July 2003

It's Good to be Bad

Portraying someone who's destined to become Superman's greatest nemisis, Michael Rosenbaum couldn't be a a nicer guy. Probably because the actor's character, Lex Luthor, just can't get a break whenever he tries placing the heroic white hat on his hairless head in Smallville. For the past two seasons, Lex has been at constant war with his heartless father, Lionel (John Glover), subjected to Cupid's lethally sharp love arrows, and hard-pressed to resist the urge to learn the super-secrets of his best friend, Clark Kent. Outside the self-proclaimed "Meteor Capital of the World", however, Rosenbaum is a star well deserving of the acclaim he's received from both critics and fans. He's also super-busy--while overseeing Lex's day to day affairs in Smallville, he's been running around as The Flash on Cartoon Network's animated megahit Justice League, and enjoyed box-office success in the Steve Martin-Queen Latifah smash comedy Bringing Down the House.

Although Lex's unpiloted plane in the season two finale Exodus appears headed for a one way trip, Rosenbaum has no fears regarding what's come before, or what lies ahead of him in Smallville.

Smallville: Now that you've lived in Smallville for two seasons, do you think the series is hitting its stride?

Michael Rosenbaum: Yeah. It takes a while for all of the elements to get going. After the first season, it was like, "How do we top Season One?" We got so many fans, so much response, covers to magazines...it just didn't seem like it could get any better. Yet somehow we went beyond everyone's expectations with Season Two, and attracted more fans this year.

I think it's a lot of word of mouth, and that we just go in there every day and try to be better than the day before. That goes for everyone, from the writing to the actors. We all want Smallville to continue its success, and not become one of those run-of-the-mill television series. It's really important for us to try harder and accomplish as much as we can to make the show better.

SV: With all of this attention, how do you maintain a fresh approach to your character? How do you keep Lex Luthor interesting for yourself?

MR: Well, what's fun for me is that I kind of have an idea of where they're going with Lex, and where I'm going with him. There are little things along the way--nuances, if you will--that I try to create in each episode to make the audience wonder, "Was that one of the moments that will cause Lex to turn to the dark side?"

SV: Was there an episode in Season Two that's a good example of what you've described?

MR: There's an episode called Precipice, where I get a chance to show some different colors. It's another side of Lex where you don't want to mess with this guy or push him too far. He's engaged to Dr. Helen Bryce (Emanuelle Vaugier) and when somebody comes back into her life, I step in and make some decisions, one way or the other. It's nice to see a different side of my character.

SV: Is your new fiancee leading you to take another step towards the dark side?

MR: That's one of the things where we can only speculate. [laughs] Unfortunately, the writers don't tell me everything, and even if they did, I couldn't tell everything I know. But I think everything, and every character, has a purpose. When Helen was brought into the picture, I'm sure the boys back in LA had some ideas of making her a catalyst in Lex's downfall, or his turn to the dark side. I don't really know, and I don't really want to know. It keeps it more entertaining for me. There's something there; I don't exactly know what it is or where it's going, but there's something there.

SV: Is that "something there" why Lex is left on a plane all alone, with no pilot, in the season finale?

MR: They won't tell me! I had a nice dinner with Al (Gough) and Miles (Millar) and I asked, "So what happens?" They said, "Guess you'll find out when we come back, won't you, Michael?" Yeah, I guess I will. [laughs]

Anyway, it keeps things fun and interesting. I think if I knew everything, then how much fun would that be?

SV: True. Besides, you'd just probably be tempted to start mapping out in your head how you'd approach the scene...

MR: Exactly. And just when you think you know what's going to happen, [the writers] like for people's minds to wander, to just go in different directions, and hopefully plant the biggest surprise that they're not expecting. That's what's fun for me, anyway. Everyone assumes or thinks they know what's going to happen to Lex, or what's going to happen to Clark, and then it's just a little different than they thought, which is nice.

SV: When we last interviewed you just before the start of Season Two, you called Lex "a misguided hero." Now that the season's finished, and after episodes like Insurgence, in which you covered up the botched sabotage of your father's business in Metropolis, do you stand by that assessment of Lex, or do you see a change in him?

MR: I think when Lex does things, at the time they seem right or appropriate, but they backfire sometimes. Everyone has those moments in their life when they want to be a little vindictive; when they want to get back at somebody or play them at their own game. They can inadvertently cause pain and suffering to others, and I think that's what happens to Lex. He doesn't plan for certain things to happen; they just do.

It makes Lex dislike his father even more, because when these things happen, they hurt the people he loves or respects, like the Kents. I don't think he wants to do those things; he constantly fighting himself, trying to do the right thing. There are several episodes [towards the end of Season Two] where you can see Lex is like, "Man, I made a huge mistake, but please trust me. I'm trying to go the other way. Help me. Help me not become my father. Help me try to be the good guy." That's what the series for Lex is all about; it's him striving to do the right thing because he doesn't want to sway. I think that's what's so real, and gives Lex such a vulnerable and realistic quality. As human beings, we all want to do what's right, but when we don't, it can become a domino effect.

