Despite the temptation, Tom Welling refused to wear the Superman suit and was praised for it.
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Tom Welling returned to The CW in December 2022 as Samuel Campbell in The Winchesters, a prequel series to the famous fantasy drama Supernatural. It is the second time that the actor has featured in a significant role on the network since he played a teenage Clark Kent in Smallville between 2001 and 2011.
One of Welling’s first post-Smallville roles was in the sports drama film Draft Day, which was released in 2014. In the movie, he played the role of football quarterback Brian Drew. In 2016, the actor appeared as Dr. Ryan McCarthy in the film The Choice, a romantic drama film based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks.
In 2017, Welling joined the cast of Lucifer, as he took on the role of Marcus Pierce / Cain in the hit series by Fox. Although the network canceled the show after Season 3, it was soon picked up by Netflix, and Welling went on to feature in a total of 22 episodes.
Since Smallville, Welling has also starred in the action series Professionals and in an episode of DC’s Batwoman. Both shows aired on The CW as well. He also played Secret Service Agent Roy Kellerman in the 2013 historical drama film Parkland.
Smallville Was Tom Welling’s Breakout Role
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Tom Welling’s career before Smallville was somewhat limited. Before he became an actor, he worked as a model, appearing in a number of advertising campaigns for various brands.
Prior to being cast as Clark Kent in the hit TV series, he had only a few minor acting credits to his name. One of his earliest roles was in 2001 in the television series Judging Amy. In the same year, he also had a brief appearance in an episode of Special Unit 2.
Welling’s big break came in 2001 when he was finally chosen to play Clark in Smallville. The show, which aired for ten seasons, was a modern day retelling of the Superman story, and followed Clark’s journey from a teenage outsider to a superhero. The actor’s portrayal of such a complex and relatable character won him widespread praise and helped to make Smallville a massive success.
The role of Clark Kent proved to be a career-defining one for Welling, as it launched him into the spotlight and opened up numerous opportunities for him in the entertainment industry.
Why Did Tom Welling Refuse To Don The Superman Suit In Smallville?
The transformation of Tom Welling’s character in Smallville was meant to see him grow from being a shy teenager into the world’s greatest superhero. As such, there was a general expectation that towards the end of the show, Clark Kent would don the famous “S” suit and take flight as Superman.
This never happened — to the great disappointment of many — but Welling remained adamant that it was the correct decision. “It was something that we discussed before we ever shot the pilot with [creators] Al [Gough] and Miles [Millar],” the New York-born star told Entertainment Weekly in 2017.
“We literally had a sit down where we talked about the show and I asked about the suit and the tights and the flying, and they said, ‘No, absolutely not,” he continued. “Part of the reason being is that [the] show is about a teenager trying to figure out who he is. They felt that once Clark put on the cape and the suit, life became too easy, in a sense.”
The Smallville Producers Agreed With Tom Welling’s Decision
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Tom Welling was met with no opposition when he decided not to wear Superman’s suit and fly, even in the series finale. In fact, he was only staying true to that spirit of the show that was communicated to him by the producers in the very beginning.
Clark Kent’s coming of age as a teenager was a central theme in Smallville. Welling portrayed the character as a high school student struggling to come to terms with his emerging superpowers and his role as a hero in the small, fictional town of Smallville.
Through his struggles and triumphs, Clark learns valuable lessons about friendship, loyalty, and the importance of standing up for what he believed in. In the end, he emerges as a true hero, ready to take on the challenges of the world as Superman. Still, Welling and the producers of Smallville felt that depicting his character after he has crossed that line would have been a betrayal of the original intent of the show.
“They wanted to focus on who this character was before that,” Welling said in the interview with EW. Money factored into the decision-making process as well, with visual effects not as advanced back then as they are now.
Source: thethings.com
