Brandon Routh, super spy

“Superman Returns” actor Brandon Routh is playing a hero -- but this time he is not wearing a cape and a brightly colored suit. He is now part of the cast of NBC’s “Chuck.”

His character is the new boss and teacher for novice spy Chuck (Zachary Levi). But, like all of the other characters on the series, Routh’s role has secrets that’ll be revealed slowly.

“He’s a good spy, but very different from Superman,” Routh says during an interview on the set of the series.

Those of you waiting for Routh to suit up again as Superman better get used to him playing different roles.

Asked whether he would be making another “Superman” movie, Routh says, “You know as much as I know. I don’t know anything. I went through some anticipation for a while but it has been four years now so I have moved on to other things.”

Joining “Chuck” meant Routh had to blend into a cast that already had a smooth chemistry.

“You learn when to speak up and when not,” Routh says. “I think I have found my place now.”

The role proves the Superman curse doesn’t hit every actor. George Reeves, who played the Man of Steel in the ‘50s TV series, and Christopher Reeve, Superman in the ‘70s and ‘80s movies, both complained that playing the part limited the roles they were offered.

“Playing Superman hasn’t haunted me by any means,” Routh says. “The challenge with that is a lot of people in the industry just stereotyped ‘Superman Returns’ as a silly kind of movie. I have done quite a lot of roles since then, but not a lot has gotten out.”

His films “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “Miss Nobody” and “Dead of Night” are scheduled to be released this year. For now, he’s a good guy on “Chuck.”

Bentley writes for the Fresno Bee.