During a “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” panel at Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) on Friday, March 31, actor Zachary Levi revealed that he was once very close to playing Lex Luthor on the TV series “Smallville”.
Having originally auditioned for the role of Clark Kent for the series, Levi was then asked to also read for Lex Luthor. Levi recalled, “When it came to Smallville… I originally auditioned for Superman… Didn’t get it. Wasn’t meant to be. But at the audition for Superman, they go, ‘Hey listen, you did a great job. But we actually think you’re more Lex Luthor. Would you mind taking a look at these sides?’ And I was like, ‘OK.’ I came back in and I read for Lex and they were like, ‘Yeah, that’s great, we’re going to have you read for producers. And I read for producers, and they’re like, ‘Oh my god, yeah, we’re going to send you to studio test.’ And I studio tested, and then I went all the way to the network and David Nutter, who directed the Pilot, I had work sessions with him, I was like, ‘I’m going to be Lex Luthor!’ I was convinced I was going to be cast as Lex Luthor, move to Vancouver, and shave my head. It was all happening, and then it didn’t. I went all the way to network and they were like, ‘Nah, not really our guy.'”
The role, as we know, went to Michael Rosenbaum, who played the role of Lex Luthor on “Smallville” for the first seven seasons of the series, and then returned for the series finale at the end of Season 10.
Say what you will about Smallville, but they absolutely nailed the casting of Lex. Rosenbaum is still and will remain the quintessential Luthor for me.