By THOMASINA GIBSON - TV Zone #157

Going into the Dark....

He’s the sexiest man in Smallville, apparently. Michael Rosenbaum has taken on the role of the young Lex Luthor, done a movie with Steve Martin and made baldness sexy again. Our reporter met the man recently, and tried to stop from drooling…

When Michael Rosenbaum plays Smallville sophisticate Lex Luthor, he’s usually serious, smooth and oozing sex appeal. Guess what? When he’s not playing Lex Luthor he’s pretty much the same. He’s smooth – a Gillette Mach 3 razor across the top of his head has a lot to do with that – and continues to ooze sex appeal. “Get over here and gimme one,” he flirts when a hot toddy is suggested to help relieve the symptoms of a cold. However, rather than foster a serious disposition off set, Mr Rosenbaum does quite the opposite and displays a brilliant sense of humour, a highly developed sense of the ridiculous and exudes the type of exuberance usually found in small children and puppies. This is all great and good unless some poor interviewer is trying to stop laughing long enough to catch what he’s saying. When asked to explain a comment he made in a previous interview about being part black and part Jewish he shrieks, “They printed that? It was a joke. You know a lot of my black friends, first they go, ‘You’re a fool, but you can move. I think you’ve got a little soul in you.’ I always think that too but that [comment] was me being silly.” Breaking into a smile he winks, “That was me just being a foul-mouthed hooligan.”

Only Michael Rosenbaum could get away with describing himself in those terms. Articulate, open and disarmingly friendly, it’s impossible to imagine anyone else thinking derogatory thoughts about the lovely Mr R. Asked to offer three different words that he would use to describe himself he pauses for a moment and sighs, “Oh that’s a good one… three words to describe myself… Hm!” There’s another second’s grace before he says, “See, I don’t want to insult myself…” The words are barely out of his mouth before we’re both snickering at his comment and I suggest that eegit {Celtic term of endearment} might be the bon mot in this instance. “Midget?” he gasps. “Did you just call me a midget?” As he’s around six foot tall, it’d be quite hard to think of Rosenbaum in that way, but his mock outrage is worth the tease. Finally he concedes, “Actually I think my friends would say that I’m very giving. At least I hope they’d say that. Um… and what’s a good word to convey that I’m always up for having fun? I always want to have fun. I enjoy making people laugh. I want everyone to laugh when they’re around me.”

Although ‘effervescent’ isn’t quite the right word to do justice to his extremely vibrant personality, Rosenbaum is gracious enough to accept the suggestion, “Yeah! I’m like that. I got a lot of energy. I like to have good times. So I’m ‘effervescent’, I think I’m extremely ‘giving’ at times and what else can I say? Oh, and I’m… ‘insatiable’!” No! He's not in flirt mode again, the actor means that work wise, nothing is quite good enough. Affecting a great Cockney accent, he explains, "Someone will say to me, 'OK mate! You just did a movie with Steve Martin' and I'll be like, 'Oh well, we'll see how I do when it comes out.' " Such modesty becomes him and is completely charming, especially when he admits it was a big deal to be making a movie alongside a man whom he considers to be a great comedian.

"I'm one of Steve Martin's biggest fans. I mean, he is the best. We're in this movie called Bringing Down the House. I play this cocky young lawyer who comes into a firm and tries to take it over. Steve plays the older guy who's been there for a while and who has to prove that he's still got what it takes." Rosenbaum says he has a host of happy memories connected with the movie, but one of the most precious took place right at the start of filming. "It was my first day on the set and I had a big scene with Steve. I was a bit on edge to say the least. I mean, this is Steve Martin that we're talking about. Sometimes when I get nervous, I tend to sing songs from the Seventies, cheesy ones. I started to sing If You Leave Me Now by Chicago. Then I heard a voice backing me up. I turned around and sure enough it was Steve singing along with me. It really broke the ice. I had some moments on that set I will never forget."

"The movie's also about my character's relationship with a woman he falls in love with over the internet. She turns out to be something other than what he thinks she is, and it all gets very complicated. She's played by Queen Latifah, who's supposed to be in prison and we get together via his computer, but she ends up kicking my ass." Fortunately, he doesn't seem to be emotionally or physically scarred by this turn of events and grins, "The movie is out early next year. I want everyone to go and see it."

Before then, Rosenbaum can be seen showing off some sporting skills in Poolhall Junkies, which hits US theaters in January 2003. "I did that movie with Christopher Walken and the late Rod Steiger. I play a pool hall hustler/musician and I actually get to plau guitar in the movie." Modesty creeps in again when he says, "I play just for fun, you know. It's not really a passion of mine although someday I'd like to get a little CD together and have a band, but who knows? I'm doing so many things right now. I'm writing. I've written three scripts and I want to direct and do all manner of things. But when it comes to music, I just like to hang out with my friends and play guitar. John Schneider (Jonathan Kent) is a great musician, and we play guitar together."

For anyone who can't wait to see more of the multi-talented bald one, then take yourself off to the store and buy a copy of Sorority Boys. This highly entertaining romp combines the silliness of National Lampoon's Animal House with Tootsie and finds Rosenbaum, Barry Watson, and Harland Williams cavorting about in drag whilst trying to recover a suspect videotape and is the perfect vehicle for Rosenbaum's comedic bent. From physical comedy to out and out farce, he minces his way across the screen in tight skirts and high heels because he claims, "...they make my legs look slimmer. I spent three months dressed as a woman which was a lot of fun in many ways but I have to tell you that waxing is a pain!" Teased that it can't be that bad because he was in drag in Sweet November too, he nods. "See, my friends are always telling me that. The see this stuff and go, 'Michael, what are you doing with your life?' "

Working on Smallville is what he's doing with his life right now and he fully intends to do that for a long time to come. "You know what? I love this show. I think the writing is excellent. I love the way they've allowed each of us to incorporate our own ideas into our roles and run with that." The actor feels Lex's ability to quickly decipher someone's personality is one such example. "I think Lex is a good judge of character. I think I am too, hence that characteristic appeals to me. Not only is Lex a good judge of character but he means well. He has good intentions. I think it's a real pain in the ass that people like Jonathan Kent misunderstand that."

