Superman: Legacy is finally in cinemas this Friday July 11. It’s the first film in the new cinematic DC Universe, heralding the reign of writer-director James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Jewish producer Peter Safran. And, what’s more, David Corenswet is the first Jewish actor to play the famed superhero.
The 31-year-old House of Cards actor plays Clark Kent alongside Marvellous Mrs Maisel star Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane in this new reboot.
It is meaningful because – despite the fact Corenswet is the first Jew to play Superman in the character’s 87 years – it is well known that the story has a very Jewish history. It was created by comic book writer-artists Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, children of Jewish emigrants to North America who had fled Europe in 1934 – one year after Hitler’s rise to power.
And the character himself has a strong Jewish subtext, from coming over to America as an immigrant from the planet Krypton, to the Hebrew “El” in his Krypton name, Kal-El. There’s even a book about the superhero’s roots: Is Superman Circumcised?: The Complete Jewish History of the World’s Greatest Hero, by Roy Schwartz.
Schwartz told the Jewish Exponent, “Superman is basically a Kindertransport refugee who comes over from the old world, anglicises his name, and integrates into society because he looks enough like everyone else. Superman is a Jewish creation, inspired by Jewish legend, and is a metaphor for the Jewish experience… His DNA remains Jewish. Corenswet being Jewish too is a nice homecoming of sorts. More importantly, Corenswet is a good actor who radiates warmth, and by all accounts a real Super-mensch.”
Family
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Corenswet is a patrilineal Jew. His father, John Corenswet, worked as a stage actor in New York for many years before becoming a lawyer, and was from a New Orleans-based Jewish family with roots in the Louisiana state going back to the 1860s.
John was of largely German Jewish descent, along with Russian (the origin of the name Corenswet), Polish and French. David’s paternal grandfather was Sam Corenswet Jr and his great-grandfather Sam left Russia for New Orleans – both were involved with the board of Louisiana’s oldest Reform synagogue, Temple Sinai. His paternal grandmother was Ann Schornstein.
Career
Corenswet attended the University of Pennsylvania for a year before gaining his drama degree at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York from which he graduated in 2016.
He made his stage debut aged nine, when he appeared in a local production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. In 2016, Jewish director Rob Reiner cast him as a co-lead in his TV show, The Tap, but the show never went beyond the pilot.
In his first leading role in a film, Corenswet starred as Michael Lawson in Affairs of State (2018) and appeared in House of Cards, Elementary and Instinct. He starred in some HBO and Netflix films, and in the past couple of years had roles in The Greatest Hits, Twisters and the Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake alongside Natalie Portman.
How Jewish is he?
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reported that the Corenswet family has long been connected to New Orlena’s Temple Sinai. Many members of his family still attend the Lousiaian shul, including his uncle Jay – a past president of the congregation.
Edward Cohn, a rabbi at Temple Sinai who is close to the Corenswets, told JTA, “It’s not the biggest issue in anyone’s life, but we’re very gratified that we’re going to have a Jewish Superman.”
Corenswet’s wife is Catholic, but such is his connection to his roots that his 2023 wedding involved a chuppah. The ceremony is said to have taken place at the Immaculate Conception church, but Rabbi Cohn came over from Temple Sinai to co-officiate the marriage alongside a priest. And a witness claimed that the rabbi “ran the show”. The couple also followed the Jewish ritual of breaking the glass.
Cohn said David’s Jewish heritage is an important part of his private life, although the actor does not regularly attend shul. David and his wife, a fellow actor, live in Philadelphia when they aren’t globe-trotting or in Los Angeles on film sets, and Cohn suggests they are “intending to affiliate with a congregation”. The rabbi knew David’s grandfather, Sam, who he described as a “bright, worldly, well-educated southern gentleman”. Like his own father, Sam Jr was involved with the Temple Sinai board.
In 2020, Corenswet spoke at a Zoom event organised by Jewish Pride New Orleans.
What has he said that’s Jewish?
Nothing really. Corenswet prefers to keep shtum about his private life. In an interview with the German magazine Geek!, he was asked how it feels to be the first Jewish actor to play Superman. In response, he talked about how, shortly before filming, he was able to meet Jerry Siegel’s grandchildren and visit the Cleveland house where the comic writer lived and wrote the first Superman story.
“It’s old and small, the ceilings are low, but it radiated this warmth,” he said.
Read our critic’s review to see to what extent Corenswet adds a Jewish edge to his Superman…
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