CS: You showed a real flair for comedy playing Clark Kent. Is that a love of yours, doing the funny stuff?
Routh: It is. It's really my first love. The first theater that I ever did was playing a really silly character onstage and I'm a character a little bit in a leading man's body. So it's hard to get to those gigs because they don't think of me. I do my best to present myself as a leading man as well because I am both of those things. So it was great to be able to play Clark in "Superman Returns." I thought Clark was funny and that's why I loved playing him and I look forward to doing more of him when we do the sequel. I've already been pushing for more Clark and more funny.
CS: Do you have any expectation as to when you might go to work on "Man of Steel"?
Routh: I expect that we'll be working early next year. I know that Bryan [Singer] has pretty much finished out "Valkyrie" and is back in the states and is zeroing in on the story that he wants to tell. Once that arrives it's going to move pretty quickly. I think that everybody is getting excited. It's been three years now, really. It's hard to believe that it's been long, but everyone is getting jazzed and ready to go again. I certainly am.
CS: What sides of Superman and Clark Kent are you excited about exploring in the sequel?
Routh: Well, I think that something that audiences are looking for – and I certainly am, too – is for Superman to actually be able to lay a punch on someone or something. I was filming and I thought, "I haven't really hit anything. I feel like I'm going to need to let some of this anger out." So I'm happy that I think that's going to be a central part of the sequel, getting a good villain that we can actually have physical altercations with. Certainly also, I'd like more humor from Clark or just more of Clark and Jimmy. A little bit more of Lois and Clark, how we used to see them, a bit more of buddies. Perhaps things will be smoothed over with Superman and Lois and she can afford to be a little bit nicer to Clark. I think that's something that people want to see and those are some of the great moments from previous "Superman" films. Also, Superman and Lois getting together, that's always my end goal. I want that to happen. The romantic in me wants that to happen eventually whether they're finally together in this movie or in whatever future films there might be. I kind of want to see that happen.
CS: Poor James Marsden. He's getting used to losing the girl.
Routh: I know, but he had some good films come out this year, and so James is doing all right.
CS: Has Bryan given you any voice in the plan, maybe asking you what you'd like to see or what you're looking forward to?
Routh: Yeah, and well, even if he doesn't ask I tell him all the time. He's very receptive to my notes and my thoughts and so I just let him know. I keep telling him that thing about Lois and Superman getting together and I trust that if I keep repeating that he'll just think it's his own thought someday.
CS: Have you stayed in shape for the next time you have to put the suit on or is it going to be starting all over from scratch?
Routh: I'm definitely not starting over from scratch. There was certainly some time where I was like, "Ugh. I can't take anymore of this working out. It's been my life for too long." So I shunned it for a little while, but I've gotten back into it and it makes me feel better to do it too so that it doesn't feel like so much of a hassle, something that has to be done. I actually will be in a very good place when we start again and will see if I can't make it a little more bigger and a little bit more impressive.
