Titans star Joshua Orpin, who plays Superboy, talks about his character taking a darker turn in season 4 of the DC TV show. The end is near for one of HBO Max’s longest-running DC dramas. After airing for four seasons, Titans will be ending its run this year, and the series finale is only a few weeks away. Since Titans season 4, part 2 resumed, the heroes have had their hands full with Brother Blood following Sebastian Sanger’s completed transformation.
Throughout the back half of the season, Superboy has embraced his Luthor side more, operating now as Conner Luthor. In the latest episode, “Game Over,” Conner took a major step forward while also continuing to build out his dynamic with Sebastian. However, the Titans season 4 episode quickly sees Conner having a change of heart, hinting that he may not be as much of a Luthor as he thought he was.
Screen Rant recently had the opportunity to chat with Joshua Orpin, who has played Superboy since Titans season 2. Throughout the interview, the Australian actor spoke about getting to jump deeper into Superboy as a character this season throughout this dark storyline after meeting Lex Luthor in the premiere. Orpin also shared what he is excited for fans to see in the final few episodes.
Joshua Orpin on Superboy’s Arc in Titans Season 4
Screen Rant: I was talking to Greg Walker, and I told him that I don’t know who had more fun: you acting out all those scenes or the writers getting to write it. When they told you that this was the direction they were going, what was going through your head?
Joshua Orpin: I was just rubbing my hands together. I was like, ‘Oh, this is so juicy. I can’t wait to get stuck into this.’ From the moment before we started shooting, I was having a conversation with Ryan Potter, who plays Beast Boy, and he was like, ‘Dude, I heard a rumor. We are going to do Lex Luthor this season!’ I was like, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t expect it!’
I was so excited, though, as soon as I heard that, I was like, ‘Yes, this is going to be the one where we’re going to really delve deep into these ideas and these concepts that we’ve teased but never really got to deal with.’ I was so grateful and excited for the opportunity to step into this season. Retrospectively now that we know it’s the final season, I’m happy that we can walk away from the series as a whole and that me personally knowing that we got to do everything that I ever wanted to do with the character. So, I’m very satisfied and happy with that.
Even though it was just for one episode, you guys still got a lot of stuff covered, so how was it working with Titus Welliver and finally getting to engage with Lex?
Joshua Orpin: He’s fantastic. I really loved what he did with the character. He came in, and he brought an immediate gravitas and a weight to this character that has lived in my mind for years now. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about, as Conner and also as myself, who this guy is and what he represents. Titus just immediately instantly embodied that for me and I hope for the audience too. I really enjoyed playing that scene with him. Because really, it was only one scene that we had together. But it was a great scene; I love how it turned out, and I loved the way it was written. I think it was very true for both characters, particularly for Conner. I think, coming into that interaction, in that meeting, he behaved very authentically and very genuinely, and there was nothing that I really wanted to change at all.
Everything was all there on the page. So for me, it was just about coming in and being receptive to what Titus was doing and really trying to live in the moment during that encounter. Luckily, and this isn’t always the case, we had an opportunity to rehearse that scene. We came in early, and we went to that location, and we had some discussions with Titus Nick Copus (the director) and myself. I think we were able to craft a scene that really serves as a springboard for the rest of the season in terms of Conner’s character arc and his trajectory for the season. I’m very grateful and happy about that.
The one character I would never have imagined that Conner would have gotten so close with was Sebastian. Talk about working with Joseph Morgan in that capacity because I feel it goes from 0-100 between you guys.
Joshua Orpin: Oh, my goodness, Joseph is such a brilliant actor, really skilled, and a great collaborator. He always made me feel like my input was really valued. Creatively, what he was doing, was just super impressive and interesting. He obviously had done his homework, so he came in, and the character was fully formed, fully three-dimensional, and he was exploring different avenues about who Sebastian was, but he had a real depth to him from the get-go.
It was easy to come into a scene with him and play off that if that makes sense. [It was] a real pleasure to work with him, and as you say, we got the opportunity, particularly in episode 10, to share some scenes together and quite a bit of screen time. It’s interesting to see how both of those characters’ individual motivations converge and then diverge at various points in the story and how that affects the power dynamic between them. At any given point, you think one character has the upper hand and then just flips on its head, and then all of a sudden, the other character has the upper hand, and it feels like he’s in the driver’s seat and then losing control. It’s a tumultuous ride, but I think it’s a fun ride. I hope that the audience watching has as much fun with those scenes as we had shooting them because it was a blast.
Because I’m a huge comic book fan and I know you’ve really gotten yourself into the Superboy character over the years: the whole idea of shaving the head and doing an homage to that comic, where did that idea come from?
Joshua Orpin: The stuff where I go on my Instagram and I like to take a photo that tries to mirror-like an iconic illustration from a comic book: that’s definitely something that no one tells me to do. Because I know that people will get excited, and I’ll get excited. They will go, ‘Oh, my God, he’s doing the thing!’ I think immediately, as soon as I was cast, the first thing I wanted to do was that.
I think the first photo that I posted after the casting announcement back in 2019 was I did that Superboy cover from the 1990s with tape on my back, and it was just a lot of fun doing that stuff. That particular photo, where it’s Connor, and he’s just shaved his head, and he’s got the razor: I tried to recreate that from the comic book that was just like in the little bathroom in my trailer on set. So clearly, I have too much time on my hands! [laughs] But the way that the shaving of the head eventuated was that, obviously, it came from the writers.
