There's a lot of deception in Smallville, I don't know if you've noticed," smiles Michael Rosenbaum. "I don't think Clark's been honest with Lex since the series began. Since their friendship began. Nor has Lana in a lot of ways…"

Les's alter ego is currently suffering one of the costs of playing the billionaire business heir - namely having his head shaved and sprayed. Every day, Michael ges through the same ritual: his scalp is freshly we-shaved, washed, and then coated in the same beauty makeup used on everyone else's face. It's quite a thing to witness, especially given that he becomes prone to muttering his interview answers through a protective mask that blocks out the fumes from the airbrush being wielded by makeup artist Natalie Cosco. Enduring this necessary daily process (as he has for five years) naturally nudges the actor's thoughts in a particular direction.

"They told me five years ago that the show ends when I become evil and Tom becomes Superman," Michael states. "I'm slowly getting there - there's been some obvious signs. Lex has gotten to the point where if he wants something he's just gonna go get it. He's done with the lies: I don't know how many times Les has said, 'Why are you lying to me? Why are you being dishonest with me?' Now it's just time to deal with it. He's had it. I hope that in the second half of this season things start to really happen. Lex is going to look really stupid, especially with these people that have come from Krypton - if they're from there, why can't Clark be? I think Lex knows a lot more than he's letting on."

Looks like we're in for quite a ride with Lex this year. As Michael drops the mask over his face so Natalie can coat the crown of his head, his eyes twinkle at the prospect of just how evil Lex could well become…

Smallville Magazine:You mentioned Lana - do you think a romance could blossom between her and Lex?

Michael Rosenbaum: Lex is mesmerizing [grins]. A very intriguing older guy: lot of knowledge, all brains no brawn. The opposite of Clark. I think of Kristin like a little sister, so it's hard to say about that. If [the writers] explore something like that it'll be an interesting dynamic. Would it work? Lana's this smart girl but she's young, just out of high school, and Lex is so worldly… so corrupting. He's been around the block to say the least! It'd be interesting - certainly there's a nice chemistry. I don't know if it's there because Kristin fears me [laughs], maybe that's her motivation… We have a good time; we try to make things as interesting as we can.

Smallville Magazine: When you say Lex is worldly, are you referring to events similar to the ones depicted in last year's Bound?

Michael: I liked Bound because it made me look more of a badass, a guy who doesn't always do the right thing. He's a little promiscuous; he goes out and has fun. He grew up with all that money, so the whole story about having sex with all these women and giving them earrings - "Thank you, that's it," and never calling them again - he wasn't trying to be bad. He probably thought in so many ways that that was the right thing todo - he learned it from dad. Clark was raised by two lovable human beings who taught him morals and ethics. Lex raised himself; he had to learn to defend himself. But then again, I don't think it's always bad to have a little experience, but I'm not advocating his behavior. By the way, sending a woman gold earrings and not calling her… I'd be pretty happy if I was them. [Rosenbaum turns around and smirks playfully at makeup artist Natalie Cosco] Wouldn't you?

Natalie: No.

Michael: Oh. Well, what do I know? Although I've played a few women in the movies… Bound was a fun episode because it was working with Terrance [O'Hara, director]. I love working with Terrance and [executive producer Greg] Beeman - those guys are great. They actually help you take risks and make you feel safe doing it. When you feel comfortable on set… when the camera starts rolling… there's nothing that can stop you.

Smallville Magazine: Are you still writing a screenplay with Greg Beeman?

Michael: I'm delighted to tell you that we just sold a script to Fox and it's going very well. We can't be more excited. Beeman and I work well together, and I think the story we tell is going to be well received.

Smallville Magazine: Last year, Onyx saw Lex being utterly evil…

Michael: Evil was completely what it was. When I read that script I was scared because it was four days before we were starting - we don't' [get] scripts sometimes until a couple of days before we start shooting; they do change. I looked at this and I was like, "Greg... I'm on every page of this script, and, really, I'm playing three different characters." I'm usually freaking out at first, that's what I normally do when I read a script where I have tons of stuff, I think, "Holy crap!" That's good, to get a little nervous, to get a little excited, and to get a little "Can I really pull this off?" Then you dive into it - that's the next step. Once you get to a point where you're like, Wait a minute - I can actually do this" then it becomes fun. The fear is gone and the excitement builds: "How do I make this as cool as possible?"

You don't have a lot of time with TV, but I knew that Terrance was coming to direct it - he's one of my favorite people in the world, on and off the show - and I knew that he would be there for me, and I told him tat I wanted to take some risks, that I wanted there to be some moments that were totally over the top. You know what? I'm playing a comic book character - it's time they saw a different side of Lex, not just the potentially evil, brooding guy, but the real badass we've all been waiting to see.

