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He's just turned 25 and he's very new to the acting game, but former model Tom Welling is already the owner of the world's most famous underpants. Or at least he's trying them on for size. As Clark Kent in Smallville, he portrays the pre-lycra version of Superman (a role he actually turned down twice before accepting), learning to cope with superpowers, unrequited love and scary little green rocks. Tom Welling himself, on the other hand, is having to cope with being the most gorgeous 'new kid on the bedroom poster' when all he really wants to do is play a psycho-killer.

So, Tom. From model to actor. Which job's more fun, then?

Acting's so much better than modelling. Less about the surface, and more about what you can do. With modelling, you get your picture taken, which is great - good for you, you know? But in acting, you're able to reach in and show a little bit more of yourself. Besides, I wasn't a very good model really.

How do you mean? Surely it's just about standing there looking good?

[shrugs] I don't know - I just wasn't very good at it. Didn't work all that much.

And now, your picture is like everywhere.

I know! When someone shows you a picture of yourself on a four-storey billboard on Times Square, I tell you, it's crazy. I enjoy it, though.

Did you know much about the Superman story when you got the part?

I wasn't a real fan, no. I'd seen the films, and my father tells me that every Halloween I used to insist on dressing up as Superman, but other than that I didn't know much about it. And that's a blessing if anything. In Smallville, Clark doesn't know who he's going to become, and in much the same way, I don't have any preconceived notion in my head of who he will turn into.

In the past, Clark's always been a bit of a geek. Was that a worry for you?

Well I think it works in my favour that I'm not running around wearing my underwear on the outside, but this version of Clark is really interesting - he doesn't have all the answers, he's not always in control, and he's trying to figure out who he is, how to use these abilities when all they do is alienate him from everyone else in the world. That's the point of Smallville - Clark's struggle to be normal. It's not about him saving the world, it's about him trying to find a place in it.

Which is sort of like everyone's teenage years, isn't it?

Exactly. You've got underlying themes which everyone goes through. The great thing about Smallville is that Clark isn't always going to save the day. I think that makes him more vulnerable, and more tangible for the audience.

He's also got that thing for Lana, but he can never be with her. That must suck.

[laughs] Well, the whole idea of Lana wearing the kryptonite necklace, it actually reflects how a lot of high-school guys feel around girls. You get to speak to her, then you don't know what to say, you can't breathe properly… It's just like real life.

So were you crap at pulling when you were at school?

I wasn't the most popular kid at school, but I wasn't an outsider. I couldn't flip cars over, and I never got hung up like a scarecrow. I was just average, really.

Yes, but what about the dating Tom.

Um, I did ok. [smiles]

Hmm. So if Lana and Clark ever did get it together, would that spoil everything?

Would it kill the series? I really don't know. I think the tension between the two of them is fascinating, and it's fun to play. I always pick up on it when I sit down and watch the finished episodes. If Clark and Lana end up together, it couldn't happen too quickly. I think we need to learn a lot more about the two of them first. But yeah, Clark's got that whole moral high ground thing, and it really doesn't make life easy for him.

It must be strange walking around town when everyone knows you as Superman.

You know what? People barely notice me! It's always Michael (Rosenbaum, who plays Lex Luthor) who gets the attention. Last night we were staying at a hotel and I wanted to show Michael the pool, but it was fenced off and the hotel security guard just wouldn't let me past. Completely refused. Then Michael appears and the guard says 'Oh, it's you - cool then, go and have a look, but it's just because I love your show, OK?'

You should go around wearing an S-logo on your chest.

I thought of that! But with Michael, it's that bald head. He's so recognisable. If we went to a club together, the girls would notice him first. Unless he had a hat on. People come up to him all the time, man. We bumped into this kid who'd shaved his hair off, and this kid says 'Hey, I'm bald too!' and Michael just turned round and said 'Yes, but you choose to be!'

Clark and Lex don't fully trust each other. How is the relationship between Tom and Michael compared to that?

Oh nothing like it at all. Michael's a great guy - he's so much fun to work with. He likes to keep things going, has this incredible energy. He never wants to do the same thing twice and that keeps things interesting for all of us. He's a great guy. He's been around, whereas this is my first real show, so he tends to give me advice. He tells me to enjoy the attention, but not to take it too seriously.

Well it's your first big acting role - have you regretted anything about it?

No way. Never. To be honest, when I told my friends that I was playing Clark Kent, I expected big laughs, and sure enough I did get a few of them. But one of my friends phoned me just after the first episode had gone out and he said 'You know what? I sat there watching it, and I actually forgot it was you.' Which has to be a good thing.

And you may not be a model any more, but you're still a posterboy whether you like it or not.

Well I suppose so, but the people in my life whose opinions I value know what's going on - they know that the poster-boy thing is out of my control. I've turned down a lot of the teen hearthrob stuff.

Spoilsport. Why?

I just don't want it to be all about that. I mean I enjoy being Clark. It's a great job I have here, I look forward to going to work every day, and you can't ask for much more than that. But at the same time you worry that you'll always be associated with that role. I'd like to think that Clark is just one card in my deck. I'd like to think I could play a psycho killer if needs be.

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