Nicholas Hoult tells ‘Smallville”s Michael Rosenbaum his was the first Lex Luthor he’d ever watched

It was Lex Luthor x2 on a new edition of Michael Rosenbaum‘s Inside of You podcast when the Smallville veteran welcomed fellow actor Nicholas Hoult.

Rosenbaum played Lex Luthor on the CW’s Smallville, so it was only fitting he sat with Hoult, who will be playing the Man of Steel’s archnemesis in James Gunn‘s forthcoming Superman.

“The first ever Lex I saw was you,” Hoult shocked the host by saying. “I was like 11, 12, I guess? And so that was like the show that I would watch my first iterations of Superman, and Lex, and all those stories — so it’s kind of bizarre to be sitting across from you.”

Hoult noted he has since watched the others who played the character, but said, “You’re like the one,” adding he “loved” his fellow actor’s portrayal.

The chat was apparently recorded before Superman recently got underway on February 29, so Hoult still had his hair, which at one point he had been considering having his son shave for him.

Rosenbaum incidentally explained that the poster for 1978’s Superman that hangs over the guest chair was cheekily autographed by that movie’s villain Gene Hackman to “The second-best Lex Luthor.”

Rosenbaum recalled a conversation with Hackman, explaining, “Lex needs to be — he’s a cool guy, he’s complex, and James knows this more than I do.”

Hoult added he liked the “depth and charm” of Rosenbaum’s portrayal, and how his Luthor had “that ability to switch, which makes him dangerous and formidable and a great opponent.”

Superman flies into theaters July 11, 2025.