May 13, 2002

Lex Answers You

Something (soon to be) wicked this way comes...Michael Rosenbaum gives you the lowdown on all things Smallville--everything from on-set hijinks and screwups to the future of Lex Luther. He even reveals a longtime crush and says "yes" to one very lucky lady.

From Lindsay, NJ: Do you shave your head for Smallville? In Sorority Boys, you had either a wig or a hat on the whole time!
Michael: I shave my head every darn day. In the movie, it was a wig, and I didn't like it, so I started wearing the hat. I was, like, "Is this the best you guys can do?" And they said, "Yeah." And I said, "Well, then I'm wearing a hat." You sweat a little underneath the wig. It's just kind of a drag--pun intended!

From Samantha, London: Who was your childhood superhero idol?
There was a show called The Greatest American Hero--William Katt. And that song, yeah! "Believe it or not, I'm walking on air..." I used to play that on my jam box when I was, like, eight or nine years old. When girls walked by, I'd play it every time...over and over. I thought I was the coolest guy ever. I had a pair of Vuarnet shorts and an Ocean Pacific tank top and string beans for arms, which I still do. But William Katt, he was this goofy superhero. The show had a lot of heart and soul...that's why I liked it.

From Kimberly, Chicago: What direction will Lex take next season? Darker? Sexier? (Though I'm not sure that's possible.)
I don't know about sexier. Maybe a little less sexy. [Laughs.] Maybe I'll start wearing sweatpants and be more casual. I'm kidding. It'll be a slow, gradual process. I don't want him to turn too quickly, and neither does anyone else, including the creators. There'll be steps along the way that give you reasons for understanding when he turns evil. And you'll say, "Oh, that's why he changed." It'll take a while, but it'll be well worth the wait.

From Jean, Wisconsin: I'm a huge fan! Since it's a pretty serious show, what do you do on the set for fun?
Well, I had a karaoke machine in my trailer awhile. Usually, I sing by myself. Sometimes, I open the door and start singing. Finally, someone opens their door, either Tom Welling or Allison Mack, and they look at me and go, "What are you doing?!" I'm, like, "I'm singing, man, come on!" Every now and then I get Tom to sing with me, or maybe Allison...or Steve in wardrobe. We keep it entertaining.

From Wanda: Sounds like you're a big goofball.
I'm always goofing off on set. The crew is like family to me, and Tom and I have a ball. There was a scene yesterday in the Talon, the café, and we literally could not stop laughing. They had to do, like, ten takes because we were laughing so hard. We do impressions, so we're going along, and Tom says, "Hey, do your Christopher Walken while I'm doing my close-up," and I say, "Okay." The director says, "Could we have some focus, please?" I say, "Look, buddy, this is our show; you just chill out!" [Laughs.] When you do ten months a year on a TV show, you have to keep it interesting.

From Rachem_chul: What do you think about a hookup between Lex and Lana?
I think she's absolutely extraordinarily beautiful and smart and nice. I'm speaking about Kristin Kreuk, here. As for the characters, I don't think Lex would do anything, because it would interfere with his and Clark's friendship. And that's not something he wants. It's not worth it to him.

From From Loz213, England: What's the movie you're filming?
The working title is In the House. It costars Steve Martin, Queen Latifah and Eugene Levy. I started filming last week. I play this cocky young lawyer who is very ambitious and will do anything to further himself. Steve Martin is the opposite. He plays the guy who's older and who has been there. The guy who wants to be young again and show the firm he can still do it.

From Lisa, Vancouver: In the episode "Zero," you had to act hanging upside down. What was that like?
Hey! Vancouver! That's where I am. Merry Christmas! Hanging upside down was absolute misery. I was a good sport. I'm a little claustrophobic, but I got over it quickly--being in a straitjacket. I broke capillaries in my head, and my eyes were bleeding a little bit from being upside down for so long. It took me a good week to recover. It wasn't easy, but when I watched the show, I thought it was worth it. I was up and down all day, no longer than, like, four minutes at a time, but it was very taxing on my body. If you watch the show again, you can see the veins in my head. It looked like I was about to explode.

From HoYay! Girl: What's your reaction to the large group that watches the show for the possibly unintentional gay subtext?
You know, that's what being an audience is all about. I think people have their own ideas and perceptions of what Smallville is, and if that's what makes them happy, then so be it. Everybody has their own reason to tune in. And I don't want to spoil those reasons. So, whatever it is that makes you watch the show, that's cool. Just keep watching.

From Long Live Lex!: What do you think is the best part of playing Lex? (P.S.: Marry me.)
Oh, okay, I'll marry you. The best part of playing Lex is living in a castle and driving really expensive cars and wearing really expensive suits. I also box and fence...a lot.

From Amanda, Bridgeport: Which Lex Luthor would win in a fight: you, Gene Hackman or John Shea?
I'd have to say I would win. I'm younger, more ambitious and I'd put up more of a fight. And I really shave my head; I don't know if the other guys did.

