Jacob Elordi Didn't Want To Audition For DC's Superman Because It Was Too 'Dark'
If you've ever watched "Euphoria," you know it's a pretty dark, intense show — and Jacob Elordi's Nate Jacobs is the source of plenty of darkness all by himself. The son of an often cruel man, Nate is a psychologically tormented character whose damage manifests in how much he wants to hurt other people, including the women in his life. Knowing this, it might seem somewhat surprising that Elordi, whose career has seriously taken off in recent years, said this major DC project was just far too much for him.
In a feature article in GQ Magazine centered on Elordi's relatively recent notoriety, the Australian-born Gen Z actor made a pretty surprising admission. When interviewer Gabriella Paiella asked if he's encountered anything "too dark" while looking for new career opportunities, Elordi immediately came up with an example. "Well, they asked me to read for Superman," he told Paiella. "That was immediately, 'No, thank you.' That's too much. That's too dark for me." Elordi didn't elaborate on "Superman" project he was asked to read for, but a safe guess is 2025's "Superman: Legacy," which will be helmed by director James Gunn.
In fact, Jacob Elordi doesn't see himself doing a big superhero film at all
It's not just that Jacob Elordi didn't want to read for Superman. As he told Gabriella Paiella, despite admiring actors like Heath Ledger and Christian Bale — both of whom famously dipped their toes into the superhero genre by appearing together in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight," with Bale starring in Nolan's entire trilogy to boot — he just can't envision himself putting on a super suit for any role right about now.
"Not particularly, no," Elordi said when Paiella asked if he could "see himself" in a superhero movie. "I've always been told to say a rounded answer or my agent will get mad at me. 'Anything can happen!' And obviously anything can happen, but at this stage in my life, I don't see myself having any interest in that. I like to make what I would watch, and I get very restless watching those movies." Though both interviewer and interviewee are quick to clarify that Elordi doesn't look down on any actors who do perform as superheroes, it's just not a good fit for him.
For his part, Elordi clearly has good media training. According to Paiella, he adopted an "ironic smile" before concluding this particular line of questioning: "And then I'm supposed to finish it with: 'Never say never!'"
At this point in his career, Jacob Elordi doesn't need superhero movies
While it seems like every actor or actress eventually dons a mask and some sort of latex suit at some point in their career, Jacob Elordi's standout performance as the world's most odious high school jerk on "Euphoria" clearly got the attention of one subsect: independent filmmakers. The whole reason for this GQ profile in the first place is that this fall and winter, Elordi is promoting two incredibly buzzy movies.
Released around the same time, "Priscilla" and "Saltburn" show off Elordi's extraordinary versatility, as the roles are incredibly different. In "Priscilla," Sofia Coppola's portrait of a young Priscilla Presley (played by Cailee Spaeny) when she first meets Elordi's Elvis Presley, who romances her despite an unsettling ten-year age difference (Priscilla was 14 when the two met, and Elvis was 24). As Elvis, Elordi is smooth and romantic yet controlling, providing a look at how unbalanced Elvis and Priscilla Presley's real-life relationship may have been.
As for "Saltburn," Elordi's character Felix Catton might also be smooth, but he's also, well, a little gross and unseemly. The less you know about "Saltburn" going into it, the better, but suffice to say his entanglement with Barry Keoghan's Oliver will have audiences talking.
Both "Saltburn" and "Priscilla" are in theaters now.