In movies, actors including Henry Cavill, Brandon Routh, and the late Christopher Reeve have portrayed Superman, known for his extraordinary powers and as a protector of humankind.
On TV, actors Dean Cain and Tom Welling are a few who held the role of Clark Kent and his superhero alter ego.
While these actors’ works have received praise and criticism, the popular DC Comics character is generally considered a superhero that others admire.
However, Jacob Elordi recently revealed he turned a potential role as the comic book character.
Elordi, known for appearing in HBO’s Euphoria, admitted in an interview that he didn’t want to be involved in the “too dark” role.
As one might expect, that brought strong reactions from people who took to social media to call out the actor’s remarks.
Jacob Elordi turned down Superman
Australian heartthrob Jacob Elordi first appeared in Netflix’s The Kissing Booth, which became a trilogy of films. As of 2019, he’s been part of the popular HBO series Euphoria, featuring stars Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and Maude Apatow.
The show finished airing a second season last year, with a third to premiere in 2025. Elordi portrays Nate Jacobs — a nefarious character prone to violence, abuse, and blackmail.
That is why it probably surprised more than a few people when Elordi spoke about turning down the role of Superman in a GQ interview.
“Well, they asked me to read for Superman. That was immediately, ‘No, thank you.’ That’s too much. That’s too dark for me,” Elordi said.
While Elordi also said he enjoyed Christoper Nolan’s The Dark Knight, starring Heath Ledger and Christian Bale, those roles aren’t for him.
“Not particularly, no. I’ve always been told to say a rounded answer or my agent will get mad at me. ‘Anything can happen!’ ” he said.
“And obviously anything can happen, but at this stage in my life, I don’t see myself having any interest in that. I like to make what I would watch, and I get very restless watching those movies,” Elordi shared.
DC Comics’ Superman is generally considered a respectable superhero protecting humankind in comics, TV, and films. That theme continued somewhat into Zack Snyder’s movies, but they became darker than the previous portrayals of the character by Reeve and Routh.
Fans react to Elordi turning down superhero role
On Twitter, multiple commenters shared their reactions to learning that Elordi called Superman “too dark.”
“Zack Snyder you will pay with your life for ruining the public’s perception of superman,” one commenter joked.
Snyder directed Cavill in several films where he played the superhero: Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League.
Several fans brought up the irony that Elordi’s Euphoria character is dark, yet he called Superman “too dark” for his acting tastes.
“Mind you this the dude that plays Nate talking about Superman being too dark,” another individual wrote.
One commenter said that Superman is “like the Boy Scout of superhero’s,” while another suggested it might be due to Elordi watching one of Zack Snyder’s films featuring the character.
“Most actors are some of the weirdest individuals in this planet,” another commenter wrote.
Monsters and Critics previously reported that fans wanted Elordi to take the role of Superman after Cavill’s departure. Some felt since he was in his mid-20s, Elordi could portray a younger version of the superhero, while others brought up how Reeves was 25 when he first played the character in 1978’s Superman.
However, the fans’ fantasy casting has seemingly been shut down by Elordi with his interview remarks.
While the Euphoria star is unlikely to fly onto any screens in blue tights and a red Superman cape anytime soon, he is portraying another famous icon that might not be “too dark.”
Fans can see Elordi portray music legend Elvis Presley in Sophia Copolla’s biopic Priscilla, which arrived in theaters in late October.