.
HW: There’s a lot of silence in the film. Was that a challenge for you at all?
BR: Yes, and especially when flying because then I have an element of physicality while doing that. But one of the most amazing things that I got from the film, there is so much green screen that there are so many moments like that which really taught me how important it is to have an intention when flying or going somewhere, having an intention every time I’m moving. What am I doing, what am I going to save, how do I feel about that—rather than just going and having a blank stare because there is so much story there. Superman is a man of few words and there is so much that needs to be conveyed through just the image of my face on the screen.
HW: What kind of physical training did you do to become the Man of Steel?
BR: I was getting up at 4:30 in the morning. Here in Los Angeles with my trainer I did Rope Yoga which is sort of a mix between Pilates and yoga that my trainer designed, and that was to help me in the wires, to be able to be flexible and endure the long hours and keep a streamlined position and all of these things and create a very strong abdomen and core section because it’s all about core based training. We lifted weights as well in an effort to train my body to then be able to lift heavier weights when I got to Australia. So that was the first couple of months, and then once in Australia I really hit the weights hard. When we did bench we would do escalating weights, and then I would compete with my trainer, who is about the same size as I was. He’s an inch taller than I am, but then we would see who could do the last set as many times, I think, pushing up like a hundred sixty pounds. Doing that as much as we could to exhaustion. That was our big battle. I think that I beat him more than I lost on that one.
HW: And what about your diet?
BR: A lot of vegetables. Mostly that was the biggest change that I did. I think that I ate quite a bit of protein, too. That was part of it. I had some great supplements from my nutritionists.
HW: You’re 6’3”–what did you weigh when you were at your peak Superman form?
BR: 220lbs. 218lbs at my heaviest. I weigh 211-212lbs. now. Not that much of a difference–I’m lifting a little bit to stay fit, but I’m nowhere near the shear amount of what I was doing. If we’re doing another one I would certainly go back into the gym.
HW: Your eyes are brown in real life, so getting Superman’s steely blue eyes was another transformation you needed to undergo. CGI or contacts?
BR: I wore contacts. Blue prescription contacts, because I wear contacts myself—which were a little bit infuriating sometimes because they were painted and so there was some weight around them so sometimes when I would blink they would shift. They’re better than the full eye ones. I didn’t wear those, but I’ve heard stories about those. But I think that they probably had to go and do some retouching on those.
HW: Was there something about being Superman that you really loved doing, that really stood out for you?
BR: There are many. I don’t know that I can talk about all of them yet. I mean, you’ve seen them, but there are some heartfelt moments on New Krypton, and everything that happens there, testing the limits of Superman’s abilities. Even though we know that he’s Earth’s greatest protector, he really has to prove it and so those are some powerful moments for me. Finding that within myself and being able to kind of live that for those scenes was really fantastic.
HW: We’ve been told that you and Kevin Spacey enjoyed adversarial moments on set—it seems he enjoyed dragging a Superman doll around behind his golf cart?
BR: Yeah, he did do that, which actually kind of paid off when we came to do that scene, because I had sense of Lex’s evilness even though we had no history, because he was showing that to me—it was just him having fun. We don’t have too much together in the film, and so when we finally come together it means something. So there was always a little bit of us playing the characters—bad guy and good guy.
HW: What did you take away from this experience, and specifically from Bryan Singer?
BR: Wow. I’ve taken a lot of things. I knew that patience was important, but just being able to be open—open to all of the possibilities of what’s going to be out there, and creatively to listen to people. That’s very important because I think that I have my own way and I’m very certain in my way, but to be able to listen to what Bryan has to say or anyone that has a piece of information that’s very helpful. This is a hugely collaborative process and we’re all creating things together, and I’m very open to that now. From Bryan it’s kind of a similar thing. It’s being able to change on a whim, for instance, when a shot wasn’t working for him. He would alter something because it wasn’t working, even though he created an animatic to do it one way and all of that stuff, he’d just be like, “Okay. Let’s just do something else.” As an actor, being able to do that has paid dividends for me, too, because I really do become stuck in how I think it’s going to happen, because I practice it or rehearse it one way. But then to be able to go, “Well, what about this way?”—that opens up a whole new level of exploration.
HW: Are you prepared for what’s going to happen to your career and your personal life—down to being pursued by the paparazzi—after this movie comes out?
BR: I think so. I’ve said before that I’m prepared to be prepared and I think that remains the same. There is no way to really know what it’s going to feel like. I think that for each individual it’s different. I don’t think that we’re going to have that problem, but as far as the paparazzi and so on, I will deal with that as it comes. If I become defensive and upset, right away that’s going to adversely effect how I deal with it and they’re probably not going to be good press for me—and then bad pictures, because I’ll be angry. So just be open and pleasant. But as far as all of that, I think that it’ll be amazing where I find myself years from now because of this film. It’s amazing to know that everyone is going to know this film, and because of that, know me as well.
HW: What’s next for you? Are you taking time off or actively looking for something else to do?
BR: This has opened up a lot of doors. I’ve met with a lot of people and very soon I’m going to be making a choice. I’m kind of looking for something with a lot less action and more talking and listening now. I also have a film that’s premiering at CineVegas Film Festival. It’s a short film directed by Joel Kelly, which is called Denial. It’s 35 millimeter and it’s a story about a man’s struggle to choose between the woman of his dreams and his reality. So it’s definitely different than Superman. I’m really proud of that.
HW: You used to work at the Lucky Strike bowling alley at Hollywood & Highland when you were an unknown actor. Have you gone back there at all, now that you’ve gotten your “big break?”
BR: I was actually just there the other day for an MTV special that they’re doing. So yeah, it’s the same and it’s great to see it again and see some of my friends that are there.
HW: Prior to this film, have you been a comic book reader or a fanboy yourself?
BR: I am. Comics, I was never as big a fan as I could’ve been, I suppose, but I’m definitely a fan of science fiction fantasy. My interests were in fantasy more than in comics growing up: books, games, that kind of thing.
HW: Your likeness is plastered over every kind of merchandising tie-in. Is there a Superman toy out now that you wish you had when you were a little kid?
BR: That flying one. I haven’t seen it, but there is a flying one and that seems pretty cool. I never had a flying remote control airplane. I had those little gliders all the time. That would’ve been really cool.
