Tyler Hoechlin on Creating His Own Superman

Tyler Hoechlin soared onto the small screen this fall as Superman in season two of The CW’s “Supergirl.” He stopped by the show to dish with Rach about everything from wearing that iconic suit to the pitfalls of onscreen “flying.”

“I didn’t want to have any temptation to emulate or imitate what anyone else had done,” Tyler says regarding the plethora of Supermen who have come before him – from Christopher Reeve to Dean Cain to Henry Cavill. So he sat down with the “Supergirl” producers to figure out the right tone for his version of the character, and had fun experimenting with the Clark Kent side of his personality.

When it comes to Superman’s signature spandex, Tyler says it’s been an adjustment. “The first time it was weird because it was just blue spandex. It was just for the fitting, so there was no S and it just looked like Blue Man Group,” he jokes.

And what about the flying part? He says the harness he uses on screen isn’t the most comfortable, but is quick to clarify his job isn't that rough: “It’s good to keep things in perspective because my dad’s an ER doc."

What many fans may not know is that Tyler has some offscreen superpowers as well – he was a star baseball player, playing in college for UC Irvine and Arizona State. Watch the video above for the backstory behind his baseball ambitions and to hear what he has to say about starring in the next two “50 Shades” movies.