Watch ‘Superman’ stars recreate their onscreen chemistry (exclusive)

The first time Clark Kent met Lois Lane is a blur to the stars who play these roles.

It was at the Superman chemistry read for David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan. Writer/director James Gunn, who’s also the co-head of DC Studios, whittled down the list of candidates to three stars per part: Brosnahan, Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton), and Emma Mackey (Sex Education) for Lois; and Corenswet, Tom Brittney (Greyhound), and Nicholas Hoult (who ended up getting Lex Luthor) for Superman.

“We met at, like, 2 o’clock in the afternoon,” Corenswet recalls to Entertainment Weekly.

“We together read once, and neither one of us really remember it,” Brosnahan adds.

Well, that chemistry, even if it felt like a fleeting moment, proved palpable enough to land them the leads. The pair put said chemistry to the test on the set of EW’s video shoot. First, they lock foreheads, staring dreamily into each other’s eyes to try to replicate that onscreen compatibility. Then they test if they can read each other’s minds, followed by more couples’ games.

For EW’s Superman cover story, this dynamic duo explained why the relationship between Lois and Clark is so important to the movie at large.

“We’re meeting them at a point where they’ve been together for about three months,” Brosnahan said, “which is the point in a relationship where you’re like, Was this a really great fling or is this more serious, possibly forever?”

A scene in which Lois interviews Clark as Superman beautifully captures the essence of their relationship. “This isn’t like the interview in the [Richard] Donner movie where Lois doesn’t know that he’s Clark,” Corenswet said, referring to a moment from the Christopher Reeve-led classic with Margot Kidder. “Lois knows everything about him, so he’s in a very vulnerable position. He’s madly in love with this woman and desperately wants her to understand him and appreciate him and love him back.”

Superman opens in theaters this week on July 11. Watch the stars’ chemistry test in the video above.