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In 1948 Kirk Alyn became the first actor to wear the Superman suit for a live-action project. In the decades since, men like George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh, and Henry Cavill have followed in his footsteps.

This meant that there were dozens of Superman actors that Tyler Hoechlin could look to for inspiration when he was first cast as the Man of Steel in 2016 for Supergirl. So, which actor did Hoechlin use as his template?

“I still haven’t seen them,” Hoechlin admits on an episode of Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast.

While it may seem odd that Hoechlin didn’t look to the Supermen that came before, the actor explains that he didn’t want to subconsciously copy any of the other actors. “Once I knew I was going to do it, I don’t want to have things to avoid. I don’t want to have things I feel like I can’t do because they did it,” Hoechlin says.

After appearing on six episodes of Supergirl and other Arrowversse crossovers, Hoechlin’s Superman was given his own spinoff in 2021 called Superman and Lois. Even then, he avoided looking at what the other Supermen actors had done. However, there was one man who he based his Superman performance off. “Honestly, my dad. Really doing it. Pops. Especially the Clark Kent stuff.”

Not only is that a heartwarming answer, but it’s exactly what Superman would say.

Enjoy our guides to how to watch the recent DCEU, the Arrowverse, and James Gunn's upcoming DCU.