Lex Luthor came face to face with Lex Luthor whenNicholas HoultjoinedMichael Rosenbaumon hisInside of Youpodcast to discuss a number of topics. Hoult is set to star as Luthor in James Gunn’s newSupermanfilm, and that allowed the actors to chew the fat over their shared association with the Man of Steel’s shaven-headed adversary. But what Rosenbaum didn’t know was that he was the first Lex Luthor Hoult ever saw. Hoult said during his interview onInside of You with Michael Rosenbaum:
I grew up… I think the first ever Lex I saw was you […] And since [Smallville], I’ve like seen Richard Donner’s [Superman] movies, and kind of seen some of the other performances. But you’re like… the one.
Smallville
TheInside of Youpodcast host portrayed Lex Luthor for seven seasons onSmallville, and he returned for a few scenes in the series finale during Season 10. Elated, Rosenbaum then asked Hoult if he enjoyed his performance as Lex onSmallville, and the DCU’sSupermanactor immediately replied:
I love it. Are you kidding? It’s the best.
When the idea of appearing onInside of Youcame up, and he knew there would be an opportunity for the two actors to meet and discuss the Lex Luthor character, Hoult admitted to being a superstitious sort. And, at first, he worried meeting Rosenbaum would result in some sort of “bad juju.” In the end, though, Hoult and Rosenbaum had a revealing discussion about Superman’s bald villain.
Two Truly Bald Lex Luthors
His memory is a little foggy, but Nicholas Hoult was either 11 or 12 years old when he first sawSmallville. As such, Tom Welling’s Clark Kent and Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor were the first “iterations” of those DC Comic Book characters Hoult ever encountered. Clearly, his appearance on theInside of Youpodcast was shot beforeHoult shaved his head to play Lex. And Rosenbaum graciously offered to shave Hoult’s head for him, which the two laughed about. “Yeah, go on then,” Hoult joked.
Shaving his head wasn’t a new experience for the actor, as he’d done so to play the part of Nux inMad Max: Fury Roadback in 2015. And, as most fans probably expected, Hoult confirmed that he indeed would not wear a bald cap when he posed with his fellow collaborators for a photo followingthe firstSupermantable read. James Gunn shared an image on his Instagram account and wrote:
After the table read with the #Superman cast. Eve, Mr. Terrific, Superman/Clark, Otis, Lex, producer Peter Safran, Jimmy, Metamorpho, Lois, Hawkgirl, me, Guy, The Engineer all together for the first time! What a wonderful day.
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For those fans who may not have seen the photo, check out theSupermanteam of creatives below:
According to Hoult, he starts filmingSupermanat the end of March. The movie will hit theaters on August 08, 2025.