SV: Would you say that by trying so hard not to be like Lionel, Lex is actually becoming more like him?

MR: Yeah. The more he distances himself from his father, the closer he's getting to be like him. He's doing whatever it takes to do the right thing--having his father out of his life, starting anew and meeting someone he can finally trust in Helen, confiding in Clark--and ultimately, everthing just backfires. I mean, what the hell can you do if you try and try? If at first you don't succeed...quit? [laughs]

SV: Seeing as how you prefer having the writers not tell you everything, would you say that's also how you and John Glover keep that strained relationship between Lex and Lionel Luthor fresh on screen? By not overly rehearsing or going over your characters long before a scene?

MR: We never go over our stuff until we get on the set. Occasionally, I'll be in the makeup trailer when John comes in, all chipper, and says with a big smile, "Hello, son." I'm like, "Hello, Dad", we give each other a big hug, sit down, and laugh. If there's a big scene, we'll read it once or twice, just for the lines. We then like to do what we call "playing"--we go [on the set] and we play. The directors, for the most part, sit back and let us do our thing unless they really have a certain direction. But by this point in time on Smallville, it's nice to see they really just trust that John and I will come in and do our work. Their job's a lot easier when we walk in and try to make our moves interesting, pick our moments and mix it up a bit.

It's always new and fresh with John. We give each other 110 percent every time we work together. I look up to him. As an actor, no matter how good or bad you are, you're always looking for answers. Everyone says, "Listening is the most important thing for an actor to learn." Well, if that was the answer and everybody always listened, everybody would be a great actor. But you forget little things, and you forget to listen sometimes. There were moments last year I'd say to John, "God, I can't figure this out. There's all this stuff..." During last season's finale (Tempest), I'm throwing stuff off the shelves while we're walking around the room, and John gave me the best note ever: "Just listen. Think about what we're talking about and just listen." I go, "Oh my God...listening! That's what I need to do!" It's also about trust. John's a veteran actor, and it's nice to have him there because it seems like he has a lot of the answers.

SV: Last issue, we interviewed Allison Mack (Chloe), and she stated how she'd like to work more with you and John Glover in the future.

MR: Really? That's great. On a series, you get trapped a bit. Allison, Tom [Welling] and Kristin's [Kreuk] characters are all in high school, and I'm the one that's not, besides the parents. Which is really fortunate for me, because I like to have this adult life. My character's an adult, and my scenes are mostly with John, Tom, women I cross paths with, people who are older businessmen, whatever. But I never get a chance to work with Allison all that much; in two years, we've probably had two minutes of screen time together. Allison's very talented, and it'd be nice to have more scenes with her. I don't know if she'll be working for me or my father, or whatever's going to happen down the road, but there's plenty of time, let's just say. There's at least three years to go on the series, and I think they're just picking their moments. They're going to start mixing things up.

SV: Another character we're wondering if you'll interact with more is Pete Ross (Sam Jones III) whose friendship with Clark became tighter over this past season. It's obvious there was tension between you two, due to Lionel's involvement with Pete's family. Will that develop further down the road?

MR: I'm sure; I mean, it has to. They've planted the seeds, so it's just a matter of time when we start to find out what happened with Pete's family, how my father was involved, and the reason for the animosity toward the Luthors. We're definitely going to explore that. Sam's also been asking, "Man, when am I gonna have scenes with you guys?" [laughs]

It's great that we all want to work together. It's just a matter of being patient; it's been two years, and we're not even halfway done. Pete and Lex's story is definitely an interesting one to find out. We've hinted at it, but we haven't really talked about what really happened. It'll be interesting.

I'm looking forward to any changes, and working with Allison and Sam, or more of John [Schneider] and Annette [O'Toole], because they've been doing it awhile, and I don't get to see them all that much. Usually my scenes are with Tom or John [Glover] or a love interest...

SV: ...And John Schneider's usually shouting at you to get out of his house, anyway...

MR: Yeah--"Get out of here!" or "Leave my barn!" [laughs]

SV: What do you think Lex has learned about himself this year? Is there anything he should have learned, but hasn't yet?

MR: I think he's trying to trust and understand others; be a little more vulnerable and accepting. No one gives him a chance, yet he tries giving everyone a chance. That's something he's dealing with, but doesn't like to. After Heat, the episode where I got married, we were like, "Lex is getting married again?" [The writers] said, "Yeah, but the first time he was obviously manipulated," and this woman had the ability to "persuade" him with...whatever it was. [laughs]

SV: Well, if anyone gives you a hard time about it, you can always point out that Pa Kent's been put in jail like three or four times....

MR: Yeah! Y'know, he's a dirty man, that Pa Kent! Get off my case and look at him--he's a criminal! [laughs]