They had the idea, and then they brought it to me. They actually gave me the choice – which was very kind of them because I’m sure they could have just told me to do it, and I would have had no choice. But they said ‘Would you be willing to shave your head or alternatively, you can wear a bald cap.’ But I think this is where Conner is going to go in the future of the story. I was like, ‘Wow, this is great.’ I was more than willing to shave my head because having witnessed Titus Welliver as Lex have the bold cap applied and then maintained in between takes and whatnot. I like my sleep, and I don’t really want to come to work three hours early to have a bald cap applied every day. And also, I sweat a lot.
This might be too much information, so tune out now if you don’t want to hear something a little bit gross, but when you wear those bald caps, they accumulate sweat. I’m just a sweaty person in general. So if it’s slightly hot, I’ll be sweating a lot anyway. It gets trapped in there so at the end of the day, you will take the thing off and then the sweat will just pour all out of it!
It felt like a rainstorm. [laughs]
Joshua Orpin: Exactly! No, that’s not good. I knew that, and I was like, ‘No, I’ll just shave it.’ I did, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it could be. I really took that as a win because I didn’t know how it was going to feel or how it was going to look, and everything turned out all right. Yeah, I don’t regret that decision at all.
There’s a new Superman movie in the works. James Gunn is building the whole DC Universe, and a lot of people have been throwing your name around. Are you ready to go from Superboy to Superman? If you got that call, would you do it? Would you be game to go from a T-shirt to a cape and suit?
Joshua Orpin: Oh, boy. Man, I think that I would have to be open to the opportunity; I’d have to be open to playing that role. Because it’s such an iconic and massive opportunity that just doesn’t come around too often, if I were up to that role, I’d probably have no choice but to accept it regardless of my feelings on the matter.
Because I honestly think you would be a great Superman – I do support that idea by the fans.
Joshua Orpin: Thank you, I appreciate that. I’m very flattered that some people think that I’m doing a good job. But to be honest, I know as much as you do in terms of what they’re doing with that new movie, but I don’t have any inside information. But from the sound of it, it feels like they’re starting fresh, and they want to have a clean slate and do their own interpretation of the character and their own thing that’s separate from anything that’s come before. I feel like maybe the fact that I have played Superboy and I’ve been a part of the DC world in my own small way previously; maybe I am less suited now to play a newer version of the character.
But I am very much looking forward to taking a step back and watching this unfold as a fan and being a more passive audience member once again because I’m so passionate, and I’m so in love with these characters, and I have been forever. I’m just excited to see what they’re going to do and I’m excited to go to the movies and just check it out. Obviously, if I was presented with the opportunity of playing that role, I couldn’t say no to it. I just physically couldn’t say no, but I’m excited to see what they do with it regardless. It’s a very nonanswer for you! [laughs]
I’ve seen the series finale, there’s a moment in particular that I want you to tease for the audience. It’s towards the very end. How thrilled were you, as a fan, to get to do what they’re going to get to see about you-know-what?
Joshua Orpin: Oh, yes, I was absolutely ecstatic. I don’t want to give anything away whatsoever, so I’ll be as vague as possible. There is a moment in the series finale where something takes place, in terms of Connor and his storyline, that I think fans are just going to love, and I have seen a little section of the finished episode that pertains to this moment in question. I got a little bit giddy when I was watching. I was like, ‘Oh, this is good.’ Because I want to give it context, but even the context would give it away. So I’m not going to say anything! [laughs]
You are building up hype, and now people will be like, ‘Oh, what is he talking about?’ You have two moments, actually, now that I think about it.
Joshua Orpin: Yeah. All I will say then is that I’m very, very excited for the fans to see the series finale, and I hope that they respond to it in the same way that I did.
What do you have coming up? What’s next for you?
Joshua Orpin: Right now, I’m actually really enjoying some time with my family. I live in Australia, if you can’t tell by the way that I speak. It’s good to be home because I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few years living in Canada as we shot Titans in Toronto. So it’s really nice to be back home and have the opportunity to spend some time with my family and friends in Australia and doing some travel around the country. I’m not going away anytime soon – there’s nothing I can talk about at the moment, but I’m very happy to be doing what I’m doing, and I think I’ll just leave it at that! [laughs]
Joshua, it was so nice to speak to you. Thank you for everything you’ve done with Superboy. Congrats on what has been an amazing season and one of your best seasons as an actor and I can’t wait to see what you do next.
Joshua Orpin: Thank you very much. I appreciate that!
About Titans Season 4
In the mid-season premiere, the Titans – with the exception of Gar – are returned to the place they had vanished, the Temple of Trigon, only to find Sebastian and Mother Mayhem are no longer there. The Titans rush to find them before Sebastian summons Trigon, their pursuit leading them to a mysterious town whose populace is hiding a deep secret. Along the way, the Titans come across a prophecy that may require Kory to make a huge sacrifice to save the world, but Dick’s feelings for Kory surface and he refuses to let her die.
In the final episodes, the Titans enter into an epic battle to save both Kory and the world. Gar goes on a quest of self-discovery, attempting to find his true purpose and to save his friends. Rachel embraces darker powers while Conner, struggling with his Lex Luthor side, goes his own way to defeat Sebastian. Tim and Bernard’s growing feelings for each other become increasingly difficult to resist, and when Bernard’s life is threatened, Tim finally becomes the hero he has always strived to be.
Check out our other Titans season 4, part 2 interviews here:
Titans season 4 drops new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max.
