A good hero needs a good villain to clash with. But for Nicholas Hoult, playing the main villain in Superman, it could’ve ended up very differently, namely with him playing the titular hero. 

Nichols Hoult brings to life the most recent portrayal of Lex Luthor, a self proclaimed criminal mastermind. Feeling threatened by him, Luthor continues to find ways to strip the man of steel of any positive reputation he has, trying to discover what can break him in the public eye. 

Hoult, who also appeared in Mad Max: Fury Road and X-Men: Days Of Future Past, opened up about the audition process for Superman. Rather than go for Lex, Hoult opted to attempt a read for Clark Kent himself, with David Corenswet winding up being cast. 

While talking about his audition, Hoult explained that he thought it went fairly well. But when walking through the lot on his way out, the area was cast in shadows except for one specific spot. 

“And David had taken a seat in this ray of sunshine and was sitting there, like, charging up from the sun … like Superman does, getting his power,” he said, according to Deadline. 

He recounted the story further, saying that he went over to talk to Corenswet, thinking he had the physique that was required to play Superman. “And then he started speaking, and I shook his hand, and I was like, ‘His hands are a bit bigger than me.’ And then he spoke, and I was like, ‘Oh, his voice is a little bit deeper too,’” he said on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Although he knew that he would lose out on the part in the moment, he also thought that Corenswet was, as he described it, the perfect pick for Superman. 

Superman hits theaters July 11th.