|
|
Nicholas Hoult Talks Lex Luthor Role, Reveals New Images
Posted on May 15, 2025 by Neil Cole
It wasn't the role he auditioned for, but it may be the role he was destined to play.
When actor Nicholas Hoult ("Mad Max: Fury Road", "The Great") first read James Gunn's script for the highly anticipated Superman reboot, he was vying for the part of the titular Man of Steel. But a quiet voice inside told him otherwise.
"There was a tiny little inkling voice inside of me," Hoult tells Entertainment Weekly in a new "Summer Preview" interview. "I was like, 'Maybe you could do a good job with the Lex stuff.'"
That instinct proved prophetic. Although David Corenswet would ultimately don the cape as Clark Kent, Hoult soon got the call to play Superman's most iconic nemesis: Lex Luthor.
"I kind of let out what I would describe as an evil cackle," Hoult says of receiving the offer from Gunn. "Because instantly, when I was reading the script and all those instinctual reactions I'd had, I was like, 'Oh, you were right! That is the character you're better suited to in this story.'"
Hoult's Luthor promises to be a chilling new take on the classic villain. Inspired both by the legacy of comic book lore and modern tech billionaires, Hoult portrays Lex as a brilliant and obsessive figure - someone who believes he's earned his status, only to have it challenged by an alien demigod.
"Even, for me, physically in this, I wanted him to feel like he was as much alpha as possible," Hoult explains. "In his mind, he should be adored. And then this person, this superhuman, this alien has come along who all those things come naturally to... That gives him a deep, deep resentment."
Hoult shaved his head for the role - something he previously did for "Mad Max: Fury Road". This time, he let his young son Joaquin take the first buzz. "The thing that I remember mostly was my younger son got great pleasure out of slapping my head," he jokes.
James Gunn, writer-director and co-head of DC Studios, has described this version of Luthor as a "sorcerer of science" - a man whose technological prowess borders on magical. Hoult embraces that vision, describing Lex's creations as beyond comprehension. "The gadgets and tech he's working with are beyond those things that we can imagine," he says, teasing the film's jaw-dropping visuals and Luthor's arsenal of weaponry, including a mysterious revolver seen in trailers.
Ultimately, Hoult's Lex is a credible and relentless threat—exactly what Superman needs in an adversary.
"Superman's so powerful and unstoppable in many ways that you need to have a character that feels like, 'Okay, how is this person dangerous? How could this person potentially win and come out on top?'" Hoult reflects. "He's obsessive and determined and relentless, and there's a lot of emotion pushing through all of that in a way."
"Superman" flies into theaters nationwide on July 11, 2025.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
×
![]()
×
![]()
