By India McCarty
For SUPERMAN star David Corenswet, adventure is a family affair — his grandfather created the popular Choose Your Own Adventure novels!
“[He came up with the idea after] telling bedtime stories to my mom and my aunt and my uncle,” Corenswet told PEOPLE of his grandfather, Edward Packard. “As he described it, he ran out of ideas, and so he just started asking them to come up with the next idea.”
Packard told a similar story in a 1981 article with The New York Times about how he started writing the books.
“That night in 1969 when I asked my girls what Pete, my mythical hero, should do next in the story, they each chose something different,” he shared. “On the train the next day, I thought, ‘What would happen if you wrote both endings?’”
He wrote the first novel, The Adventure of You on Sugar Cane Island, but it took until 1975 to find a publisher. From there, the books took off and became extremely popular with young readers.
“It’s always fun having somebody mention them,” Corenswet said. “The books come up one way or another, and I get to give him credit, and people who love those books really love those books, and it really means something to them.”
The actor said he “read [the books] growing up,” calling the novels “amazing,” and even drawing a connection between them and his latest role, Superman.
“I actually think there’s more to the idea of making choices not solely based on the outcome you think they will bring but based on the principles with which you navigate life,” he explained. “Whatever the outcome, at least you can live with yourself; you can feel like you did your best.”
Corenswet continued, “I think that’s a lot of Superman, as well. Superman is less worried about the outcomes of his actions than he is about making sure that he does what he knows is right in the moment.”
The actor has previously spoken about the honor — and pressures — that come with playing the iconic comic book character.
“There is an amazing, solemn responsibility to be the person to play this character,” he told TIME.
When asked if he’s worried about this role defining the rest of his career as an actor, the TWISTERS star replied, “Would this be worth doing if this was the only thing I do as an actor for the rest of my life? I think the answer is yes.”
From choosing your own path on the page to comic book exploits on the big screen, Corenswet is well-versed in adventure.
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