Nicholas Hoult is stepping into some big villainous shoes as he takes on the role of Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman.
Speaking to Empire, Hoult shared his thoughts on following in the footsteps of past Luthors and teased how far he’s willing to go in portraying the iconic character.
Inspired by Hackman and Rosenbaum
Hoult says he drew inspiration from Gene Hackman, who played Luthor in the original Superman films, and Michael Rosenbaum, who portrayed the character for a decade on Smallville, which was Hoult’s introduction to Lex as a kid.
“Gene’s one of my all-time faves, just as an actor in general. I went back and watched Gene,” Hoult told Empire. “And Michael Rosenbaum, who was the first Lex I saw, growing up watching Smallville.”
While Superman will feature a new script and a fresh version of the character, Hoult made it clear that he’s channeling elements of those past performances as inspiration, but with his own twist.
“It’s interesting when you play a character that’s been played before — you’re working from a different script, but it’s fun to draw inspiration from all of those places,” he said.
“Darker and Stranger”
Hoult also hinted that his version of Lex will take a more unhinged route than we’ve seen in recent years.
“I’m gonna keep getting darker and stranger until people are like, ‘No!! Too far!’” he laughed.
He sees his current career phase — in his mid-thirties — as the perfect time to dig into more complex and intense roles.
“I don’t have a master plan. [But] it seems like a lot of the performances that I grew up loving, or specifically when actors would go on runs of things, [it] seemed to be in their thirties and forties. So I’ve always been excited about this period of my career,” he explained.
What to Expect
James Gunn’s Superman stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Hoult as the villainous Lex. It’s said to launch the new DCU under Gunn and Peter Safran, with a tone that blends optimism and grounded realism.
Superman flies into theaters on July 11, 2025.
