Smallville Cast Members Foresaw The Car Crash Incident With Riverdale Actor

The CW is currently under fire right now after Riverdale star K.J. Apa (Archie) crashed his car when he fell asleep on the wheel after a 14.2-hour work day. The cast and crew are currently protesting better safety options for their actors, and Micahel Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor in the CW show Smallville, recalls how they also encountered the same issues when they were working on their show.

During his podcast Inside of You, which guest-starred former Clark Kent Tom Welling, Rosenbaum recalls how the cast of Smallville had signed a petition to have The CW provide a driver for Welling as they were afraid that his 18-hour work days could lead to incidents like what happened with Apa.

"I think it got to a point where we all signed a letter for you because we were like ‘You're going to kill Superman."

As of now, The CW's policy is that the actors would provide their own transportation, but they also have the option of staying in a nearby hotel given the nature of the late-night shoots. SAG-AFTRA , for now, has confirmed that they will be sending a team to assess the safety of the actors on the set.

As of now, Apa is still good to work on the show. He hasn't sustained any serious injuries from the crash, but his car was completely totaled. It's also worth noting that Cole Sprouse, who playes Jughead, would have been in that passenger seat had he not changed his plans last minute.

The CW provides a statement:

"The safety of the cast and crew on all of our productions is of paramount importance to the Studio. Productions adhere to the Screen Actors Guild–mandated turnaround time of 12 hours from wrap time to next day call time for cast members. In accordance with industry standard policy, if any cast or crew member feels tired or unsafe at any time after working, the Studio will provide a taxi, a driver or a hotel room upon request. This is communicated to all cast and crew, both in writing and verbally, at the beginning of production and is reiterated continuously throughout the duration of production."

See Also: Check Out Smallville's Lex Luthor As Guardians of the Galaxy's Pre-CGI Martinex