Before he became the newest Lex Luthor inJames Gunn’sSuperman,Nicholas Houltwas in serious contention to wear the cape and cowl. But despite multiple auditions forThe Batmanand later forSuperman, Hoult says he ultimately landed exactly where he was supposed to — on the other side of the conflict. Collider’sRoss Bonaimejoined a group of reporters on the set ofSupermanlast year, where Hoult opened up about the winding road to the DCU, howthe role of Lex Luthorseemed to find him, and why his instincts were right all along.
Hoult revealed that he initially read forBruce Wayne inThe Batmanand later for Clark Kent in Gunn’s film. But even during the audition process,he had a gut feeling that Lex might be the better fit. Though he buried the thought at the time to avoid second-guessing the casting process, it stayed with him — and was validated when Gunn eventually offered him the role of Superman’s most iconic enemy. He told the press:
“Yeah. It’s no secret that I read for Matt Reeves' movie and for this one with James. AndI feel very fortunate the way things played out,to be honest with you. I thought The Batman was brilliant and Rob was perfect casting for that and, [it felt fortunate] how this came together as well. I’ve been a fan of James' work for a long time before this, and reading the script… it was funny. I knew I was going in, technically, to read for Superman, but I had a funny little itch or inkling a couple of times, reading the script, where I looked at a scene and I was like, ‘Maybe you’d be good at Lex.’
But obviously also it was like, ‘Bury that thought.’ And then even the first time talking to James specifically about this, he mentioned Lex, and I was like, ‘Should I say something about that feeling that I had?’ And then I was like, ‘No, no, no, don’t say that, because that will then cloud, maybe, the judgment of whatever else going forward when you go and do the reading for Superman.’ So, when he called me to be like, ‘Hey, I think Lex is where I want you to be,’ I think I laughed — kind of in a villainous, maniacal way, to be honest with you. I was like, ‘Huh. Your instincts were kind of right and you should have listened to them,’ which is something that I guess I’ve got to work on in life, because sometimes you hear that little voice and you go, ‘No.'”
He called the casting “very fortuitous,” noting thatThe Batmanturned out brilliantly withRobert Pattinson, and that this version of Lex — grounded, intense, and slightly unhinged — felt tailor-made for him. Hoult explained, “Ultimately, it was very fortuitous, andit feels like everything aligned in the right way.I’m also just thrilled to be part of what James, Peter, and everyone at DC and Warners are developing because I feel like he’s just a singular storyteller and filmmaker. To have his voice and their approach in this world is going to be very special and unique, I think.”
How Is Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor Different?
Hoult isn’t interested in playing a mustache-twirling cartoon villain.His version of Lexis a driven tech billionaire with real fears about Superman’s unchecked power. He’s motivated not by ego or greed, but by what he sees as a legitimate threat to humanity’s autonomy. Hoult explained:
“What he’s wary of with what Superman represents is something that could be a real danger and threat. It’s his beliefs and almost his love of humanity… that they should be masters of their own fate and destiny.”
Hoult sees his Lex as aman of extreme intelligenceand emotional volatility — someone who understands too much and struggles to maintain control of it. He even suggested that Lex’s intellect might be the very thing that drives him mad. “The smartest people are often the ones who see the most and understand the most,” he said. “They’re more likely to be driven insane by the world… and I feel that is somewhat how I view Lex and his mind.”
