Tom Welling says he initially turned down the role of Clark Kent in the hit The WB's hit Superman prequel series Smallville.

"I was auditioning a lot during that period of pilot season, going out three, four times a day. Just trying to figure out what the hell I was doing," Welling recalled in an oral history of the show published by The Hollywood Reporter. "This show Smallville came along, and they weren't releasing the script. They just wanted me to audition. My manager at the time says, 'That either means they don't have a script, or it's not very good.' We turned it down."

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The actor further explained that he was only allowed to read the script after agreeing to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and was instantly drawn to the premise of the show because it wasn't really about Superman. "It was about a kid in high school growing up and trying to figure out who he is. That's a very human journey," Welling said. "I called a meeting with the producers and the writers because I wanted to ask questions. Somehow they accepted. I was terrified I was going to walk into a show where I'm running around in tights."

After meeting with the writers and getting answers to his questions, the actor was asked back to do a screen test with Kristin Kreuk, who had already been cast as Clark's high school love interest, Lana Lang. "Kristin had already been cast, so I walk into the waiting room and it was me and Jensen Ackles, who I'd seen on TV before but didn’t know," Welling noted. "I was like, 'This guy is a real actor. I'll never get it.'"

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Welling revealed during the same conversation that late Superman actor Christopher Reeve gave him the seal of approval to play both Clark and his superhero alter ego. Specifically, Welling recalls that the conversation took place when Reeve was on the show's set filming scenes as recurring character Dr. Virgil Swann.

"I remember in the end he says to me, 'I’m really glad they chose you to be the next Superman.' I was like, 'Well, they didn't,'" Welling shared. "That's when Brandon [Routh] had gotten the role [in the 2006 film Superman Returns]. And he said, 'Well they should have.' I get chills thinking about that. It was so cool to feel like he had put the sword on my shoulders and knighted me somehow. It was very special."

Smallville ran for 10 seasons on The WB/The CW before continuing in comic book form. Welling also reprised his role as Clark Kent for the Arrowverse's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover event in 2019.

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Source: The Hollywood Reporter