There is no question that actor Tyler Hoechlin gave the second season premiere of Supergirl an extra lift with his guest-starring turn as Superman. Now comes word that the actor will be returning to the show for its season finale.
When producer Greg Berlanti originally negotiated for the use of the character, Warner Bros gave permission for two episodes. Apparently he went back to the negotiating table and was able to secure the character for one more appearance. For fans, this is big news as Hoechlin provided a return to form for the Man Of Steel, moving away from the more angst-ridden approach taken on the big screen by director Zack Snyder with Henry Cavill.
At the time, executive producer Andrew Kreisberg pointed out that most times when an actor is introduced as the character, it's more or less an origin story or look at his early days. "We wanted to show a Superma who's been doing this for a decade and has gotten really, really good at it," he said. "We simultaneously wanted to have a Superman who was relatable and fun and sort of everything that you remember about Superman from your childhood that was great, while also, at the same time, de-mystifying him a little bit."
In an exclusive interview with Empire, Hoechlin described playing the character as the "most pure fun" that he's ever had filming a project. That was crystalized for him in a moment when a production assistant brought four kids, two of whom were seven or eight years old, over to meet him.
Tyler Hoechlin's introductory scene on Supergirl, to which a creative fan added the John Williams theme.
"I had the suit on," he reflected, "and they come over, and their eyes just light up. For ten minutes, I was, like, 'Oh, my God, to these kids, I am Superman. They don't know my name, they don't know who I am, they don't know what I've done. They have no idea.' I couldn't love that more. This is so great. I could make these kids' day, and it has nothing to do with me. It's just I'm the guy wearing the 'S. And that's it. That was such a cool experience to be able to do that for them, and then I always say that, selfishly, as an actor, it was really informative, because I went, 'You know what? That's who this guy is. He's there to make kids feel like they can do anything, they can be anyone; that good can triumph over evil.'
"It also kind of reminds us to be a kid again and have that kind of incredibly hopeful, optimistic outlook before we turn cynical when we get older," Hoechlin added. "That’s what I kind of started falling towards as a character, wanting kids to think that that optimistic view that you have when you're a kid of what the world can be, that we can still make it that, regardless of how many times the world tells us we can't."
Hoechlin's return will air towards the end of May. Supergirl airs on the CW in the US and Sky1 in the UK.
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