- 5 hours ago
How Well Do 'Smallville' Stars Tom Welling & Michael Rosenbaum Know Each Other?
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00:00Season 8, without me, was really good. Season 9, not so much.
00:04Do I get into it?
00:05I mean...
00:07Line!
00:08I put one trillion.
00:09Dude, if we had those ratings, we'd still be on the air.
00:12Good lord.
00:18What date did the Smallville pilot first air?
00:21Shit.
00:25I don't... shit.
00:28Hold on.
00:28I don't remember that.
00:34No, not 92.
00:35What am I talking about?
00:37You guys gotta clean these things.
00:39No.
00:40Premiere, the pilot, right?
00:42The pilot, dude.
00:44Not 2024.
00:45The pilot of the show.
00:47God.
00:50I'm still wrong.
00:52I don't know.
00:53You might be right.
00:54The answer is October 16, 2001.
00:56I got 2001 and I said September.
01:00God.
01:00Teamwork.
01:01For me, it was...
01:02I was never a comic book fan.
01:04I mean, I know it sounds terrible and people are gonna hate me for it.
01:06I didn't really know how big it really was.
01:09And they said, you know, you're gonna play Lex Luthor and we didn't have social media then.
01:13And so I felt like I had the liberty to just do what I wanted to do and be real
01:18and grounded.
01:18It was really the first origin story.
01:21I mean, seeing Lex, you know, and Clark as friends, and then obviously we know what happens with their relationship,
01:28but I thought it was really fascinating and it had never been done.
01:31And then, you know, then...
01:33Here we are.
01:34And then they started ripping Smallville off by doing all these other shows.
01:38I'm just kidding.
01:39No, you're not.
01:41Sort of kidding.
01:41The ratings for the series premiere broke records for the WB.
01:45What were they?
01:48Jeez Louise, is this like the first week?
01:51It's so weird now because back then what would they have been?
02:00I put 12 million, biatch.
02:02I put 1 trillion.
02:04That's a terrible answer.
02:05The correct answer is 8.4 million.
02:078.4!
02:08But I said...
02:09You're close.
02:10You're just being funny.
02:12Well, I mean, worldwide.
02:14It wasn't trillion.
02:15You know how much a trillion is?
02:18A trillion is like a lot of millions.
02:22Billions.
02:23It's billions.
02:24More than billions.
02:25You put...
02:25Dude, if we had those ratings, we'd still be on the air.
02:29Good lord.
02:30I remember going to those upfronts and seeing the other actors from the shows and having all these shows around
02:36us.
02:37It was like great to be a part of something that we felt like we had something big.
02:42And I had never been on something so enormous in my life.
02:44And you're lucky that you had it once in a lifetime.
02:46Early on, I think it was season one, they had us come down to the Golden Globes and there was
02:50a big party in a hotel.
02:51And David Boreanaz was there and he walked by and I said, hey man, how you doing?
02:55I'm an actor and I just want to say hello.
02:57He goes, what show are you on?
02:58I said, this is your Smallville.
02:59It's about to come out.
02:59And he couldn't have been more cool and nicer and just really made me think like, oh, you can be
03:05that and be successful.
03:07And it wasn't until maybe six months ago I saw him and I go, I don't know if you remember
03:12this, but I was at this hotel.
03:13I remember the hotel.
03:14I remember everything.
03:15And I go, you were the coolest dude.
03:16And it really just meant a lot to me how cool you were.
03:18And he goes, yeah, I don't remember.
03:20Where was Tom when he got scouted for his first modeling job?
03:24Holy.
03:24I don't know why you would know this.
03:26I'm going to go.
03:27It's either New York or Michigan.
03:29No, I was both wrong.
03:32Nantucket.
03:32You were in Nantucket.
03:33Two tears in a bucket, mother.
03:36We were in like a group of like, I don't know, 15, 20 people just hanging out, having fun and,
03:41you know, in our late teens hanging out on a beach.
03:44And they came up and they were like, hey guys, what's going on?
03:46Scouting for models for a clothing company.
03:50Have any of you guys ever done that before?
03:51Mind if we get some like Polaroids and like your phone numbers?
03:54And they pretty much took Polaroids of all of us.
03:57Within a month, I think I was in Lake George, New York, shooting a catalog for Abercrombie & Fitch.
04:03Unbelievable how that happens.
04:04What would you have done if you didn't become a, I bet like a fireman or something?
04:07Probably a, yeah.
04:09Like a?
04:10A waiter.
04:11How many times did Tom turn down the role of Clark Kent before accepting?
04:15Hmm.
04:17I think.
04:18What'd you put?
04:19Turn down is a, is a harsh.
04:21I put one.
04:23It's two.
04:24Really?
04:24Yeah.
04:25When the audition came up, they weren't releasing the script.
04:27And my representation at the time was like, that either means it's not good or they don't have a script.
04:32So let's just, you know, let's not go to that one.
04:35Go to the one that we know is, could be better.
04:38And then a couple of weeks later, we got the call back again for it.
04:41And it was sort of the same thing.
04:42And then David Nutter, the director called and said, listen, we're really interested in Tom.
04:46We'd like to have him come in, sign an NDA and read the script.
04:48So I went into Warner Brothers and read the script and realized how good I thought it could be.
04:53So then after that, there was maybe one more meeting with Al Miles and a couple of people.
04:57And that was it.
04:58Wow.
04:58Yeah.
04:59I said, wow, but I've heard that story a million times.
05:01If Smallville got a reboot, who would say yes first?
05:07Hell.
05:12First place, Tom.
05:14Second place, Erica.
05:16Third place, Kristen.
05:17Oh, you know what?
05:18I mean, if it was the, what'd you put?
05:21Erica.
05:22I put second place, Derek.
05:22I thought maybe you would say yes if it was, you know, Alan Miles, the creators who had this great
05:27idea.
05:27I just can't imagine what that idea would be.
05:29Yeah, it's hard to fathom because we're older now.
05:32So it's like, you know, but you know, it could maybe if it was, I don't know.
05:37You never say never.
05:38I mean, they're rebooting everything.
05:40Erica Durant, she played Lois Lane on the show.
05:42And I just feel like she'd be keen to join on.
05:44She's easier.
05:45Kristen would be the hard one.
05:46She might consider it.
05:47But I think you and I, if Alan Miles said we had this great idea, we would definitely listen.
05:52Neither of us put you on our list.
05:55Funny.
05:56Well, I think you're right.
05:57I think the right answer is Erica.
05:59That's a point for Tom.
06:01God bless.
06:02Besides Tom, who is your favorite Superman actor?
06:14Christopher.
06:15Christopher and then David Cornswit.
06:17Cornswit.
06:18Cornswit.
06:19What?
06:20I thought he was really great in the movie.
06:22You know, but Christopher Reeve will always, you know, besides you.
06:25But you weren't Superman.
06:27You were Clark Kent.
06:27We flew to New York.
06:29Me and one of our producers, Greg Beaman.
06:30And the idea was we were going to shoot Chris's side of the scene so that he could then leave.
06:34We shot all his stuff and he wouldn't leave.
06:36He wanted to stay for my coverage where they filmed me speaking.
06:39But he totally didn't need to do that.
06:41We laughed a lot.
06:42He was very funny.
06:42It got to the point where he was being told to leave and his nurse was like, if you don't
06:46leave, I'm going to call the police and I'm going to take you out of here.
06:50And he turned to me and he goes, they're always telling me what to do.
06:53It was really cool.
06:54He, we talked a lot about what it meant to play the character.
06:57And like, he said he was really happy that they chose me to play the role, which I thought was
07:02cool.
07:02Yeah.
07:02Yeah.
07:03How many episodes of Smallville did Tom appear in?
07:06Jesus.
07:09I know I'm close.
07:11I don't know.
07:11I know I'm close.
07:13If you can think of how many episodes there were, that's how many I was in.
07:19223.
07:21220.
07:22It might be off by two.
07:23The correct answer is 217.
07:26Two seven.
07:26So you, I guess you got it.
07:28My math is better.
07:29We both went over though.
07:29You know, gosh, man, how did you do it?
07:32My contract was for six seasons.
07:35So I signed on to do another season.
07:36Sometimes people would think, ah, he quit the show.
07:38He left the show.
07:39But I actually did another year.
07:41I think I put in the work and the time.
07:44It was one of those things where, I mean, do I get into it?
07:48I mean, there's a point in the show where the actor's contract comes up for renewal.
07:53The idea is that based on the success of the show, the contract will be increased.
07:56And that wasn't happening and it wasn't.
07:58Yeah, I was like, hey, we want you to come back for three years.
08:01We want you to sign a three year deal and give you no increase in pay.
08:04And anybody who works in any business, it's like, oh, you know, I'm an integral part of this success.
08:10And don't I need to get rewarded?
08:12I said, yeah, no thanks.
08:14And that was it.
08:15And definitely rewatching the podcast, doing the podcast, Talkville.
08:19I'm like, this show is pretty damn good.
08:22I mean, we watched all the episodes and I and now I'm watching season eight and nine and ten and
08:28I'm not in it.
08:29And I'm still watching it because I have to.
08:31But season eight without me was really good.
08:34Season nine, not so much.
08:36How many years did Michael shave his head for for Smallville?
08:44Uh, oh, so technically we're both right.
08:47So seven seasons.
08:48But I appeared in the last episode of season 10.
08:51So I think we're both right.
08:53I finally thought to myself, you know what, you should come back and wrap it up for the fans.
08:59I think the fans will love it.
09:00And I didn't realize how much I would love it.
09:03And I'm glad I did it.
09:04It was my idea to have a crane shot for Clark to be jumping off the building and the crane
09:10shot meeting him just before he takes off.
09:12It was a very specific shot.
09:14We didn't even do a rehearsal on it because we didn't want anyone to see it if it wasn't right.
09:19And the crane would come in and then it was a hard stop so it wouldn't go any further.
09:23I had a hard stop because we were running at each other.
09:25And then all you see is this.
09:26And I remember being in the production meeting and the head of wardrobe was like, so we're not going to
09:29get a suit.
09:30No, no, no, it's too expensive.
09:31Okay.
09:32And so we got to set that day and they had given me just a t-shirt with no sleeves.
09:37With the Superman.
09:38To wear underneath the shirt.
09:40Because they didn't have the money to buy, to put the suit on and they weren't going to see it
09:42anyway.
09:43Who got more fan mail during the show's run?
09:46Tom does never answer, Joes.
09:54I think.
09:56I put Tom, Clarkypants.
09:57I got a lot of fan mail, but I bet you got a lot more because you were a Clark
10:01Kent.
10:01The show's been on so long that the kids who watched it when they were kids are now introducing us
10:05to their kids who now watch it with them.
10:08Yeah.
10:08It's pretty cool.
10:09Yeah, it's pretty special.
10:10We're pretty enamored by the whole thing.
10:13When we go to conventions and sign autographs or meet people.
10:16Hearing their stories like, you know, my dad was alive.
10:19Smallville was our show.
10:20And I think, you know, they shared that in common.
10:23I think that's a beautiful thing.
10:25Vets from the war, they would, you know, say we had the DVD box sets and that's what got us
10:30through.
10:31And I'm like, what?
10:31You don't feel like you have an impact because you're on the show, you're working, you don't realize that it
10:36affects some people.
10:38You're like, oh, we're just making play.
10:40You know, we're pretending to be whatever.
10:42But, yeah, the fans have stood by me, I think, for almost everything we do.
10:46You know, we do the Talkville podcast, the Side of You podcast.
10:49You guys don't realize how important you are.
10:51It's pretty incredible.
10:53Well, I mean, we're going to New York this weekend for New York Comic Con.
10:55And the Friday night before, we're just, we have a meet up with all our patrons.
10:59Yeah, we're meeting up with all of them.
11:00They're just going to go hang out.
11:01They're just going to hang out with all our patrons.
11:03So, become a patron and give back to the show.
11:06What band performed the opening theme song?
11:09Oh, shit.
11:10Oh, oh.
11:12I think I have this wrong.
11:13Dude, you should know this.
11:15You sing it in the shower, bro.
11:18You ready?
11:19I'll give you a hint.
11:20It's a weird first name.
11:21And it ends with a number.
11:26Yeah, mine's wrong.
11:27Okay, well, turn it around.
11:28What do you got?
11:28Yeah, you got it.
11:30Really?
11:30Zero is a number.
11:32Boom, we got it.
11:33Dude, nicely done.
11:34I thought you were going to fail miserably.
11:36Yeah, that's a hard song to sing.
11:39Somebody's...
11:40I can't...
11:40You gotta grab your genitals when you sing that song.
11:43Like...
11:45You know?
11:45That's how I sing it.
11:47Approximately how many DC projects has Michael done?
11:50Oh.
11:51DC.
11:52Oh, that's tough.
11:53Animated included?
11:55Oh, I don't even know this answer.
11:57I'm going to say...
12:01Five?
12:02Five.
12:02That's what I said.
12:03What's the answer?
12:04We counted at least 15.
12:0615?
12:06Really?
12:07Well, I know I did the Justice League Unlimited and the Justice League and Batman Beyond,
12:10and I just didn't know how many.
12:12It was 15?
12:13Yeah.
12:14Man, I'm a working actor.
12:15DC over Marvel?
12:17Um, well, one of my best friends is the head of DC, James Gunn, so I'm going to have
12:21to go with DC on this one.
12:23So, put me in a role, James.
12:25You know?
12:25Not just the guy whose face is CGI'd.
12:28Be nice.
12:29I love you.
12:30Who were both of your favorite guest stars on the show?
12:33Ooh.
12:35That's tough.
12:36I mean, there were some really great ones.
12:39It's like, yeah, I'm going to go with that one.
12:40I mean, they were all awesome, but I'm going to go because it's memorable and she became
12:44a big movie star, and she was really cool.
12:47She was really great.
12:48I'm going to go with Brian Austin Green, because I was just like, I watched Beverly Hills
12:52Nana Tournal.
12:52There he was.
12:53He's being cool.
12:54Amy Adams.
12:55I was like, cool.
12:56Amy Adams, fantastic.
12:57She was on an episode of Smallville season one.
13:00Crave.
13:01Crave.
13:02She was like, she took kryptonite to get skinnier.
13:05Yeah.
13:05And then she took it too far.
13:07She devoured people.
13:09Yeah.