From Sam: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I would be the Invisible Man. You can check out things, and nobody knows you're there. You can go to rock concerts. Eddie Vedder could be jamming on the guitar, and you could be at his feet looking up at him, going, You're awesome, and he'd never know.

From Celeste: Do you have any movies coming out?
Besides the one I mentioned earlier, there's also Buffalo Junkies. I play a shark...a pool hustler. My brother, who has been hustling for a long time, tries to keep me out of it and wants me to focus on my music. It costars Chazz Palminteri, Christopher Walken and Rick Schroder. It's a nice little independent film.

From Maggie, Wisconsin: Just one question I'm sure the female population is dying to know: Single?
I'm single. And I'm waiting for Gwyneth Paltrow to call. But if she doesn't, I'm all game. I have a big crush on her. I actually had a dream about her the other night. I don't know what it is--for years, I've been dreaming about her. In fact, with my ex-girlfriend years ago, I used to always talk about Gwyneth, and she'd be like, "Well, why don't you date her?!" And I was, like, "Um, I can't. She's dating Brad Pitt or somebody."

From Ashley, Atlanta: Do you or any of the other cast members play pranks on the show?
When someone's talking or telling a story, we nod off and pretend we're asleep. We start snoring. So, one day, they called me onto the set, and I was talking to the director, and all of a sudden, I heard snores. Real loud snoring! I turned around, and the whole cast and crew were asleep. They got me back. I laughed my ass off.

From Alax, Houston: What's the craziest thing a "Rosebud" [fan] has done to get your attention?
At a hockey game, they had some signs and T-shirts that said, "I love Michael Rosenbaum" or "I'm a Rosebud." I can't remember exactly what. I was at the Staples Center for a charity all-star hockey game. I really got a kick out of it. I think somebody also showed up on set one day who was a Rosebud. Please, fans, I'm flattered, but take it easy on coming to the set! Although I love bumping into people who like the show.

From Shannen, Ohio: What sort of things--other than hockey--do you like to do in your downtime?
I play the guitar, and I write, and there are so many things I want to do. I just have to focus on one thing at a time. I've written two scripts, and one of them I want to produce. It takes place where I grew up in Newburghh, Indiana. I want to shoot there next year or the year after. I have a lot of time because it rains every day in Vancouver--so, why the hell not?

From Deena, Montreal: What part of your own personality do you bring to Lex?
I think I'm a good judge of character. I've always been good at that. People compliment me on my friends and how great they are and how they all get along. I think Lex means well, and he sees the goodness in people, although they don't see the same in him. He tends to play against the stereotype of who Lex Luthor is. I can relate to that. And I think he laughs on the inside a lot. People never know what I'm thinking. He doesn't like to take things too seriously, and neither do I.

From Shannen, Ohio: Since funny boys are my weakness, I have to ask: What would be your ideal comic role?
Arthur in the movie Arthur, with Dudley Moore. If that movie came out and they were trying to cast people for it, I'd make a run to the director and beg him to please let me play that role. I think Dudley Moore was a genius, and God rest his soul. There are some people who are trying find me the right vehicle to get me to the next level so I can start doing the movies I want to make. I'd like to play a young Han Solo.

From Beccy, Wiltshire, England: You get to drive so many plush cars as Lex. Which sweet motor has been the best? I personally like the Astin Martin. Pure class.
The Astin Martin was awesome. It truly was a treat. I've driven all of them. I liked the white Ferrari--the gear shifters were on the steering wheel. I had a police officer in front of me and behind me, and they let me go as fast as I wanted. It was protected, nobody in the streets. I was going 130, 140 mph. The guy in the car said, "Please, slow down!" I didn't realize how fast I was going. It was, like, zero to 140 in three seconds.

From Rob, Detroit: How has it been working with John Glover? You have such great chemistry.
John Glover is such a rare breed. It's easy to have chemistry with someone who is so talented and so driven. The creativity never stops. It's really a treat working with such a veteran actor. In the finale, there was a moment when I got sort of stuck. We had to move, and we were supposed to be really loud, and all this stuff was going on. I can't really tell you what happens, but he just gave me that veteran insight that sent me to the next level. I owe him for that.

From Wanda: Will John be back next season?
Absolutely. I think so. Well...unless something happens in the finale that I'm not telling you!

From Shelley, Baltimore: Will Lex start to turn evil in the season finale?
I can't really answer that, but I can tease you and say that this will be another step toward the dark side--a nice, big baby step for Lex Luthor. There's something that happens that could trigger Lex to take a gander at evil.

From Wanda: What are you doing during the hiatus?
I'm doing this movie, going to see my family in New York and going to my mom's wedding in Indiana. I have another friend getting married in L.A. I want to try to go to Hawaii and just have a really good time before we start back in July. Everybody needs that.