ROUTH RELISHES ROLE IN LITTLE INDIE FILM.

Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ

Brandon Routh's voice sounded a little rough on the phone the other day and he quickly explained why: The actor who plays the Man of Steel in "Superman Returns" had a cold.

I lamely blurted out that he should "drink lots of fluids and stay away from Kryptonite!"

It wasn't the first time he'd heard that in recent days, but he gave me a courtesy laugh anyway.

Brandon is excited to be one of the leads in the independent movie "Lie to Me," a romantic drama about a couple navigating the hazards of an open relationship. It will open the Newport Beach Film Festival on Saturday.

"Don't take the kids," he advised. "It's an interesting date movie, maybe even an interesting first date. It puts it all out on the table and raises a lot of interesting subjects for people -- things that are really important and what people my age are going through. Mainly, am I ready to commit to one person?"

Brandon, 28, already knew one of his co-stars pretty well since he was engaged to Courtney Ford when they made the film and the couple were married last November.

"She's really amazing," Brandon said of his wife's work in the movie. "We have some really great, fun scenes and it was exciting to be able to work with her and see how amazing she is in this film and to know we can both set aside who we are in our relationship.

"We had a lot of conversations about that topic (of fidelity) with ourselves and the rest of the cast. It's a topic that is very interesting: What is commitment? What is love? Are we afraid of love?"

The couple will be among the cast and crew at the Newport festival on opening night and Brandon is eager to get the crowd's reaction:

"I'm proud of the movie. Any time your name is attached to a movie, it's scary. You don't know how it will turn out. But it's exciting, too."

The world of independent movies and getting attention for them on the film festival circuit is obviously worlds apart from headlining a big studio film like "Superman Returns."

"Yeah, it's a little bit different. You don't get all the glitz and glamour -- but that's all right. It's a lot of fun to be able to work with people who are passionate about their film. It gives you a lot more chance to really experience the character sometimes without the pressure of all the money."

Before "Superman," Brandon was simply a working actor looking for his big break. Landing the lead in a summer blockbuster that grossed more than $200million domestically can change your career -- and your life -- pretty darn quick.

"To some extent, I rolled with it," he said. "I'm pretty calm most of the time by nature. It is certainly a lot of exposure and takes getting used to. What takes the most getting used to is when that goes away a little bit and going back to real life. My life contains both of these scenarios. There's a time to be in the spotlight and out of it. It's balancing those parts of life and now I have the opportunity as well to do some great work and prove to people that I can do many other things."

And what about the next movie in the "Superman" series? Brandon said director Bryan Singer is in the process of meeting with writers.

He's eager to return to the character and to work with the director again.

"Bryan was very open to communicating about the character and was very collaborative with me. We talked endlessly about the character and what he's going through. On set, we were on the same playing field. He's a genius and it's exciting to see him work. I think ('Superman Returns') is a beautiful film. I'm really, really proud of it and very excited to continue."

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(color) Actor Brandon Routh got his big break playing the Man of Steel in "Superman Returns." Now he's waiting for the release of "Lie to Me," a romantic drama about a couple navigating an open relationship.

Vince Bucci/Getty Images