The Next Lex Luthor

By Sam Blier

There’s something about Worcester that seems to either breed or draw multi-talented creative types. Maybe there’s something in the water? Whatever it may be, Worcester-born Jeremy Carnrike illustrates the point. Jeremy is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, director and producer. He fronts the local band East Coast Runaways and is slated to play Lex Luthor in an upcoming Superman fan film (by fans, for fans) that’s shooting in Texas.

Jeremy, 31,  began playing music at the tender age of eight, and attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston to study drumming. While there, he also spent time playing the piano and guitar. Growing up, he was exposed to a wide variety of music (pop, metal, rock), but Nirvana changed his life. A band-mate of his introduced him to the grunge gods in the early 90s and you can hear the influence in the music he creates today. But Jeremy is anything but one-dimensional; his band East Cost Runaways does some hip-hop crossover songs that allow him to reach back to his pop roots. You can catch East Coast Runaways and their unique sound at some of the best joints for live music in Worcester. They often play The Lucky Dog, Ralph’s Diner, Tammany Hall and Hotel Vernon, but most Wednesday nights they can be found trying out new material for their upcoming album at The Raven.

But back to the Superman stuff. Let’s get this out of the way right now; Jeremy is a huge Superman aficionado. He’s such a fan that he spends his spare time writing his own Superman movie script and frequenting Superman fan websites. It was on his favorite Superman fan site that, like a dream, he saw a post from someone looking to fill the role of Lex Luthor in an upcoming movie. Jeremy had always wanted to play Clark Kent, but standing less than six feet tall and having a healthy dose of natural red hair, he was resigned to the fact that he’d more than likely never get the chance. So out of spite, he turned his desires to playing Superman’s arch-nemesis. Jeremy had even written a script, true to the original Superman story line, with himself playing Luthor. After submitting headshots and examples of previous work, Jeremy scored an audition. Thanks to his previous acting experience and his willingness to go completely bald, he landed the part of his dreams.

Superman: The Golden Child, directed and produced by Andrew List, is set to be released next year. It is a present-day interpretation of the classic story that promises to stay true to the legend. This fan film is made possible by the blood, sweat, tears and dollars of Superman fans like Jeremy. If you’re interested, you can get involved too. They’re still looking for cast and crew, so check them out at www.supermangc.com.

For more information on East Coast Runaways, check out www.eastcoastrunaways.com.

Photo courtesy of Rilla Bailey for RMB Illistrations, 2011