 Eric Johnson auditioned for the roles of Lex and Clark , before finally being cast as Whitney Fordman . When the producers called him in for a third audition , Johnson informed them that if they wanted him then they would bring him in for a screen @-@ test . After the screen @-@ test , Johnson was cast and spent only one day filming his scenes for the pilot . The producers , along with Johnson , wanted to portray Whitney as more than just the " stereotypical jock " that he could have easily become , in an effort to make sure Lana did not look stupid for going out with him . Whitney was given multiple storylines in season one in an effort to get audiences to view the character in a more pleasant light , but Kristin Kreuk feels that it was all for naught , as the audience only sees him through Clark 's eyes . 
