Michael Rosenbaum is probably best known for his role as Lex Luthor on the popular television series Smallville, but he has many credits to his name.  He has appeared in series such as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and in a number of movies such as Sweet November and Sorority Boys, as well as the upcoming Father of Invention, which will be released in the spring.  Rosenbaum has also done voice work for shows such as Adventures of Jackie Chan and Justice League, as well as voicing the lead character for the video game Dark Sector.

In July Rosenbaum made an appearance at the Screaming Tiki Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, where he sat down with Jamie Ruby of MediaBlvd Magazine for an exclusive interview.

When Rosenbaum was first asked to audition for Smallville, he was not yet convinced.  “I had done a few shows for the WB before, and they knew me, so they asked me to come in, and I wasn’t really interested at the time, so out of respect I went in and gave like a half-assed audition, and then a couple of weeks later they called me back and said, “Hey, we want you to come back.”  And I guess my manager and my agent told me that this could be a big role and that they’re going to really do this very professional, it would be great, and so I guess I said, “You know what, I’ll take a look at it.”  And then I read the sides, they only gave us a few pages to look at, so I read them and well, supposedly seven hundred other actors had auditioned, so I said, “Well, what are these guys doing wrong?” So they said, “Well, they want a sense of danger, charisma, and I guess comic timing.”  So I remember circling, I always tell this story, but page one I’ll be funny, page two I’ll be charismatic, page three I’ll be dangerous.  That’s what I did.  It worked out and the next thing you know I shaved my head for seven years.”

Even though he was hesitant at first to take the role, Rosenbaum enjoyed his time on the show, though he joked that his favorite part was the employment.  “It was nice to have a job, and I worked with great people, very creative people, and you know, I think what I miss most is the people.”

In the past, there have been many other actors who have played the part of Lex Luthor, but Rosenbaum was determined to put his own spin on the character.  “Honestly, I decided I’m going to go with it my own way, I thought, I wasn’t going to play a caricature, I wasn’t going to try and add that little cartoon aspect to it, that little wink [for] the bad guy.  I said I’m going to play him vulnerable and real and give him a personality, and let him grow because it’s a seven year run, I didn’t know it’d go that long, but, so I just gave it my own twist.”

Rosenbaum’s role on Smallville created new challenges for him as an actor.  “I had to shave my head and look completely different, and do that every day, so that was a challenge.  You know, playing a character that’s completely…I’m more outgoing, funny, well my grandma thinks so, and I had to have the ability to be more introverted and dark and I had to be this brilliant guy. It was definitely a challenge.  And I had this inner struggle the whole time, and be a tortured sole, so it wasn’t easy.”

Even though Smallville continues, Rosenbaum has been off the show for a year.  “I left the show a year ago.  You know, I’ve moved on with my life, I’m working, and people always say, “Are you going to come back?”  I’ve moved on.  My mind’s not really in it.  I really don’t know how to play that guy anymore, but, you never know, you never know.  If they offered me a ball cap and I didn’t have to shave my head, maybe I’d consider it.”

Rosenbaum always finds something he enjoys about each of his roles and has a hard time choosing a favorite.  “I like little things about every role I play.  There’s always a moment that I like, something in them that makes them human.  I definitely had the most fun when I was doing this last movie I did called Father of Invention with Kevin Spacey.  I had a good time…I had one big scene in the movie with Heather Graham, we get along great, and the director really let me go and do my thing, and improvise, and to me that was a freedom that you don’t normally see.  So I had a lot of fun.  And I enjoyed working with Steve Martin, and Clint Eastwood in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and Sorority Boys was a blast.  And Smallville was fun for me.”

However, Rosenbaum does know what his dream role would be.  “I always wanted to play Han Solo, but that’s taken.  I think I’d make a killer Han Solo.  If I was good looking enough I’d play Morissey [sic], you know, the tortured singer [Van Morrison].  That would be fun, but I don’t think I’d ever get to do that – like a biopic or something.

Even though Rosenbaum’s role in Smallville is over, the actor still has other projects in the works.  “I just did a movie called Father of Invention with Kevin Spacey, that’s coming out in the spring, I’m working a couple projects, a horror movie that I had the idea for; I’m probably going to act in it and produce it.”