'Supergirl' Recap, Cast & Review: Guest Star Tom Welling Talks About how 'Smallville' Helped DC Comics Do Well on Television
"Smallville" star Tom Welling has been slowly and carefully making his way back into the limelight and is currently starring in the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' "The Choice." Spoiler: Welling's character doesn't end up with the girl, as per Buzzfeed.
Birth Movies Death reports that the 38-year-old actor is also waiting for CBS to greenlight "Section 13," a black ops show that he is looking to produce and star in.
Comic Book reports that Welling spoke up on the history of DC on television and how the roots of "Smallville" and "Supergirl" may be one and the same.
"You know, the success of Smallville is directly correlated to The Flash or Arrow – that genre that Warner Bros has been able to do. I do feel proud that it started with us, but it wasn’t just because of us," Welling admitted during an interview while promoting his new film. "I think technology and timing – we were suddenly able to do things in television that were, until then, only available in film because of how expensive they were. So we were lucky to be able to have that timing."
But more than just the technology, Welling credits the genius that is Glen Winter, who worked on "Smallville" several times and went on to direct episodes of "Arrow," "The Flash" and "Supergirl."
"A lot of the people who worked on Smallville, it’s a lot of the same crew on Supernatural, The Flash, Arrow. Glen Winter is now the god that we all knew he was, and it all started with Smallville," Welling explained. "He’s a genius, and he’s earned everything that he has. He’s so creative, and such a great guy. Glen Winter is somebody who hasn’t been singled out yet by anyone, but if you look at what he did on Smallville and then Flash and Arrow, he’s the throughline."
Back in 2008, Winter was honored with the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) award in the Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series category for his work in "Smallville." He was also nominated four times in the same category. He is a nine-time Leo Award nominee and was awarded Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series in 2008.
"The Flash" and "Supergirl" are having a crossover episode come March, and fans are also rooting for Welling to make an appearance on "Supergirl." However, whether or not the young Clark Kent would head over to "Supergirl," Welling's fans would be happy to see him back on TV if and when CBS gives a go signal for "Section 13."
"Supergirl" airs on Mondays at 8 p.m on CBS.