Rosenbaum didn't know much about the comic book legend before assuming the mantle of Superman's arch nemesis and feels that's all to the good. "What appeals to be about Smallville is how we look at it *before* Clark and Lex become enemies. I love that we are getting some insight into the process that makes them that way. Early on in season two, we start digging into Lex's past more and learn more about his relationship with his father {Lionel Luthor, played by John Glover} and his mother and how events shape the development of his relationship with Clark."

There has been much speculation on the nature of the relationship between the two young men, with theories vying from a supposed love triangle rivalry between Clark and Lex over Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) and, indeed, a possible homoerotic thread between Clark and Lex. Rosenbaum is philosophical about it all. "Everyone's got their imaginations and I'm not going to tell anyone they're wrong for thinking certain things but you know if some day someone saves your life....you know you should have died but they save you....then straight away you're bound to have a relationship with that person. It just so happens that Clark and Lex also like and understand each other. There's a lot going on in each of their lives and I think that's why they become friends. They are two guys who are kinda lost and who are trying to figure out who they are. I think part of the reason there's so much mystery and all this anticipation is because we don't know what's going to happen to ruin that friendship and it makes what we have now all the more intriguing."

Smallville isn't entirely focused on the relationships between Lex Luthor and a teenaged Clark Kent. The billionare philanthropist has had the odd dangerous liaison with women. In season one it was Victoria Hardwick (Brit girl Kelly Brook) who floated between Lex and his dad. Luckily the lady was for burning and she departed in a haze of designer perfume. This season Lex gets hot and heavy with a former town resident, but the powers that be figured there was too much Heat for general viewing. "There was a sex scene in the second episode that was cut. It was a scene where Lex and his fiancee {Krista Allen} were in the wine cellar making love. I don't know whether they thought they didn't need the scene or it was too risque. I was bothered by it. It was my second sex scene that was axed." All complaints should go directly to the WB.

Wild women aside, young Luthor has had a year to get to know some of the gentler souls in Smallville, so what are Lex's thoughts on Pete Ross {Sam Jones III}, Lana, Chloe {Allison Mack}, and Martha Kent {Annette O'Toole} now that he's had a bit of time to get the measure of them? "Lex has a great deal of respect for Clark. I think he shows that by the way he treats Clark's friends and family. I'm unsure if Lex would have any reason to talk to them otherwise. I suppose he thinks they are good, honest people."

Rather like the ones Rosenbaum mixes with back home. When the 15 hours spent on the Smallville set each day are finally wrapped and the actor gets the chance to kick back and chill, he'll more than likely do it with his old friends and family. "I just did that!' he nods. "I went to my hometown where I grew up in Newburgh, Indiana and I just hung out with my friends. I barbequed and played whiffle ball." Now, whiffle ball is not a game this interviewer is familar with and it show. Chuckling at my expression he grins, "It's like basketball with a plastic bat and a plastic ball. Twenty-four grown men playing in a whiffle ball tournament. We're like 30-year old plus and playing with plastic toys. It's the best thing in the world. I flew to Indiana for two days just to do that."

If it's hard to imagine Lex Luthor indulging in anything so frivolous, imagine his take on Rosenbaum's taste in music. Invited to divulge the contents of the CD changer in his car the actor's immediate response is, "Hall and Oats Greatest Hits, Chicago's Greatest Hits, I've got some Gordon Lightfoot, (pauses) and some Poison. No! Not the dangerous stuff," he laughs. " The Eighties metal rock band." Oh!

Rosenbaum's choice of literature is just as romantic. "the only book I'm reading right now is the John Adams biography by David McCullough. That's pretty much it. Adams was the second President of the United States and the book is really a love story about the relationship between him and his wife. He was always gone but they had this relationship where they both really loved and respected each other. When he was getting involved in the War and politics and being a lawyer, she was always by his side--even though in reality she was far away--and she raised the children and supported him in all he did. He was a good man and I don't know...I guess I like their story so much because their kind of relationship is so rare. I like reading about people and their strengths. I guess I just like people."

Mr. Rosenbaum's love for humanity does tend to disappear though given certain circumstances. A simple question about what upsets him leads to all manner of gesticulation and exclamation and it's absolutely hilarious. "What upsets me? I don't like it when people snort. I really don't like it. I get upset about it." Hastily trying to stifle my own snorts of laughter, he goes on, "And I get upset when you bring a friend to a party and they sit in the corner bored out of their mind while you try to have a blast but you can't have a blast because your idiot friend can't have a good time because he's too much of an introvert. It's like, 'You know what man? I'm not bringing you anymore. I bring you to a party and you tell me you really want to go and you don't have a good time--tough shit! I'm going and I'm going to have a good time and I'll go by myself next time." By the time he's finished this tirade, we're both in hysterics and I'm snorting like a bull. No wonder he's irate. Calming down for a second, Rosenbaum comes right back to the most important folk in his life. "My grandparents are the best. See, I don't like people who are downers, who bring me down. You gotta keep me up. You gotta keep me going. That's why my grandparents are great. They're always in a good mood. They're always ready to have fun. They're my kind of people."