Nicholas Hoult plays Lex Luthor, Superman’s iconic nemesis, in James Gunn’s Superman, that swoops into cinemas on July 11. In an India-exclusive chat, the British actor — who has notable credits in big, blockbuster Hollywood — spoke to t2 over a video call on what went into playing the supervillain, opposite David Corenswet’s Superman. DYK: Hoult had initially auditioned to play Superman in the same film!

Through the ages, Lex Luthor has been looked upon as a villain, but there also have been those who argue that he is an anti-hero driven by his own vision of what he feels a better world should be like. Which side of the divide have you been on and did that change once you played him?

He is obviously a supervillain and you want him to be imposing, threatening, dangerous and morally corrupt. But he also comes in with his ideology and the belief that he is right in what he is trying to achieve and potentially perceiving himself as a sort of hero-like figure for humanity, helping to determine their fate and protect them. He is obviously manipulative and horrible in many ways, but for me, it was never about setting out to play a villain. It is always said that you are the hero of your own story, and Lex definitely thinks like that about himself.

At the same time, audiences want to see him as the bad guy, as the opposing force to the hero of the movie, which is Superman. It was wonderful to create the two sides of Lex with James (Gunn, director) because he is a wonderful writer. You see the different elements of the character and the machinations of how he is working and operating in this fully imagined world that he has created. We get to see different sides of his personality. It is fun when you can take a character that people would hate and sometimes subvert expectations and see where that character can go. Maybe make them go: ‘Oh, did I kind of like him in that moment?’ or ‘Is that funny? I don’t know’. That is a sweet spot if you can get to it.

You auditioned to play Superman and ended up snagging the part of Lex Luthor. How did that happen?

I must have done something very evil in my interpretation of Superman! (Laughs) First of all, it (the audition) was a wonderful experience because I got to work with James. And honestly, when he called me and asked me to play Lex, I let out an evil chuckle! Actually, when I first read the script and I knew I was going to go and read for Superman, I also went through Lex’s lines and thought: ‘Maybe I could do a good job as Lex’. But I buried that thought and told myself: ‘No, no, don’t get distracted’. When I was asked to play Lex Luthor, it was a kind of relief to realise that my instincts were right. I felt everything had aligned as it should.

Also, at the screen test, I met David (Corenswet, who plays Superman) for the first time. I walked over to say ‘hello’ and told myself: ‘Wow, I want that guy to be Superman!’ It is not just about how he looks but also about everything he encompasses in his person and the kindness and warmth that he has. All of those, for me, just made the perfect Superman. I was like: ‘Oh, my kids are going to get to grow up with him as Superman... that is amazing!’

What went into getting the look of Lex Luthor right?

I have shaved my head before. It feels a little bit strange for a while — you can feel the wind blowing on your head, and it is quite sensitive at first — but then I get to the point of enjoying it eventually. It is more of a shock for other people to get used to it (smiles).

The make-up team on Superman was brilliant. I would read the comics and go in and tell them: ‘See how his (Lex) face looks here... what can we subtly do to my face and make it look like this?’ I would tell them that this is the kind of Lex I wanted to play, and magically, through tiny little bits of shading and this and that, they would be able to do it.

Judianna (Makovsky), the costume designer, gave me impeccable suits that drew inspiration from the comics. The moment I put them on, it felt honest and real. They are a slight nod to colours from the comics or things that feel very Luthor in terms of drawing from his history as a character. I hope all these elements — with the research and the accent — finally culminate in an authentic experience for the audience.

You have played a lot of American characters. But what was it like, as a British actor, to play an iconic supervillain in an as-American-as-it-gets film like Superman?

‘Truth, Justice, and the American Way’ is a well-known saying associated with Superman and there is something interesting about playing the villain opposite that, especially when one is not an American. But early on in the film, when I was speaking to James, he told me: ‘Maybe, Lex is English’. But then when you go through the comics and subsequently think logically, then you realise that he has to be American.

He is based out of Metropolis, an American city, and he has been an integral part of that world and culture. It is the centre and the forefront of capitalism in some ways and Lex is very much a subscriber to that.

What are your fondest memories from this set?

One day, they were getting David on wires so that he could ‘fly’ into the set that we were on. I remember looking at it and thinking that this is cinema history but also magic. As a kid, seeing this kind of stuff would make me go ‘wow’. And so to be able to be on the front row, so to speak, and to witness this in person was amazing. I had a kind of dumb grin on my face and I turned around to see 50 other people in the room who were also all in awe watching David in the suit, flying.

Lex Luthor is one of the smartest out there but he is not a physical threat to Superman. How did you prepare to be more of a mental nemesis to Superman than a physical one?

There was a comic — I think it was All-Star Superman — where there is a scene between Lex and Clark (Kent, aka Superman). Lex is working out, he makes Clark touch his muscles and he says: ‘See, these are real muscles, this is hard work’. That is partly what Lex represents... the hard work he has put into building his company. Though he doesn’t have any superpowers, Lex is physically imposing, strong and a threat.

For this film, I trained and got the biggest and strongest I have ever been because I didn’t want Lex to feel that he can’t take Superman on just because he doesn’t have any superpowers himself.

I also read quite a bit. Like Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (which focuses on stoicism), The 48 Laws of Power (by Robert Greene) and a little bit of the history of the world.

James also had a part of the musical score ready before we started shooting. I would listen to the theme over and over again and get that into my head. Not that I based the character on Elon (Musk) at all, but I did listen to his book (by Walter Isaacson) to understand what it feels like to be a pioneer of tech and science. So there is a mix of things that has gone into the melting pot and will hopefully make it feel that Lex is a real person.