During the production of Superman, writer-director James Gunn engaged in a deeply emotional debate with lead actor David Corenswet about the intensity and meaning behind the character’s pivotal speech. This exchange took place on set while filming the movie’s climactic moment, giving rare insight into the creative process behind the film’s powerful dialogue.
The scene features Superman delivering a forceful speech to his nemesis Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult, in response to an insult. Gunn pushed Corenswet to elevate the performance’s emotional depth, sparking a profound discussion about the character’s vulnerability and what his words truly represent.
Behind the Scenes of a Heated Creative Debate
James Gunn shared an extended clip from the making-of documentary, Adventures of Making Superman, in which the two artists confront different interpretations of a critical scene. When Lex calls Superman a “piece of shit alien,” Superman retorts:
“That’s where you’ve always been wrong about me, Lex,”
and then delivers a speech emphasizing how his flaws and vulnerabilities make him human. While filming, Gunn encouraged Corenswet to intensify his delivery, but the actor—drawing on his theater background—expressed reservations about the emotional weight behind the line.
Gunn recalls,
“all of a sudden, David stops, and I’m like, oh no, David’s doing his thing.”
Corenswet detailed his thought process, explaining the importance of fully understanding the text:
“I love talking about text and what each word means and what each punctuation mark means, and I can piss people off doing that. I need it to make sense. I need to know what I’m trying to do.”
The Actor’s Conflict Over Superman’s Emotional Response
The debate became more visible as Corenswet questioned why Superman would be so emotional confronting Lex after his adoptive father, Pa Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince), had earlier reassured him that his choices, not his alien origins, define who he is. Corenswet struggled with the notion of yelling in anger at Lex despite this inner reassurance.
On set, Corenswet admitted,
“I feel weak with me yelling at him,”
while Gunn watched from a distance, communicating through a microphone.
Gunn responded by framing the moment as Superman acknowledging his own hurt:
“It’s the moment of you acknowledging your own weakness, your own hurt feelings, so that everyone that hears Superman knows that that’s OK for all of us to feel that way. And it’s not OK for the Lex Luthors of the world to be telling us we shouldn’t feel this way.”
Unconvinced, Corenswet questioned whether the insult from Lex could still wound him given Pa Kent’s earlier comfort:
“But, now I know that Pa Kent gave me what I need. If [Lex] says, ‘You’re an alien,’ that doesn’t do what it did to me before, right?”
Gunn countered firmly,
“Except, I think it’s not a magic bullet.”
An Intense and Respectful Exchange on Vulnerability
After leaving the set, Corenswet confronted Gunn directly, passionately but respectfully expressing his perspective on the speech’s emotional truth. The actor shared his fear that delivering the line as written might seem like he was trying to prove something rather than truly embodying it:
“If I say, ’That’s what it is to be human!’ that feels like I’m trying to prove it still, as opposed to, I really know it,”
He also revealed the deep personal resonance behind the words, explaining feeling unworthy and disconnected since his initial experiences:
“I felt like shit about myself since the recording came out. It’s just been like, ‘I don’t belong, I’m shit, everything’s a lie, I’m not who I thought I was.’ Is this not the moment where I go, ‘I was wrong to feel that way?’”
Gunn listened intently before approaching Corenswet and explaining the core of the issue. Gunn emphasized that the problem was not feeling vulnerable or hurt, but feeling ashamed of those feelings:
“That’s where the issue is, right? Because what [Pa Kent] didn’t tell you was it was wrong to feel that way. Your feelings about feeling bad are OK. It’s not wrong for you to feel that way. … And in this moment, for you to talk about how it’s OK to be vulnerable, you have to be vulnerable, which means showing Lex that your fucking feelings are hurt.”
The Breakthrough Performance That Moved the Crew
Having understood the emotional direction Gunn was advocating for, Corenswet returned to the set and performed the speech again, this time embodying the raw pain and vulnerability his director had urged him to show. This new take deeply affected those watching, including Gunn and Peter Safran, DC Studios co-chief and the film’s producer, both moved to tears.
Reflecting on the process, Gunn described their exchange as collaborative rather than confrontational:
“There’s no anger in any of this at all. There’s a reason why he’s asking all these questions. Because it makes it better.”
This intimate look behind the scenes highlights the passion and care involved in shaping a character as iconic as Superman, and the willingness of filmmakers and actors to wrestle with complex emotional truths to bring authenticity to their work.
