James Gunn Says Only Chris Pratt Could Match David Corenswet’s Performance in SUPERMAN

James Gunn wasn’t going to make Superman without finding the perfect Clark Kent, and he made that very clear in a recent interview with GQ, admitting:

“I said from the beginning, if I don’t find Superman, I’m not going to do this movie. Because I knew that this was dependent on the guy that’s playing Superman.”

His journey led him David Corenswet, an actor best known for Pearl and Affairs of State. According to Gunn, Corenswet didn’t just look the part, he was the part. What Gunn needed was someone who could strike a delicate balance.

The film is, in Gunn’s words, “tonally complex,” blending “drama, comedy, and action,” which meant the actor had to hit all those notes without missing a beat.

He explained. “I couldn’t go for someone that had the looks and the chops, or someone who “had the chops but didn’t have the look.” He continued, “I couldn’t go for someone that had the looks and the chops, but couldn’t do the comedic parts, or couldn’t do the more vulnerable aspects.”

Corenswet, by all accounts, brought everything to the role that Gunn was looking for. He also said of the actor, “A theater kid that’s so athletic is even weirder.”

But then Gunn added: “The only person I’ve ever worked with who could have done what David did is Chris Pratt.”

That doesn’t mean Gunn had Pratt in mind for Superman. But it does show how much Gunn respects Pratt’s range. Comedy, vulnerability, physique, Pratt’s got the full package that Gunn was looking for.

Their history with Guardians of the Galaxy clearly built a strong bond. Gunn previously said, “He’s one of my closest friends in the world,” and added that he’s “always looking for something” for Pratt in the DCU.