It’s not unusual to have to train for a role as an actor, but what is it like going into Superman training? Tyler Hoechlin knows first hand.
With Superman and Lois having just premiered – and almost instantly renewed for a second season – it’s easy to forget that Hoechlin has actually occupied the role for nearly five years already. Hoechlin sat down with Men’s Journal for an interview and pointed out just how far back this went, saying, “This goes back to 2016. They’d just announced Superman was going to make an appearance on Supergirl. But the meeting was in fact for Superman.”
“They asked if I’d be interested, and I was. It was probably about a week later—I was on my way back from a road trip with my brother to Zion National Park in Utah—when I got the call saying I got it. I turned to my brother and said, ‘I think we have to stop in Vegas.’ We celebrated by sitting in a sportsbook catching the Warriors against the Cavaliers. My brother turned to me at one point and said, ‘So, are you Superman now?’ And I said, ‘I guess?’ It was a very surreal moment. It still feels surreal. But it’s been a joy and a privilege.”
When one lands the role of the Last Son of Krypton, however, there is a question you must immediately ask yourself, and that is what type of physique your version should have. “There are images that come to mind when you think of Superman, especially from the comics,” said Hoechlin. “This projection of strength. I wanted to look strong, but I also had to keep in mind he’s the Man of Steel. He isn’t the largest man in the world, or the bulkiest man in the world. There’s an energy there, and a power that comes from the sun. It’s not only the size of the man, the strength comes from within. I don’t have to actually look like I can throw a locomotive—and thank God, because I’m not sure what that would take.”
Hoechlin shares some of his workout regime in the interview as well with thoughts such as the incline chest press is one of the keys to getting that full Superman chest you think of for the costume. The interview is worth a look and gives you some insight to just how much thought he has given to the role.
