The upcoming DC Universe is kicking off this summer with the release of Superman. In the lead up to the newest take on one of the biggest icons to come out of comic books, one actor in particular already felt the weight of the legacy resting on him. 

Skyler Gisondo has been brought onto the new James Gunn films to play Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy is the best friend and a fellow reporter on the Daily Planet alongside Clark Kent, played this time by David Corenswet. 

Jimmy Olsen has been appearing regularly in Superman comics since the 40s, marking him as one of the longest lasting characters within the story. He’s popped up in film and TV adaptations many times before, most notably played by Marc McClure alongside Christopher Reeve in the 1978 Superman. 

Despite the many years and many versions of Jimmy Olsen, Gisondo has decided to approach the character in a way comic fans may not expect. While on episode 11 of the podcast DC Studios Showcase, Gisondo explained that instead of immersing himself in the 80+ years of content in which Jimmy appears, he’s taking an approach that involves little prior familiarity with the character.

Explaining the weight that comes with telling those closest to him that he’s going to be in a Superman film, Gisondo explained his approach.  “So in an attempt not to spiral and freak out, I was like ‘That’s just… It’s going to be fun, it’s not a big deal.’ I almost intentionally didn’t want to dive into the history and feel the weight of, like, ‘Holy sh-t, we have such a responsibility to get this right.’ So I kinda just came in freestyling, man. So hopefully that works,” he said, according to ComicBook.com. 

This isn’t the first time Gisondo has been in a comic book movie in his career. Before Superman, he had a small supporting role in The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel, as one of the younger siblings of Peter Parker’s girlfriend, Gwen Stacey.

 Superman hits theaters July 11th.