'Superman' star Nicholas Hoult opens up about taking inspiration for Lex Luthor

Golden Globe nominee Nicholas Hoult will be impressing audience with his baddie role as Lex Luthor in the upcoming Superman film.

The popular DC villain has been played by multiple actors in the past including Gene Hackman, Jesse Eisenberg, Jon Cryer, Kevin Spacey, Michael Rosenbum and others.

Hoult is going to step into the shoes of the antagonist for the first time in James Gunn directorial film starring David Corenswet in the lead role.

While talking about his preparation for the character, the 35-year-old revealed that he rewatched previous portrayals by other stars, while mentioning that Gene’s depiction was his all time favourite.

He told Empire Magazine, “Gene's one of my all-time faves, just as an actor in general. I went back and watched Gene.”

"And Michael Rosenbaum, who was the first Lex I saw, growing up watching Smallville”, continued Nicholas.

The Nosferatu actor opened that he found it fun to take inspiration from the previous actors, who have played the role before.

“It's interesting when you play a character that's been played before - you're working from a different script, but it's fun to draw inspiration from all of those places."

Gunn’s directed Superman is slated to release on July 11, 2025.