On Onyx, I called Ken Horton in L.A. and asked if I could be a part of the edit. He was one of the most supportive people, and I have so much respect for Ken after seeing what the process is like. He let me come in the editing room and told me, "Michael I'm going to let you sit in, but shut up," in so many words. He let me into his territory and was happy for me to sit back and observe and if I had notes, fine, he would listen, but when he made a decision, that was it. I saw the first cut and I said, "Wow, you know what? I thought it was too safe. This is not what I did - I don't want this show to be safe. This show means a lot to me, I worked really hard and I want it to be more than safe." So I gave him notes and he took all of them, with the exception of a few, and he put them in. I said to him, "I can't believe you used a lot of my notes!" and he smiled and said, "Well, they were good. If they weren't I wouldn't have used them." He explained that there are often reasons why - other characters need to be serviced or there are arcs, side-storylines- it just depends. But he was really supportive and I loved the way it turned out. I loved the music and the character dynamics, and it was just a ball.

Could I do that every day? No. I'd be dead. One every half season? Yeah. Down the road, whenever they decide we're into the last five episodes, I think that's a chance for me to really explode. I don't want to make my mark too soon, because then it's like, "Okay, do we have a season of evil Lex?" I don't wanna do that. It wouldn't be fun anymore - the real fun is getting there and the little steps in between. You've seen me freak out here and there, but you see the motivation, which you don't get to see a lot. You usually see a character who is just innately evil and you don't know why. To see why is great because you have this vulnerability and you get an attachment from the audience where they think, "I understand why he's turning out this way. This guy's been through hell and back and he's still trying to do the right thing." They eat that up. And so do I. I don't' know how many people come up to me begging me to not let Lex become evil. I just tell them… "good luck!"

Smallville Magazine: Is Clark and Lex's friendship irrepairable?

Michael: Here's how you fix a friendship: you level with someone. That's the point. If Clark came out and said, "Listen man, I should have told you this four years ago, but I've got a little secret for you - my name's Kal-El, I'm from a planet called Krypton and I think people are gonna start calling me Superman in a few years, so I just wanna throw that at ya and hope you're cool with it." Lex would be like, "Hey man, sweet! Now we can rule the world and everything will be fine." But he won't come clean. Now that's what it's all about. I don't think I've been as dishonest him. I'm obviously intrigued by this guy - he's been lying to me and I'm finding out all these things that keep adding up an dadding up and adding up…. Who wouldn't explore that? I'm being too good, to tell you the truth. It's time to kick some ass.

Question is where do you go from here? What happens now? How do you tie things together? Lex has to find out - it's so right in front of his face. Unless he loses his memory again. I don't know what the hell he's gonna do. I think he remembers more than he lets on. He has to. It's a really great moment for him to turn things around in season five and make himself look a little smarter, because for four years you've seen him fail at everything he's done; his relationships with his father, his relationship with the city of Smallville, his relationship with Jonathan Kent, his relationship with Mrs. Kent, and most importantly with Clark - everything's fallen apart, even with Lana. So he either fixes it all or he destroys everything that's close to him, in a nutshell. That's what I'm going to be thinking about, that's what the character's going to be thinking about - I'll let the audience think about it. I know they want him to be good, and I'm sure deep down he's trying to be, but damn it, there's a threshold to the amount of abuse you can take as a human being. He's reached an impasse.

Smallville Magazine: Just before we go, we'd just like to ask: Did Lionel have such long hair to spite Lex?

Michael: Oh yeah - he's a b*****d. John Glover wouldn't say that. He'd say, "Oh no, Lionel loves Lex. They love each other. It's a great relationship: he's just looking out for his son. Father knows best." He's a liar and a devious man. He had that long hair because John Glover has long hair, or he did, anyway… I'm sure it's part of the strategy, part of his sick sense of humor. Everyone always comments on how great it is to work with John, but I see all sides of John. Let's talk badly about John for a minute, can we? It's always so good, we've gotta think of something bad…. No, I just can't. That sucks.

I don't think I've ever seen the guy mad! I think one time we were fighting with swords and he got locked up on his finger and he shouted and swore, and, don't tell him this, but I was kinda happy. It made me laugh to see him so pissed, because I'd never seen that. He's awesome. He's very supportive all the time; he nails it week in, week out.

Smallville Magazine: Is there anything you'd like to add?

Michael: I know it sounds cheesy, but to me it means a great deal that for a show to succeed it requires a group effort. The audience just sees us on TV each week, but what gets me through the day is the crew, their support and the fact that everyone does their job so well. I know that the camera guys are gonna be there for me when I'm in the scene and insane and really want to get there. The sound guy making sure when you watch the episode everything sounds crystal clear. The editors and producers down south in L.A., juggling the schedule and doing the best job they can, and I think that's why the show's successful, because everybody gets it and I think that's important.