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Superman can’t focus on fame. He’s busy “changing diapers”

With an infant daughter, David Corenswet doesn't have time to be famous.

Nights and Weekends Editor

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Superman (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Superman (Warner Bros. Pictures)

David Corenswet shot to A-list status faster than a speeding bullet when James Gunn‘s take on “Superman” hit theaters this weekend. The new supe doesn’t have time to be a mega-star, though. He’s too busy with baby powder and wet wipes.

In an interview with the New York Times published on Saturday, the new Man of Steel said he’s spent the days leading up to the nationwide rollout of the biggest movie of his career taking care of his infant daughter. The on-screen Blue Boy Scout conveyed a Smallville-bred sense of humility throughout, saying he almost didn’t take the role of Superman for fear of being too busy to help with a newborn.

“Having a kid is enough of a project in itself,” he told the outlet. “But to do it at the same time that your husband’s going to start filming what will almost certainly be the biggest job of his life?.. It’s very easy to think about all the wonderful ways this could change your life and career — and, oh, the money! But when the easy conversation is so exciting, I want to have the hard conversation: Let’s talk about what could go wrong.”

Corenswet did end up taking the role, of course. He told the Times that his days were made up of high-wire film set action and his nights were full of warm bottles.

“I went to work and I played Superman and then I came home and got spat up on and changed diapers and woke up at 2 a.m. and tried to take the best care of my wife that I could,” he said.

Corenswet said taking care of his daughter has kept him from getting too big a head. To hear him tell it, the talk of fame seems unreal because he knows he’s going to head home to the universal concerns of parenting an infant.

“All I can think about is I’m still going to be changing diapers. I’m still going to be making breakfast, I’m still going to be frustrated when my insurance company bills me the wrong amount, or the car breaks down and I’ve got to figure that out,” he said. “Mostly, what I’m thinking about is just being back at home with my kid.”

By Alex Galbraith

Alex Galbraith is Salon's nights and weekends editor, and author of our free daily newsletter, Crash Course. He is based in New Orleans.


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