It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Tyler Hoechlin!
The “Teen Wolf” star dons the famous red cape to play the latest incarnation of Clark Kent/Superman in the new CW series “Superman & Lois.”
“I feel like I understand a lot about Clark and Superman. Obviously not the powers, I wish I knew what it was like to fly — that would be great,” Hoechlin, 33, told The Post.
“But he does the right thing when there’s no reason other than ‘Why not?’ My folks raised us that way. I know you don’t have to do the right thing all the time — but it doesn’t make sense to me why you wouldn’t. That’s something about him that I connect to. And his eternal optimism.
“I grew up a romantic, then I became a cynic in my twenties and then realized that sucks,” he said. “I enjoy waking up in the morning and hoping that we will get there. Wherever there is that we’re hoping…so I appreciate that about him.”
Premiering Tuesday, Feb. 23 (8 p.m.), the series is a more mature take on the famous story. The pilot’s opening showcases all the familiar beats — Clark’s arrival on Earth as a baby and his idyllic childhood in Smallville; his move to Metropolis as a young man and his job at the Daily Planet; meeting and falling for scrappy journalist Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch, “Grimm”). But after catching up to his adult life, the series gets to its main story in following Clark and Lois after they’ve already been married for years and are parents to two teen boys.
“It’s really not a show about Superman, it’s about a husband and a wife who are parents and the husband happens to be Superman,” said Hoechlin. “It’s interesting when you look at how someone that the world sees as this iconic figure — what does he look like to his children? Because Dad is always embarrassing. It’s fun to play with that and see who they really are in those more intimate moments, when they’re not playing this character for the world.”
In addition to “Teen Wolf” (2011-2017) and “7th Heaven,” (2003-2007), Hoechlin appeared in movies including the ’80s period piece “Everybody Wants Some!!” Although “Superman & Lois” is not his first time playing Superman — his rendition of the character has been around since 2016, appearing in The CW’s other DC shows such as “Supergirl,” “Arrow,” and “The Flash” — “Superman & Lois” marks the first time that he’s gotten his own show.
“Every once in a while I have that moment where it hits you, ‘I’m wearing a cape today, that’s what I’m doing at work. I am wearing a cape today!’ ”
Before taking up acting, Hoechlin was on his way to a pro baseball career until an injury caused him to pivot to Hollywood. He said it taught him persistence, which he’s brought to his current career (“baseball is a game of failure and so is this business — you take a lot of swings and only get a few hits”).
For that reason, he said he hasn’t seen past onscreen Supermen such as Henry Cavill, Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, Dean Cain or Christoper Reeve.
“[My exposure to other Supermen] was very little if I’m being completely honest,” he said. “I was playing baseball competitively and working as an actor from the time I was young. I had other interests, but not many that I could put much time into.
“I’ve intentionally stayed away [from Superman since getting the role],” he said. “I’ve found it more beneficial to have an impulse and trust it without the hesitation of, ‘Oh, so-and-so already did that.’ It makes it easier to just go do my thing without overthinking it. Since it wasn’t something that I grew up so close to, it allows me to play it without that pressure.”
