Actor David Corenswet says taking on Superman felt “like something that everybody would want, and that’s not true,” stressing the pressure that comes with inheriting cinema’s most recognisable cape in a new GQ Hype cover story published today. The interview arrives a week before James Gunn’s Superman opens worldwide on 11 July, marking the first chapter of the rebooted DC Universe.
Corenswet describes an intense physical overhaul—adding roughly 40 lbs in parallel with his wife’s pregnancy—joking that both “gained the same weight for very different reasons.” Even so, the muscle came at a cost: the final suit fitting felt “claustrophobic,” forcing him to master movements inside a Lycra shell that zipped everywhere except where it was most convenient. He credits those constraints with helping him embody a hero who, in this iteration, carries emotional restraint alongside Kryptonian strength.
Filming wrapped in late June after six weeks on location in Cleveland, a city that seized the spotlight with a local tourism campaign and skyline-centric poster celebrating Superman’s Ohio roots. Director Gunn later told reporters he “had the greatest time in Cleveland,” praising residents for turning downtown into Metropolis with minimal fuss. Away from set, Gunn has played down speculation that the film must soar past $700 million to be judged a success, calling such figures “complete and utter nonsense.”
While Corenswet shoulders the expectations, the ensemble around him is equally high-profile: Rachel Brosnahan notes that Lois Lane “feels the closest to myself I’ve ever played,” a prospect she admits is both thrilling and intimidating.
Nicholas Hoult, meanwhile, found inspiration for Lex Luthor in comics that portray the villain as a peak human determined to outshine an alien saviour. Gunn maintains the story’s heart lies in presenting kindness as a radical act; for him, a brightly hopeful Superman—complete with Krypto, robots and space battles—offers “the most rebellious thing you can be in this day and age.”
