Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor in Smallville. Photo copyright of The CW.
In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, Michael Rosenbaum talks about playing the bald baddie Lex Luthor in Smallville.
The first thing most actors usually do when they show up at the studio is change into their working garb and then go to make-up. That’s not the case with Michael Rosenbaum, who plays the enigmatic Lex Luthor on Smallville. “Every day I come in an hour-and-a-half before everyone else to have my head shaved,” says the actor. “Doing that for more than half a season so far has definitely been hard. At times, my head actually hurts,” he jokes. “To top it off, it has to be covered with make-up because my hair grows fast, which is a good thing. You know what, though, I really don’t mind not having hair. If that’s the worst thing I ever have to put up with as an actor then I’m one heck of a lucky guy.”
Rosenbaum’s bald alter ego has certainly been a hit with the show’s fans. The actor’s portrayal of Lex Luthor is unlike any audiences have seen before. In the Superman comic books, and later in the movies and on TV, Lex was a villain and The Man of Steel’s archenemy. Smallville takes place long before that. It is the story of a young Clark Kent (Tom Welling), who is trying to cope with life as an adolescent as well as his super gifts while growing up in Smallville. His circle of friends includes Lex Luthor, son of businessman Lionel Luthor (John Glover), owner and founder of LuthorCorp. Having lost his hair from exposure to a meteor shower when he was a young boy, Lex returns to Smallville after college to help revitalize his family’s struggling fertilizer plant. It is an accident that leads to his and Clark’s friendship, but neither of them knows what fate has in store for them. Rosenbaum, too, did not know what the future held for him when he was first approached about the role of Lex.
“I’d been in two TV series prior to Smallville, both of which were sitcoms, The Tom Show and Zoe. Duncan, Jack and Jane,” notes Rosenbaum. “They were a lot of fun to do but, unfortunately, they just didn’t click with the American public. However, my work on both programmes apparently gained me some fans at the WB Network, because not long after they asked me if I’d like to do a pilot, which I did. It wasn’t picked up, but lo and behold about five months later I got a call from the people at the network and they said, ‘We’re interested in you for a new show called Smallville.’ I asked, ‘What’s Smallville?’ When they told me it was a series about Superman and Lex Luthor I thought, ‘As great as that sounds I’m not sure I want to do it.’
“When you talk about Superman and Lex Luthor you’ve got to be careful,” continues the actor. “There’s the potential to end up with a show that’s hokey and looks cheesy, and I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case with Smallville. When I read the script I was relieved as well as pleasantly surprised. The character of Lex had some real depth and the story was set at a time before he turned evil and before Clark Kent became Superman. It was about the journey that these two guys take, and I liked that. Also, the script made sense and the dialogue was natural. So I went in and met with [executive producers] Mike Tollin and Joe Davola. They told me what they wanted to see in Lex and that’s what I tried to give them. I guess it’s what they were looking for and I was fortunate enough to get the role.”
Born in New York and raised in Indiana, Rosenbaum once dreamt about performing not in front of a camera but on the ice. “I really wanted to be a hockey player,” he recalls. “I loveice hockey and play it whenever I can. A good friend of mine, Chris Pronger, is a member of the NHL. He’s captain of the St. Louis Blues and is one of the best players in the league. I live vicariously through him,” laughs the actor. “To be honest, I get more star-struck meeting hockey players than I do people in the entertainment industry.
“During college I did a public access TV show and was a DJ on the campus radio station. So I also considered a career as a DJ or sports announcer. My mind is constantly moving. I write and I play music. It’s never enough for me. I’ve always got to keep myself entertained, you know? There are so many things I’d like to do but I’m very happy I became an actor.”
Rosenbaum performed on stage in a number of school productions while earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre and communications from Western Kentucky University. After graduating, the actor moved to New York City where he appeared in several off-Broadway productions and small independent feature films. He also became a regular on The Conan O’Brien Show in a sketch comedy called The Amsterdam Kids. His big professional break, however, came with his role as George Tucker in the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, directed by Clint Eastwood.
“I had one big ten-minute scene and I had to cry,” he says. “It was my first day ever on a set and I had to stand in front of John Cusack and Clint Eastwood and cry. I’ll never forget it. Clint was wonderful to work with and so supportive. He made me feel really comfortable and it ended up being a terrific experience.”
Sweet November and Urban Legend are some of the actor’s other big screen credits. He has also lent his vocal talents to such animated TV projects as The Wild Thornberrys, Batman Beyond and most recently The Cartoon Network’s Justice League, for which he voices the character of Wally West a.k.a. the Flash. Not long after he was hired for Smallville, Rosenbaum was also cast in the film Sorority Boys. He juggled a busy schedule and flew back and forth between Vancouver and Los Angeles in order to work on both projects.
Lex Luthor makes an eye-popping debut in Smallville when the Porsche he is driving accidentally hits Clark Kent. The car along with Clark crash through the side of a bridge and fall into the river below. The super-teen is unscathed and pulls Lex free from the mass of metal. Lex later helps Clark when he ends up the target of an especially cruel high school prank. They strike up a friendship and as they get to know each other become curious about the secrets each other is hiding. The Smallville pilot proved a success with audiences and the show has since continued to soar in the ratings.
