David Corenswet Refrains From Using “The American Way” In Reference To Superman’s Values, Says There’s A Third Side To The Hero In The Film: “We Haven’t Figured Out What To Call Him Yet”
New Man of Steel David Corenswet is following the lead of James Gunn and their film’s marketing by avoiding the use of “The American Way” when discussing Superman’s values. This became clear in an interview he had with CBS Sunday Morning.
Reacting to criticism of the recently released scene where Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) interviews Superman through Clark, Corenswet said, “And so that scene, I think, is the crux of that character that we see. And the reality is that when he doesn’t have to be Superman, when he doesn’t have to be this calm, reassuring presence to the public, when he doesn’t have to symbolize safety and security and truth and justice and all those good things, he still feels those values.”
So it’s not Truth, Justice, and the American Way, or even A Better Tomorrow, or the human way (whatever that means); it’s truth, justice, and good things, which is an equally nebulous idea. Still, Corenswet explains how these things shape his Clark Kent in Gunn’s Superman, and make him more human this time, complete with imperfections and complex emotions.
“But just like when a firefighter comes home, or a paramedic comes home, they might get frustrated, or they might panic about something – where in the course of doing their job, they would never let themselves panic or yell or raise their voice or convey that kind of instability or uncertainty,” the actor said (via Cosmic Book News).
He added, “With Lois alone – even though they are technically recording (that’s part of the scene, that he keeps kind of forgetting that he’s on the record) – at this point it becomes just between him and Lois. You’re able to see not his anger at Lois, but his frustration with the perspective that she’s representing, and his passion about how certain he is that he’s doing the right thing.”
Corenswet says his Superman/Clark balances more identities than just his heroic persona and his civilian one. There’s also a third one to consider in the DCU, a synthesis of the two, which is only known to his closest allies, family, and loved ones – that being Lois and Ma and Pa Kent.
“We haven’t figured out what to call him yet, whether it’s Kal or Clark, but rather than thinking about one – either Superman or Clark Kent – as the real one and the other as the alter ego (which you can go back and forth on), there’s a third, truer version of him, which is the version of him when he’s with somebody who knows that he’s both,” he said.
“So in our version, that’s Ma Kent, who knows that he’s Superman and knows that he’s Clark and grew up with him. You know, he grew up with them, and Lois Lane, who knows that he’s both of these characters, and she interacts with him as a journalist – as Superman – and she interacts with him as a colleague – as Clark Kent. And so she sees these characters, and she’s one of the only people who gets to see him when he’s not playing either character, and he’s a little bit of both,” he continued.
There’s quite a bit to unpack here. While I don’t think Corenswet is trying to say his Superman is schizophrenic, at least some fans and readers will draw that conclusion. Moreover, that probably won’t assuage any fears that his portrayal comes across as unreasonably triggered and whiny, which, conversely, isn’t to say a Big Blue Boy Scout is above righteous indignation.
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