Nicholas Hoult reveals how he made Lex Luthor 'real, credible' threat to Superman

Nicholas Hoult always had an inkling that he could be a great Lex Luthor, but he wanted to have a go at playing Superman first.

Hoult is opening up about how he got cast as Lex Luthor, the tech billionaire who becomes Superman’s most famous villain. The actor also shared insight into how he played the villain to make him the right amount to fearsome.

"There was a tiny little inkling voice inside of me," Hoult told Entertainment Weekly. "I was like, 'Maybe you could do a good job with the Lex stuff.'"

"And then I'd bury that thought immediately," The Great star continued, "because I was like, 'Hang on! You've got to focus on the Superman scenes. Let that be. Don't get sidetracked here, Nick.'"

Hoult not only had a hunch that he would be better suited to playing Lex, but also knew that David Corenswet would make the perfect Superman.

When he went to audition, he saw Cprenswet sitting there like Superman.

"He was sitting in the sunlight, just like Superman does to charge up, to get his powers back," Hoult recalled. "I looked at him and I was like, 'Wow! That's Superman.'"

During the audition, Hoult shared with director James Gunn some ideas about playing Lex, and soon got a call back.

"I kind of let out what I would describe as an evil cackle," he recalled, "because instantly, when I was reading the script and all those instinctual reactions I'd had, I was like, 'Oh, you were right! That is the character you're better suited to in this story.'"

Nicolas Hoult noted that he wanted Lex Luthor to be a “real, credible” threat to Superman.