Before Superman, David Corenswet Made His Debut In A Thriller Streaming On Prime Video

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A fun piece of trivia about actor David Corenswet: his maternal grandfather is Edward Packard, the creator of the popular "Choose Your Own Adventure" books.

Corenswet was recently thrust into the public eye when he was cast as Clark Kent in James Gunn's new superhero flick "Superman." The 32-year-old actor, however, has been acting since he was a child, having appeared in various stage productions as early as age nine. He acted throughout his teen years and eventually attended Juilliard, where he graduated with a BFA. Corenswet also dabbled in writing and directing, having helmed and starred in a short film called "Following Chase" in 2011, and co-wrote and produced the online comedy show "Moe & Jerryweather" in 2014. Two years later, he starred in an unpurchased pilot for a TV series called "The Tap," directed by Rob Reiner. He was in an episode of "Elementary," he was in an episode of "House of Cards," he was in an episode of "Instinct." Corenswet, like many actors before him, spent a long time paying his dues. As the old cliché goes, it took him years to become an overnight success. 

In 2018, Corenswet landed what was, up to that point, his largest job yet. Well, large in his amount of screentime. It wasn't really high-profile. Corenswet was cast as the lead character in a low-budget melodrama called "Affairs of State," wherein he acted opposite Mimi Rogers, Adrien Grenier, Grace Victoria Cox, and Thora Birch. The film didn't open very wide and wasn't hugely well-advertised, but some may remember it sneaking into certain theaters in Los Angeles. It was, however, Corenswet's first feature film, and it was a coup that he was asked to play the lead. He was also asked to play a caddish character, so he had his work cut out for him. 

The story of "Affairs of State" is a pure potboiler. Corenswet plays a congressional aide infected with ambition. He begins having a sexual affair with his boss' wife, played by Mimi Rogers, and butts heads with a fellow aide, played by Adrien Grenier. Thora Birch plays his activist roommate, and the pair have a few clumsy exchanges about the state of modern politics. After his affair with the Rogers character begins to stale, Corenswet finds himself attracted to her daughter, played by Grace Victoria Cox. 

The film only garnered four reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, two of which were positive. Noel Murray, writing for the Los Angeles Times, praised the film for being a refreshingly immediate melodrama in an age when such films play it frustratingly safe. He said it was like an episode of "House of Cards" crossed with "The Graduate." The venerable Luke Y. Thompson, however, in his review for Forbes, wished that the film had been sleazier. If this was a sexed-up potboiler, he felt, then perhaps it should embrace its more lurid aspects. The general consensus was that "Affairs of State" was at least well-acted, which proved positive for Corenswet. 

Corenswet continued to act, of course, appearing in 11 episodes of "The Politician," and starred in the Ryan Murphy miniseries "Hollywood," on which he also served as executive producer. In 2022, he played the handsome, porn-collection projectionist in Ti West's excellent horror film "Pearl." Was that character even real? This all led to "Superman," a film that promises to make a fistful of cash. If there are "Superman" sequels, he will likely appear in those as well. 

And he's not resting on his cape. Corenswet is already slated to star in "Mr. Irrelevant," a biopic of the unpopular 1980s football player John Tuggle. Let's hope his career continues to be varied and challenging.

"Affairs of State," meanwhile, is available to stream on Prime Video.