Actors Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum, known for their roles as Clark Kent/Superman and Lex Luthor respectively, recently shared insights into how Smallville laid the groundwork for the Arrowverse franchise that emerged later on The CW. Their reflections were featured in the latest issue of Wingman magazine.
Legacy of Smallville in the DC TV Era
During the interview, Welling and Rosenbaum highlighted the significant influence of Smallville on the evolution of superhero content in television. They reminisced about a time when the superhero genre was far less prevalent and discussed how their show catalyzed the development of subsequent series, ultimately giving rise to the popular Arrowverse.
Insights from Michael Rosenbaum
ROSENBAUM: I think the last few seasons of “Smallville”they started doing digital. And then all these other shows that came out were all digital, which I think it lost a little bit of its luster, maybe. But those shows all did great, and they were all people that I loved working with, and I have a lot of friends on them, and they were all enormous shows. But I love that you said that we were the first because I feel like we were. They looked at our show and said “Wow! This worked, how do we do another one of those?”What happens when something works in the entertainment industry? They try and recreate it, and they did it with “Arrow,”and “The Flash,”and “Superman and Lois.”By doing that, they say thanks without ever saying thanks. But we’re aware, and they’re aware that we were the 1st of all those shows. And I think that you know that makes me feel good, knowing that we were the 1st of many.
Tom Welling on Technological Advances
WELLING: I think that we were very fortunate that when “Smallville”started, visual effects had become affordable or within the means of a television budget. And we had some really interesting people around us who were able to maximize that. And it set a tone. And, Mike, you know, you talked about going from film to digital. I think one of the things that maybe gets lost in translation is that film is very expensive. So, when the camera rolls, it’s really important that everybody’s ready. Looking back, I see that when we went digital, which wasn’t right away, but there was more like, we’ll do it again. Yeah I’m sorry I forgot your question already [Laughs.]
The Ripple Effect on Subsequent Shows
ROSENBAUM: No, you’re right. A lot of these shows came after “Smallville”and I think even movies. There were more of these kinds of movies made, and they saw them, and were in awe that we’re doing it on the small screen. They didn’t try and emulate it, but took our formula and said, “How can we do this in our own way?”They had a lot of the same crews, same directors and DPs on “Arrow”and on “The Flash.”They wanted to do what they knew worked. So, it made perfect sense.
For further details, read the full interview in Wingman.
For additional insights and images, visit Screen Rant.
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