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August 1, 2003
A new, Jewish Lex Luthor
Rosenbaum, 30, likes pool halls and World Series.
DAVE GORDON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
A kinder, suave Lex Luthor steals the scenes in Warner Brother's
(WB) Smallville, the hit television show that's premised
on the original Superman concept. This time, the story takes place
just as a young Clark Kent is discovering his superpowers.
Since the fall of 2001, Michael Rosenbaum, 30, has starred as Lex
Luthor in Smallville. Shot in Vancouver, the one-hour series
also stars Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, John Schneider and Annette
O'Toole. In this version of the superhero story, however, Luthor
and Superman-in-the-making are good friends and Luthor hasn't become
an infamous arch-villain ... yet.
It didn't take too long for Rosenbaum to become somewhat of an "it"
boy, as both the Internet and a plethora of magazines have competed
for bragging rights on photo spreads, interviews and inside scoops.
Last year, in fact, he made the shortlist of Teen People's
and US Weekly's "The Bald and the Beautiful" supplements.
Usually he's able to duck under the fan radar, but he admits sometimes
"there's a little mob" when he goes places. Last winter,
during a Rosenbaum family vacation to Disney World, he wore a sock
hat and sunglasses – despite a private VIP tour – in an
effort to evade the public's notice.
"Sometimes I don't wanna shave and I just want to go out for
a big burger," he laments.
Born in Oceanside, N.Y., and raised in Newburgh, Ind., Rosenbaum
discovered his passion for acting in high school. Later, he continued
performing the leads in several stage productions, while earning
a bachelor of arts in theatre and communications from Western Kentucky
University. He quickly landed roles in off-Broadway productions
and small independent films, and soon segued into regular appearances
on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in a sketch called "The
Amsterdam Kids." The first real break came when he got a series
regular role on the WB comedy series The Tom Show, with Tom
Arnold.
Rosenbaum, who shaved his blond locks for the role of Luthor, may
not seem recognizable at first glance in other roles that demanded
a full head of hair, but he has a long list of film and TV credits.
Equally adept at comedy and drama, Rosenbaum has played characters
ranging from a transvestite and a poolhall shark, to a crazed fraternity
boy.
"I just like to stay challenged," he said. "It's
boring to have the same character every week sometimes. You'll just
go crazy. I want to take chances. I want to continue to work with
great people who challenge me. I want to keep getting better and
keep growing."
Rosenbaum has been keeping busy lately, acting in movies in between
his Smallville work. He starred in the film Bringing Down
the House opposite Steve Martin this year.
"I'm the ambitious, young, go-getter, new guy in town,"
said Rosenbaum of his role in that movie. "Steve's character
has to prove that he's still 'got it.' "
Rosenbaum says that when he's nervous during shoots, he sings tunes
from the '70s and '80s. During the Bringing Down the House
shoot, Rosenbaum sang the Chicago song "If You Leave Me Now"
to himself. To his surprise, Steve Martin jumped in unexpectedly
and sang along and they hit it off right away.
"You're really funny," Martin complimented Rosenbaum.
To this, an astonished Rosenbaum replied, "My career can end
right now. I don't know what to say."
Rosenbaum has also starred in the thriller Urban Legend and
appeared in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, directed
by Clint Eastwood
and starring Kevin Spacey and John Cusack.
Recently, Rosenbaum also starred in the film Poolhall Junkies,
filmed in Salt Lake City, Utah. While in Utah, Rosenbaum enjoyed
shopping at thrift stores and vintage shops. So, what's a nice Jewish
boy doing in Mormon country? "Keeping his yarmulke in his pocket,"
he jests. He says he spent his days at pool halls, and watched the
World Series in his hotel room with some friends. "There are
pictures of us doing nothing."
Dave Gordon is a Toronto freelance writer.
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