“It’s amazing to all of us just how popular the series has become, and in such a short time,” enthuses Rosenbaum. “We’ve been on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and TV Guide, but the biggest thing for me was Mad magazine. I mean, imagine Lex Luthor as Alfred E. Newman. That totally blew my mind. My mother, on the other hand, was like, ‘You’re on Rolling Stone,’ and I said, ‘Yes, I know, but I’m also in Mad Magazine!’ I had no idea the show would become as big as it has. The first time I had an inkling of this was one day when I went into the studio to re-record some dialogue. The director of the pilot, David Nutter, who is just wonderful, said to me, ‘Hey, I want to show you the opening of the show.’ I watched it and I left there so excited. I called my family and friends and said, ‘Mom, Dad, Matt, Tom, this is it.’ They asked, ‘What do you mean?’ I’d worked on some good projects before but there’s something a different about Smallville. I said, ‘This show is going to catch peoples’ attention,’ but, again, I didn’t know just how much. It’s been a blessing in disguise.”
One of the main draws for Smallville fans is watching the friendship that is developing between Clark and Lex. Although they come from different worlds – literally – both characters actually have quite a bit in common. This is especially true with regard to hiding their real selves from others. Their friendship has had its share of twists and turns, which has only helped strengthen it. “That’s what friendship is all about,” says Rosenbaum. “You’re constantly working at it. There’s the occasional struggle and along the way you’ve got to earn each other’s trust. This is what’s happening with Clark and Lex.” According to the actor, playing Clark’s on-screen friend is much easier thanks to his off-screen rapport with the show’s leading man Tom Welling.
“Tom and I get along very well. He’s relatively new to the business but he works really hard and has so much ambition. We have a great deal of respect for each other and are here to support one another. That goes for the rest of the cast. There’s a great atmosphere on the set. We’re all here for the same reason, which is to make the best TV show possible and have fun doing it. Unfortunately, on some sets that’s not always true. Sometimes you’ll be working on a show and things don’t click because so-and-so wants to be a star and feels they’re too good for the show. That’s not conducive to good film-making. Thankfully, that’s not the case on Smallville.”
The actor is equally generous with praise when it comes to the show’s producers and writers. He appreciates all the time and effort they have put into fleshing out Lex Luthor. “My character gets stronger and stronger with each story as the writers continue to reveal new little nuances about him,” he says. “For example, Lex’s relationship with his father is growing increasingly distant and complex. There’s an episode where Lex finds out that Lionel slept with his girlfriend and never confronts him about it. In that scene you don’t know what he’s thinking. Will he get even with his father? Who knows?
“Lex is determined not the make the same mistakes his father did. Because of this, he will be butting heads more and more with Lionel and there’ll be a time when he’ll finally tell his father, ‘Look, you don’t want to mess with me.’ So fans can expect to see some major turning points coming up for my character as we head towards the season finale. The script we’re about to start filming deals with the fact that most people show Lex very little respect. It’s always, ‘Oh, that Lex Luthor, his father did this and that, and deep down he’s a terrible person.’ Lex really wants to earn the respect of Mr. Kent [John Schneider] and in this episode there’s a glimmer of that respect when Clark’s father comes away from the situation thinking, ‘Hey, Lex isn’t so bad after all.’ I’ve been dying for that to happen and the writers were already way ahead of me. We talk all the time about the show. They’ve very approachable and I’m grateful for that. I don’t want Lex to become evil too soon and neither do they. They want to see the all characters slowly develop and I couldn’t agree more.”
Although this is not his first time as a series regular, Rosenbaum finds the challenges associated with Smallville to be somewhat different from some of his past endeavours. “In the episode I just talked about there’s a scene in which I have to box,” explains the actor. “So I had to learn the basics of boxing in four or five hours. In the pilot, you see Lex fencing, so I took fencing lessons. I’m a perfectionist. For me, it’s important that people who are watching the show see these scenes and say, ‘Hey, it looks like he really knows how to box and/or fence – at least a little.’ I’m all about believability. I enjoy challenging myself in that way. I also like to memorize all my dialogue down to the letter so I can then play around with it and try to make it my own. That’s sometimes tough to do especially if you’ve just worked a 15-hour day and have an early call the next morning. You can’t let that get in the way, though, because it’ll eventually affect your performance.”
Besides Smallville, the actor recently starred in the aforementioned film Sorority Boys. He can also be seen playing pool hustler/musician Danny Doyle in the new independent feature Pool Hall Junkies. Given Smallville’s popularity it is likely that Rosenbaum will be having his head shaved for quite some time to come, but he’s not complaining.
“I get to work with a cast and crew that’s a real family. I also get to do fun things like fencing and boxing, and drive cars such as a Lamborghini or a Ferrari on the show. Most of all, though, I get to play Lex Luthor. How cool is that?”
Steve Eramo
As noted above, photo copyright of The CW, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
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