Prior to landing the role of Jonathan Kent, Jordan Elsass was seen on the critically acclaimed series Little Fires Everywhere, and now as Jonathan on Superman & Lois, he’s facing little fires at home as his TV brother is gaining superpowers and his family is faced with other challenges, super and otherwise. Tonight’s (June 1) episode of Superman & Lois is called “Holding the Wrench,” and in it, we learn quite a lot about Jonathan as well as his mother, Lois Lane… and we may see the two of them doing some investigating together! One can also expect some great dramatic material for both Jordan Elsass and Elizabeth Tulloch who plays Lois in tonight’s show.
KryptonSite was able to interview Jordan Elsass about “Holding the Wrench” to give us an idea on what to expect. Don’t worry; we’re not aiming for spoilers here, but if you want some insights into tonight’s fantastic show penned by Kristi Korzec and directed by Norma Bailey, you’ve come to the right place.
KRYPTONSITE’s CRAIG BYRNE: So Jonathan wants to tag along with Lois in Tuesday’s episode. Is he thinking of following in his mother’s footsteps?
JORDAN ELSASS: Definitely. I think he begins to understand that like, maybe as a kid he bonded more with Clark and he felt more of a connection to Clark, because of the fact that as a football kid, I think his dad was definitely coaching him growing up. Clark obviously likes football and knows a bit about it. He probably taught him how to throw the ball, and he taught him these fatherly lessons growing up. It’s a classic dad/son relationship, right?
But, that dynamic shifts when you find out that “okay, Jordan is the one with powers.” Now, Clark is devoting a lot of his time to Jordan, and their relationship, so Jonathan’s kind of left in the dust at home. I mean, I think Clark’s still there for him when he needs it, but it’s tough. Clark is trying to be there for [Jon] but he knows that, in some ways, he has to be there a little more for Jordan, just because of what Jordan is going through. He’s the only person that can relate to him and the only person that Jordan can be able to relate to, so therefore, Jonathan is left with Lois as his option for confiding in, and he starts to realize maybe she’s a good option for confiding in, because she is more relatable for him, because of the fact that we both don’t have powers in this family of Super-people. We’re the only ones left without powers.
Do you think that Jonathan could be tempted by the X-Kryptonite to put himself on the same level as his brother?
I think that that’s always something that could be could be explored down the road. There’s no question about it. But at the same time, I don’t think that Jonathan’s even close to that point yet. First of all, I think he’d be scared. There’s no question in my mind that Jonathan has thought about that, but I don’t think he’s ever actually considered it. Has it crossed his mind? Yes. Has he considered it? No. Will it happen? Who knows. It’s always a possibility. Or what if it wasn’t intentional, but he happened to be affected by it, and he got powers. There is so much they could explore there.
I remember watching Smallville as a kid, and Clark got hit with the Red Kryptonite and started going crazy and stuff. So you know. There’s always that option of exploring that side.
It’s kind of cool to see Jonathan struggling with the fact that he doesn’t have powers, so if he did get powers, it would be nice to see it like that, in a temporary way.
Beyond breaking his arm, is there a line that Jordan could cross that would be too far for Jonathan?
That’s a really good question. That’s something I haven’t really pondered. There are probably lines that he could cross. That was a big one. The thing is, he gets it. The thing that makes Jon who he is, is that he’s very empathetic. He feels for other people., and that allows him to be as kind as he is, because he understands what they’re going through. Even when he’s pissed off at Jordan, I think that he’s really just trying his best to move on and let it go, because he also cares about family above all else. He has some really good values and morals, so he’s able to focus on the positive when there are positives to focus on.
[Breaking his arm] was bad, but I don’t think it was too big of a line to cross. It was was pushing it, though. I think it’s definitely gonna leave a dent in their relationship for a while. But we’re gonna start to see that maybe the brothers are temporarily not quite as close as they as they were before, because that’s a rough one, for sure.
What has been your favorite part of being in this series so far?
I think my favorite part of being in this series is just watching it grow. Seeing how well it was received pretty early on, and then watching it become what it is now. It’s changed a lot even just since the pilot. So, watching the show evolve is something and hearing good feedback is always refreshing.
We’re stuck [in Canada] doing this, the COVID restriction is everything are very strict here, so there’s not really much we can do out here, which has been tough. It’s been tough time in that way, but there’s the sheer gratification that this show hopefully brings for a lot of people around the world, bringing light into people’s lives. We hope it’s a wholesome show in a very not cheesy way. I feel strongly about that, if nothing else.
So that’s really nice, seeing the way the show is received, and bringing this character to life. I’ve never grown with a character like this. I’ve never worked on a show for this long, and I’ve never spent this many hours on one set ever. It totally takes the cake for that already. And then, the fact that we just got renewed for Season 2 – I’ve never done the second season of a show! And then there’s the potential to work on the show for many years to come. It’s something that I’ve never experienced, and now, hopefully, I’ll get to experience.
Is there any actor from a previous Superman project that you would like to see on the show?
Tom Welling would be pretty cool. I don’t know who he would play, though, because I wouldn’t want it to be like a cheesy crossover. It would just be pretty cool to have Tom Welling pop in.
I loved Smallville. It’s funny, because it happens to be another Superman show, but it really was pretty much the only superhero show I had ever watched growing up. His character of Clark, of course, was always somewhat relatable for me, and the show brought me a lot of happiness, and so I it would be really nice just to meet him, honestly, but also having them show would be pretty cool. And as for other shows, obviously seeing another character from any of the other Arrowverse shows would be cool.
Is there any actor on Superman & Lois that you’d like to work with more than you have?
I love working with Dylan [Walsh]. He’s a very respectable guy, and he has quite an extensive resume, and he’s so talented. I would like to work with him more, and these upcoming episodes I have worked with him a lot more, and that’s really nice. Also Wolé Parks – I was blown away seeing him in 107 [“Man of Steel”]. And, man, in 108, too, like, dude. He’s got a lot coming up in these next three, four episodes. He’s so talented, and he just looks so good on screen. He is just so photogenic, and he pulls off the character so well. He’s so invested in it. It’s art watching him perform. I would love to work with him more. Both Dylan and him, I’ve been privileged enough to work with them a lot more as time has gone by, which is great, because it’s exactly what I was hoping for.
How would you sell “Holding the Wrench” to the audience?
It gives you a lot of answers. If you’ve had a lot of questions [of why people did some things]. You’re going to start to understand the characters a little more. You’re going to start to see like, “okay, this is Jonathan and this is how he behaves in this scenario. This is Lois and this is how she behaves in this scenario, and this is why they’re struggling.” And it’s beautiful. I think it’s a beautiful episode. Phenomenal writing. It’s one of my favorites.
It’s a phenomenal episode, just overall. It doesn’t lose the action, but it keeps it at a level where it’s very nice. It’s never too in your face, you know, they made the whole shows, I think is done that very beautifully. This episode’s special. It’s very focused on the drama without making you think like, Oh, it’s focusing on the drama, but it also keeps it very fresh and new and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s a really cool episode, and I’m very excited for people to see it.
Preview images from “Holding the Wrench” can be found here. The episode airs June 1 at 9PM ET/PT on The CW.