'The Boys' Star Jack Quaid Says Growing Up a 'Gigantic Superhero Nerd' Prepared Him to Play Superman (Exclusive)

Playing Superman has been a long time in the making for Jack Quaid.

When The Boys star was a child, he took a Batman cape, drew the iconic Superman triangle on a t-shirt and put a “J” instead of the usual “S.”

“I was Super J or Super Jack,” Quaid, 31, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.

Now the actor is playing the Man of Steel in the animated show My Adventures with Superman on Adult Swim and Max. In this particular take on the iconic superhero, Quaid voices a young Clark Kent, an aspiring reporter looking for his big break at The Daily Planet when his powers emerge.

Quaid, a self-proclaimed “gigantic superhero nerd,” took preparations for the role seriously. He visited Golden Apple Comics in Los Angeles and read Superman For All seasons, which chronicles the Man of Steel’s earliest adventures and All-Star Superman, a 12-issue series set during the last days of Superman — both of which served as inspirations for the actor.

“I've always loved superheroes, and the fact that I've gotten to play in the Superman world, it's just been an incredible honor,” explains Quaid, who is the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.

But while he had previously watched other portrayals of Superman, Quaid tried to avoid revisiting them while he recorded lines for the show, not because “they weren’t great,” the actor explains, but because he didn’t want to accidentally slip into simply mimicking those otherwise memorable performances.

“I wanted to find my own take,” he adds. “Everyone who’s been Superman has been absolutely wonderful, but this show had such a very specific tone, and I wanted to make sure this version of Superman really fit in this world.”

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The role allowed Quaid to flex his acting chops, as he jumped back and forth from playing the mild-mannered Clark Kent to a more confident Superman, who grows to master his superpowers.  

“That was really fun, defining which moments to do it and which to let a little bit more Clark shine through,” he recalls. “I love navigating the two sides of him, but at his core, keeping him Clark, who's just this sweet guy who genuinely wants to do good in the world and also wants to be a reporter. I think that he genuinely loves reporting and wants to do the best job that he can.”

One of the best aspects of My Adventures with Superman is the relationship between Clark and Lois Lane evolve. Watching the first seven episodes of the show was a "really emotional" ride for Quaid, particularly during the scenes with Clark and Lois.

“There’s something so sweet about them, so genuine, and I can’t believe I’m rooting for a cartoon romance to happen,” he admits. “Their romance is a tale as old as time.”  

For more on Jack Quaid, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here. 

My Adventures with Superman premieres Thursday on Adult Swim and Friday on Max.