‘Superman’ Gets A Teary-Eyed Endorsement From Former Man Of Steel Brandon Routh: ‘’I Cried No Less Than Three Times’’
There is a story in which Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster walked up to Richard Donner after seeing his movie with tears in their eyes because of how perfect the interpretation was. Fast-forward 50 years, and James Gunn’s version has had the same effect on an ex-Superactor.
Brandon Routh, star of Superman Returns and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, has seen Superman and “really enjoyed it.” In fact, the film made him rather emotional. “It was a lot of fun,” he told Marc Malkin of Variety. “I really enjoyed it. I think David [Corenswet] is fantastic. I cried no less than three times.”
Routh added that his history gives him a unique perspective: “I see this in a different way. I come at it from a different perspective.” That perspective led him to conclude Superman’s strongest points were in the scenes between Clark and Lois, and in the dive into Clark’s family life overall.
“I really got into it as I’m watching him navigate those tricky Superman moments in the first conversation with Lois and Clark in the apartment. And then all of the family stuff for me really hit. It’s a big movie. There’s a lot in there. I have to go see it again,” he said.
Routh shared encouraging thoughts on where the DCU can go from here, saying, “I really am excited for the potential for the DC Universe. A successful launch with this is just good for everybody who wants more of what DC has to offer. There are a lot of great properties that can be explored.”
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Routh’s relationship with Warner Bros. has been contentious over the years, but he never frowned on DC. Years after Superman Returns, he came back to play Ray Palmer, The Atom, on The CW. He might find time for another round of DC material, but right now, he’s re-channeling his inner Dylan Dog to fight the type of alien threat that terrorized drive-in moviegoers.
In his new movie, Ick, Routh goes back to middle school (as a teacher) to battle a Blob, and see his age become a mean joke. “It was weird and a little bit humbling,” he said. “It’s a fun popcorn movie, but there’s layering there. Any good story has that.”
On what the horror symbolizes, Routh added. “I think [the Ick] can be the things we’re afraid to look at and address because we think they’re going to be icky. But the thing is, it just builds up. It just builds up and up and up and becomes a mask that you can’t control anymore because it’s taken over more of you.”
Ick opens this Friday, the same day as The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and while Superman is still showing.
NEXT: Brandon Routh Talks About The “Trauma Of Superman Returns” With Michael Rosenbaum
