Jamie Dornan Opens Up About His Failed Audition to Play Superman in ‘Man of Steel’

Being a part of the superhero franchise is a privilege that many actors in Hollywood have already experienced, particularly today when we have superhero movies on every corner. And while some elite actors like Leonardo DiCaprio or Al Pacino would never star in a superhero movie, we’ve seen many actors rise to fame thanks to superhero franchises, and we’ve also seen established movie stars joining the superhero franchise because their presence is always a good commercial.

The process of finding an actor is never easy, particularly when you’re making a superhero movie. The character already exists in the comics, and it’s important to make the right actor for the role, particularly if you’re planning to keep that actor in the franchise for a longer period, which is totally usual these days.

While we, as the audience, only see the final movie and the actor who was chosen, it scares us to imagine how many actors went through the audition and tried their luck to get the role that was ultimately given to an actor we watched in the final movie. While the life of an actor may seem alluring and fashionable, it’s not because getting that one role that’ll launch you to the stars is like winning the lottery.

‘Heart of Stone’ and ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ star reveals he auditioned for Superman more than a decade ago!

We all know that David Corenswet is set to become a new live-action Superman in James Gunn’s ‘Superman: Legacy,’ succeeding Henry Cavill, who played the character in DC Extended Universe. What’s interesting, Cavill was initially considered to play Superman in 2006’s ‘Superman Returns,’ but he lost the role to Brandon Routh. Of course, Cavill wasn’t the only actor who auditioned for ‘Man of Steel,’ the very first DCEU movie.

Jamie Dornan, who is infamously known for starring in the ‘Fifty Shades’ trilogy and more famously known for ‘The Fall’ TV series, recently starred in Netflix’s newest action movie ‘Heart of Stone,’ which received negative reviews from critics. In a recent interview with Josh Horowitz, Dornan was asked if he had ever auditioned for a superhero role. Here’s what Dornan had to say about that.

I actually haven’t [done a lot of superhero auditions]. I think the only one I’ve actually auditioned for was Superman. That was way back when Henry Cavill got cast, 12 years ago or a bit more. I wore my own suit. Was that a mistake? There were Superman pajamas, they weren’t like an actual suit. I remember an early audition for that, I got nowhere near putting the suit on.

Jaime Dornaan (via Josh Horowitz)

Directed by Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill, ‘Man of Steel’ kicked off DCEU in 2013. Cavill later reprised the role in ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice,’ both versions of ‘Justice League,’ and the post-credit scene of ‘Black Adam,’ after which his long-expected return was announced, only to be scrapped a few weeks after, when James Gunn announced that he’s looking to make a movie about younger versions of Superman.

David Corenswet will debut as the next live-action Superman in ‘Superman: Legacy,’ which is scheduled to open in theaters on July 11, 2025.

Jaime Dornan’s newest movie, ‘Heart of Stone,’ is now streaming on Netflix.

Could you picture Jamie Dornan as Superman? How would you feel about that casting? Let us know in the comments.

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