Smallville's success built on young Superman's shoulders

By MICHELE MANELIS

The surprise success of the hit series Smallville (now in its third season) rests primarily on the square shoulders of its hero, the young Superman/Clark Kent, played by Tom Welling.

"You never know how things are going to turn out. When it first came up, I turned down the role twice. Originally, I thought it was going to be the cape, the tights, the running around, just a younger version of Superman saving the day.

"And even though I'm playing a character who we all know who he's going to become and what he'll do, it's about him trying to be a normal high school kid, and having true relationships. That's when it interested me."

Welling, 27, is conducting interviews at the chic W Hotel in Los Angeles, a yearly opportunity for the cast members to promote Smallville.

"I think the first couple of seasons were about establishing who Clark is and what the other characters are about. In this season we have much stronger storylines to which I think people of all ages will relate."

Good looking almost to a fault, Welling comes across as a regular guy, albeit a little earnest.

"Overall, Smallville is a show about self-discovery and finding out what our purpose is in life, on this planet, in history. And I think there are some similarities between me and Clark. I think I'm a fairly nice person. And like him, I have good intentions. I like to see the people around me happy and doing well. I try to help people wherever I can."

Thankfully, the too-good-to-be-true Clark Kent, who may be in danger of veering towards the bland, has a chance to reveal his dark side in this season. "I've played the same character for nine months out of the year and it's a constant struggle to keep it fresh.

"Playing evil when I was under the influence of red kryptonite meant I could be a teenager and be a little rough with some people and throw them around," he says, smiling. And of his one-man crime spree, he says: "It was great."

As for the future of the next big-screen adaptation, Superman Returns, (directed by Bryan Singer, responsible for the X-Men movies) is slated for a 2006 release.

But the troubled, on-again, off-again production is still without a star. The list of potential actors who have considered donning the cape and tights include Nicolas Cage, Josh Hartnett, Ashton Kutcher, Brendan Fraser, Paul Walker, and, of course, Welling.

"It would be something to consider but I don't even let myself think about it. It's too big an idea," he smiles.

Like any TV series based around the life of teenagers, at some point, they have to age. Welling isn't concerned.

"No one really knows Clark's age. I know he has a driver's licence and he's got a cellphone this season, but no one knows how old he is. And it's not too daunting for me to play that age. It's not that long ago for me so I can still relate to those issues."

For now, Welling is content to remain on the small screen.

"I hope the tights and the cape and the flying don't come too quickly, because I think I would go away when that happens.

"The interesting thing for me about Clark is that it's him being grounded, so to speak, not flying around, not making it so easy, not just saving the day. I like that he lives as a normal human being, as much as possible."

Given his heart-throb status, Welling isn't exactly living like a normal human being, either.

"My wife [Jamie White, whom he married two years ago] deals with the hullabaloo pretty well. It wouldn't be so bad to be married to someone who's having a great career and gets recognised for it," he says.

"I play a guy who is quite approachable. I'm a warm, nice guy on screen so I get those type of fans. They're never a problem. Now, Lex Luthor, he might be getting a little different crowd to me," Welling laughs.

"What matters is that I'm doing what I want to do, and my wife knows that. There are a lot of people out there who can't say that. We both feel fortunate about our situation. Smallville will not last forever so we're just enjoying this time while it lasts."

The star: Tom Welling

The show: Smallville

The time: Saturday, 8.05pm

The place: TV2