David Corenswet recalls James Gunn telling him to 'shut the f--- up' for asking too many questions on 'Superman' set

Yahoo

3 days ago

Just because James Gunn is the man who directed the Man of Steel, doesn't mean he has nerves of steel — a fact that David Corenswet's inquisitive nature tested a few times on set.
In an interview for GQ's latest cover story, Corenswet recalled how he and Gunn worked together to perfect their vision for the latest iteration of Clark Kent. The Superman lead shared how the filmmaker and new DC Studios co-head differs from most directors because he'll "sit back by the monitors on the God mic and he'll yell directions at you, which is not how directors generally work."
While some might be taken aback by that approach, Corenswet appreciated that Gunn was willing to say what he wanted out loud "without too much politeness and without beating around the bush."
"If I'm no good, tell me I'm no good, and then let's work together to make me good," he added.
Case in point: Although Gunn complimented Corenswet's eagerness to "help make the film as good as possible," he also admitted that the actor's eye for filmmaking started to wear on his nerves after a while.
"He said, 'I think you're also like a kid sticking his finger in light sockets and sometimes I gotta slap you on the wrist and say stop f---ing doing that,'" Corenswet recalled good-naturedly.
Gunn expanded on the sentiment to the publication himself, remembering that the Politician actor often asked questions that "make him better, and because they make him better, they make the movie better."
"But every once in a while, it's just one question too many, and it's like, 'Oh, my God, just, David, stop, stop, for a minute,'" Gunn continued, adding that the "beautiful thing" about his working relationship with Corenswet is how he understands the director's limits.
The director elaborated, "When I say, 'David, shut the f--- up,' David totally gets it and does not take that personally. And we have a really, to me, beautiful relationship in that way because I'm used to being very sensitive with actors, and you have to be by default, because many actors are incredibly sensitive because they're putting their emotions on the line onscreen. But with David, he's not that way. He's not sensitive like that."
Superman, in theaters Friday, marks the official theatrical launch of Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted DC Universe (DCU). Set three years into Clark Kent's tenure as the Man of Steel, the story follows the superhero's fight to balance his Kryptonian heritage with his upbringing in Smallville, Kan.; meanwhile, he's pulled into a personal battle with Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who, as Gunn told Entertainment Weekly, is driven by an obsessive need to outshine the superhero.
The cast is massive, but rather than slowly building the DCU hero by hero, Gunn drops audiences into a fully-formed world. Leading the way are Corenswet's Superman, Hoult's Lex Luthor, and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and they're backed by a sprawling ensemble of heroes, villains, and frequent Gunn collaborators.
Corenswet previously opened up to EW about his approach to Superman's personality and how closely it aligned with Gunn's take on the character.
"I had the same ideas about Superman, that he's quite reserved and has ultimate control over his emotions and his reactions to things," he shared. "I was very excited when James said all of that is true about Superman, but we get to meet him in this moment where those things are least true. That's where he's a little bit of Superman, he's a little bit of Clark — because the only other person in the room knows who he is and holds all the cards."He added, "It's harder in some ways to play Superman and then to do a great play or a dramatic film, because as an actor, you feel like the seriousness of the work somehow supports you. It allows the whole thing to feel more grounded. There is a unique challenge to playing a guy who wears his underwear on the outside and can fly. I think I had the great fortune of getting a little bit of both. I was definitely on team trunks-on-the-outside for this iteration of Superman, but I certainly felt James took the work very seriously."
Superman soars into theaters on July 11.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly