At long last the DCU’s next Superman has been revealed, and it’s none other than predicted front-runner David Corenswet. The 29-year-old actor certainly looks the part of the dashing superhero with his chiseled jawline, steady gaze, and picture-perfect side profile, but his young age and limited acting portfolio has some skeptics worrying he doesn’t have what it takes to lead a huge franchise. While we won’t know for sure until Superman: Legacy actually comes out (it’s currently slated for a 2025 release), the roles Corenswet has chosen so far show the young actor might just have the skill set to lead James Gunn’s new DCU to victory.
Corenswet is still a relatively fresh face with limited acting credits prior to his graduating from Julliard in 2016. He began guest starring on network TV in 2017 with a role on Elementary and would land his first role in a feature film as a young congressional aide in Affairs of State a year later. Since then, Corenswet has gone on to become a Ryan Murphy favorite and starred in the critically acclaimed A-24 horror film Pearl.
If you want to see some of Corenswet’s work pre-Superman, here’s our ranking of his best TV and movie roles.
7. House of Cards (2018)
After appearing in Elementary, Corenswet continued to guest star in a few other popular shows like Netflix’s hit political drama House of Cards. In a 2018 episode, Corenswet appears as Claire Underwood’s college sweetheart in a flashback sequence. While House of Cards ended on a sudden and sour note thanks to multiple allegations of sexual misconduct from star Kevin Spacey, it’s hard to deny that the show was one of Netflix’s best. Since Corenswet only plays a small role in one episode, it’s hard to justify moving this entry high on the list but it’s definitely impressive to have on his resume.
6. Affairs of State (2018)
Corenswet stars in his first feature film as Michael Lawson, an ambitious political aide for senator John Baines (David James Elliot), who’ll do anything to get ahead in his career. When he sleeps with his boss’s wife, he starts a domino effect that sees him going up against his activist housemate (Thora Birch) and his political rival, the senator’s top aide (Adrien Grenier) in a battle that might just cost him his life. If this movie couldn’t get any more complicated, he also ends up starting a relationship with the senator’s daughter (which is very The Graduate of him if you ask me). It’s an ambitious role to tackle for your first feature length film, and while the movie definitely has some problems, Corenswet’s performance isn’t one of them.
5. The Politician (2019)
It might be a stretch to say Corenswet stars in The Politician since his character dies in the first episode, but he still shows up in the majority of the first season in flashbacks and dream sequences. He plays River Barkley, the political rival and sometimes-lover of main character Payton Hobart (Ben Platt). Payton is an uncomfortably ambitious teenager hell-bent on becoming president of the United States, after he conquers school politics of course, and Corenswet as River is a great foil for Payton. The show is, like much of Ryan Murphy’s work, occasionally too quippy for its own good but if you enjoyed Glee and Scream Queens, you’ll likely enjoy this.
4. Hollywood (2020)
If there’s one thing Ryan Murphy loves, it’s using a revolving cast of actors in different projects and Corenswet no doubt impressed the filmmaker enough to join the cast of the 2020 limited Netflix series Hollywood. Corenswet plays the main protagonist Jack Castello, a World War II veteran who moves to Hollywood in order to follow his dreams of becoming a star, but as we all know, there would be no story if it was that easy. The show both romanticizes and criticizes retro Hollywood, showcasing an industry where racism and homophobia runs rampant and bright-eyed hopefuls are exploited sexually in order to get closer to their dreams. Throughout the show, the characters work toward creating a film industry where diversity is celebrated in a historical Hollywood that diverges from our own, but like much of Murphy’s work, the series isn’t for everyone. Despite that, it’s an enjoyable romp with an amazing cast, and some great music.
3. Look Both Ways (2022)
It’s almost a rite of passage for good-looking Hollywood actors to star in a romantic comedy and luckily, Look Both Ways is one with a refreshing concept. The film shows two different paths college student Natalie’s (Lili Reinhart) life can take depending on the outcome of a pregnancy test she takes on the night of her graduation. The film is a wholesome watch, giving reassurance for anyone who’s ever wondered what their life would like if they made different decisions. Corenswet plays Natalie’s swoon-worthy coworker and love interest in the timeline where she doesn’t get pregnant. It’s a sweet film for any rom-com enjoyers and both Corenswet and Reinhart give great performances.
2. We Own This City (2022)
Corenswet’s most recent work was in the HBO limited series We Own This City as David McDougall, a veteran investigator on Maryland’s Hartford County Task Force. The series, comprising six episodes, is as close to a sequel of HBO’s critically-acclaimed drama The Wire as you can get. It’s even developed by David Simon and George Pelecanos, frequent collaborators and the team behind The Wire, but the biggest difference between the two shows is that this one is rooted in truth. Based off the non-fiction book We Own This City: A True Story of Cops, Crime, and Corruption by former Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton, We Own This City tells the story of the famously corrupt Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force and the resulting fallout once the officers were indicted on multiple corruption charges.
1. Pearl (2022)
Probably the most well-known entry on this list, Pearl tells the story of a mentally disturbed, violent woman who dreams of becoming a star and escaping her dreary life of taking care of her paralyzed father and living with her abusive mother. Corenswet plays an unnamed projectionist who develops a relationship with Pearl and encourages her to pursue her dreams. Eventually he realizes he’s dealing with a very messed up individual, but like most horror movie love interests, it’s a little too late for this dashing dude. If Corenswet continues to choose roles as carefully as he has so far, we predict he’ll have a long and fruitful career in Hollywood.
