10 Times TV Actors Thought They Would Be Fired For Sure
7. Michael Rosenbaum - Smallville
To an entire generation of DC fans, Michael Rosenbaum remains the definitive live-action portrayal of Superman's arch-nemesis Lex Luthor, a part he played so masterfully throughout The CW's series Smallville.
But in a recent interview with Yahoo!, Rosenbaum confirmed that he struggled so much with shooting a physically challenging scene for the show's pilot episode - where Lex crashes his car and almost drowns - that he expected to be replaced. He said:
"We shot that in a big tank, huge tank in Vancouver, and I gotta tell you, that was a terrifying moment for me... They put me in a tank 12-feet down in a car with weights on me, and they would bring over my air, and I would give them a thumbs-up. I get goosebumps, you should see them, even thinking about it now.”
Rosenbaum kept having to swim up to the surface of the tank to take a break and regain his composure, prompting major anxieties in the actor. He believed he was "blowing it" and would promptly be fired, yet was eventually able to complete the sequence. As for the outcome?:
"That was a special moment... I saw the pilot and I saw what they had put together. I was just like, 'Wow, I'm part of something that's very special for the first time.'"
And indeed, Rosenbaum's Lex was a major part of the show, appearing throughout its first seven seasons and later returning for the series finale. Given the singular stamp he placed on Lex, it would've been a terrible shame if that water-based shoot ruined the gig for him.