David Corenswet looks unrecognizable in his audition tape for Superman

David Corenswet may be the official new face of Superman, but a recently resurfaced audition tape is giving fans a glimpse of the actor before he slipped into the cape and one of the world’s most famous heroes. The footage shows Corenswet in a raw and stripped-down moment, far from the polished image DC has since unveiled. Without the suit, the chiseled look, or the cinematic grandeur, he looks almost unrecognizable, a reminder that even icons start as hopeful actors in front of a camera, chasing a dream that, in his case, turned into destiny.

In the video that is Corenswet's original audition tape, the actor is seen performing the scene where Lois Lane interviews him. Unlike the film scene, in the tape the lines are different and the environment is less tense and hostile.

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The tape has resurfaced conversations about Corenswet's casting as Superman, a role that has received much love from the public, who have praised him for fitting in as the Kryptonian hero and giving him a new face. Before becoming Superman, Corenswet was seen in films like Twister, Pearl, and The Politician, but none of it, of course, matched the grandeur of being DC's biggest hero.

More details on Superman

Superman marks the bold rebirth of DC’s most iconic hero, soaring in as the first film of James Gunn’s new DC Universe. Written and directed by Gunn, the film serves as both a reboot of the Superman film series and a fresh starting point for the DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. The film takes inspiration from the opriginal comics and All-Star Superman, with the result being a hero that mirrors his comics counterpart.

David Corenswet steps into the cape as Clark Kent, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and a supporting cast that includes Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced.

The story pushes Superman into morally gray territory: after intervening in a brewing conflict between Boravia and Jarhanpur, he’s blamed for escalating tensions. On the other hand, Lex Luthor continues to conspire against him, and matters worsen when Luthor unleashes a powerful metahuman known as the Hammer of Boravia, later revealed to be Ultraman, a sinister clone of Superman himself. What we see is him battling not only his darkest mirror, but also the growing fear that his parents’ final message was right: that Krypton’s last son was meant to rule, not save.

Gunn balances cosmic spectacle with deeply human questions and a new idea of kindness being the new punk rock. Released in July, the film opened to positive reviews from fans and critics alike and has so far garnered $600 million at the box office. The film also launches Supergirl, who will lead Gunn's next directorial venture in the DCU.