TV Guide.com's Insider
January 14, 2003
Is This Superman's New Bro?
by Daniel R. Coleridge
As Insider promised, here's the scoop on Ian Somerhalder, whose six-episode guest stint on Smallville begins tonight at 9 pm/ET. The star of Rules of Attraction and Life as a House previously worked on the WB's old series, Young Americans. Now, he's back as the mysterious new boy in Lana Lang's life.
Notice the resemblance between Somerhalder and Clark Kent himself, Tom Welling. That dark hair, the blue eyes, those unique features... This begs the question: Are their characters long-lost brothers?
"Everyone thought that," the 25-year-old tells TV Guide Online. "That's kind of what went through my mind as well. Our faces are pretty incredibly similar. People were freaking out about it because Superman doesn't have a brother! But no, we're not related."
Somerhalder is sworn to secrecy about the plot involving his character, Adam Knight. However, TV Guide Online has learned that Adam and Lana meet in the hospital, where both are undergoing physical rehab for injuries. (Don't forget, Lana got trampled by that horse!) The twosome get closer during their convalescence. Then, there's a big mystery surrounding Adam's true identity.
"Adam's trying to cover up his past and protect his future," he says. "There's a lot of struggle within that, but he's not an evil guy."
Does Adam have special powers from kryptonite exposure, like so many other Smallville visitors? "No, this is not your average guest-star plot," Somerhalder says with a chuckle. "I didn't even want to see a meteor rock. I didn't want to be on set with a glowing green thing. I'd rather be on set with Kristin Kreuk, who plays Lana. Screw those rocks."
Speaking of Kreuk, the Neutrogena girl has clearly made herself a new fan. "It's frightening how gorgeous she is," he says. "I mean flawlessly beautiful. She doesn't even know it. That's what's so cute. She's not like the usual girls you meet in L.A."
He was also glad to act alongside Welling, having been his pal for several years. "We were models, and we did print work a couple of years ago in Spain," Somerhalder says. "It was actually one hell of a trip. It was unbelievable. I won't go into the details, but Tom and I definitely had the times of our lives!"