David Corenswet has been everywhere this year, and not just because Superman dominated the box office and the 2025 movie calendar. The actor is now addressing the viral behind-the-scenes clip that lit up social media — the moment he and director James Gunn were caught in a passionate creative debate on set. Instead of brushing it off, Corenswet is using the spotlight to explain what that exchange really meant to him.
In his VarietyActors on Actors sit-down with Jonathan Bailey, a conversation—part career therapy session, part geek-out over craft—he explained why he values that kind of creative back-and-forth. What Corenswet seems to reslish working with a director like James Gunn, who storyboards everything yet still invites actors to push and occasionally challenge him. The architect of the upcoming DCU movie slate even shared the footage on social media with pride, calling it one of his favorite moments on set. When it came to Corenswet’s take on that specific conversation, he explained:
I feel so lucky that that is on film, and it was interesting hearing from people what they thought of it — everything from, ‘Well, that’s what always happens,’ all the way to, ‘What a terrible working environment.’ For me, it does happen all the time. It was amazing how indefatigable James was. He very rarely got fed up with me, because I think he knew that the reason I’m having those conversations with him is, at my boldest, because I think I might see something that he doesn’t see and he might value. I never want any director to say, ‘Fine. If you need that, go do it.’ I’m not doing it just for me. I might see something here that you actually like, and then you’ll feel like it’s yours.
What makes the breakout talent’s take land is that it comes wrapped in humility and self-awareness, two traits highlighted throughout the interview. Corenswet admitted that his instinct to question everything has been with him since theater school. He continued:
But on the other end, I don’t know how to do a good job otherwise. I got this criticism in theater school quite a lot, and that was a good lesson to learn. As an actor you do need to let go. As a young actor, you’re sort of waiting to feel ready to make the action. There’s a practice of just, ‘Walk before you’re ready to walk. Just say the line before you’re ready to say the line.’
That push-pull between instinct and surrender is exactly what shows up in the behind-the-scenes footage Gunn shared on Instagram. The clip, pulled from Adventures of Making Superman, captures their passionate debate over Clark’s climactic speech to Lex Luthor. The director keeps urging Corenswet to lean deeper into Superman’s vulnerability, while the Pearl veteran asks for clarity about why the character would reach that emotional pitch.
It’s the kind of exchange audiences rarely see on a massive studio production — an open, respectful argument in front of the whole crew, ending with the heartthrob performer returning to set and delivering the take that brought both DC Studio co-CEOs to tears.
Below is the video Gunn posted, giving fans a real-time look at the moment:
Moments like this explain why David Corenswet’s take on the Man of Steel has resonated so widely. He’s approaching the role with the same mix of vulnerability and precision that shows up in that on-set debate, and the final film reflects it. If anything, the clip only deepened my appreciation for the thought that went into shaping Clark’s emotional arc. Corenswet’s performance — paired with Gunn’s vision for Chapter One of the DCU and beyond — makes the movie worth revisiting, or catching for the first time if you’ve somehow missed it.
If the behind-the-scenes footage has you curious to see how it all plays out on screen, Superman is now streaming with an HBO Max subscription.
