Superman Actor Tyler Hoechlin Shares the Heartwarming Way Kids React When They See Him
Tyler Hoechlin became the Arrowverse’s Superman in 2016, when he guest starred on Supergirl. Hoechlin played Superman and Clark Kent in several crossovers, and now he’s getting his own show, Superman and Lois, in 2021. This isn’t just another acting job for Hoechlin.
Hoechlin appeared on a DC Fandome panel for Superman and Lois on Sept. 12. He discussed how kids reacting to him in costume show him the responsibility he bears for playing the role.
Tyler Hoechlin takes Superman seriously
Hoechlin knows kids are going to see his shows, since they are on broadcast TV and aren’t as intense as the Henry Cavill movies. He takes that seriously.
“There’s a heightened awareness,” Hoechlin said. “That’s what’s so great about this character, what I love about it is that what he stands for really just kind of grabs onto such an impressionable audience. These kids who look at him as a hero and all the things that he stands for. It’s something that does make me really excited about getting to play this character.”
Superman fans are different from ‘Teen Wolf’ fans
Hoechlin has been a part of shows with a strong fan base before, like Teen Wolf and 7th Heaven. Superman fans are different.
It’s just a different experience when you meet somebody who’s a fan of a different show. It’s a completely different experience than when someone comes up who’s a fan of Superman. I think a lot of that has to do with the legacy of it as well. It just goes back so far and there’ve been so many people to do it. It’s this longstanding tradition of this character and what he means. It might mean one thing to the five-year-old you’re meeting but to the dad or to their mom who also knew the character when they’re five and are still a fan, it’s such a wide range of impressions that have been made over the decades. It’s a different kind of experience.
Tyler Hoechlin, DC Fandome, 9/12/2020
Kids don’t know Tyler Hoechlin is only an actor
The part that means the most to Hoechlin is that little kids don’t really grasp that actors play different roles. They just see him wearing the Superman costume.
“We were on the set and I’ve been on sets before where there’s fans around and they want to meet the actors or something,” Hoechlin said. “To be there and to be in the Superman suit and to have a parent bring their five and six-year-olds up to the thing and say, ‘Hey, can they meet Superman?’ That’s a thing where you do realize that at that point, the parent might know who you are as the actor, but to the kids, you’re just Superman. You’re wearing the suit and that’s all they know. That’s the thing that changes the most is just that awareness when you’re around kids.”
