Jacob Elordi Says He Turned Down Superman Audition Because It Was "Too Dark"
Jacob Elordi, the actor who recently played Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s Pricilla, recently revealed in an interview with GQ magazine that he was asked to audition for the role of Superman, but turned down the opportunity because it was “too dark.” He is likely referring to James Gunn’s upcoming film Superman: Legacy, which is the most recent project that was going through the casting process earlier this year. When asked about doing superhero movies, the actor said:
“I’ve always been told to say a rounded answer or my agent will get mad at me. ‘Anything can happen!’ And obviously anything can happen, but at this stage in my life, I don’t see myself having any interest in that. I like to make what I would watch, and I get very restless watching those movies.
“I’m supposed to finish it with: ‘Never say never!’ Well, they asked me to read for Superman. That was immediately, ‘No, thank you.’ That’s too much. That’s too dark for me.”
It sounds like he didn’t really do any research on what Gunn is doing with Superman because Gunn’s Superman is described as the “embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.” That doesn’t sound like a dark version of the character. Regardless, he obviously isn’t interested in these roles. At the same time, his upcoming Saltburn movie looks pretty damn dark.
David Corenswet was announced in this summer for Gunn’s Superman, with Rachel Brosnahan cast as Lois Lane. Nathan Fillion is cast as Guy Gardner, aka Green Lantern, Isabela Merced will play Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi is Mister Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan will take on the role of a superhero named Metamorpho, whose alter ego is the archaeologist Rex Mason.
Elordi went on to talk about The Kissing Booth movies that he made, saying: “I didn’t want to make those movies before I made those movies. Those movies are ridiculous. They’re not universal. They’re an escape.”
When the idea was brought up that The Kissing Booth trilogy fit into the “one for them, one for me” Hollywood, Elordi responded: “That one’s a trap as well. Because it can become 15 for them, none for you. You have no original ideas and you’re dead inside. So it’s a fine dance. “My ‘one for them,’ I’ve done it.”
He went on to say: “How is caring about your output pretentious? But not caring, and knowingly feeding people shit, knowing that you’re making money off of people’s time, which is literally the most valuable thing that they have. How is that the cool thing?”
Elordi’s next film is Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn, and he’s currently in production with Paul Schrader on the film Oh, Canada, and he will be shooting Euphoria Season 3 next year.