Margot Kidder Interview at The A.V. Club

[MerM]

www.avclub.com/articles/random-roles-margot-kidder,24554/

She talks about her various film roles, notably Amityville Horror (I love her opinion on it, even if I don't really agree) and all four Supes flicks (read her reaction to even the mention of Superman IV, it's great).

Enjoy!

[Metallo]

Pretty funny. She's always been a straight shooter. I see she kept some of her feelings on the Smallville producers to herself this time though.

I like how she can poke fun at herself. Always figured Golan and Globus were real crooks.

[adam15]

LOL man Margot is so awesome!! So I guess Reeve was really full of himself on the SIV set because he wrote the story and was trying to tell Kidder how to act? Then he pretended not to have written SIV??

Reeve-"Come'on Kidder this is MY MOVIE and it's the shit so act better more intense!"

Kidder - "Dear God Reeve don't you know that this is gonna suck right?

Reeve- "Quiet You! I wrote this script and it's GOLD because I'm awesome now act better!!

(after the film comes out)

Kidder- "I told you your movie was gonna suck!

Reeve "Uhhhh.... I didn't write it!!!"


Margot really was great in all Donners scenes though... makes me wish Donner had finished HER scenes first instead of Hackman and Brandos!

[Gandy]

Lester tricked them all, he was an American with British sensibilities.

I agree with her about the Biskind book, the 70s rat-pack were harmless and were having a lot of fun with each other. I think the real Margot is in Black Christmas. Very sexy in that film.

[adam15]

I thought Margot was HOT when Unsworth lit her! No wonder he took his time and demanded silence when he was working on her!

Yeah, I'm a big fan of Margot, she says what she means and means what she says... no BS with her. And I hate to say it but she is the opposite of Reeve in that regard... it's not hard to imagine they bickered on set!

[crazy_asian_man]

Fantastic interview! Great post.

Kidder seems a straight shooter in interviews (or can't censor herself- hard to tell which is which, but it definitely makes for a more interesting interviewee!)-

Kidder was never a classically trained actor, whereas Reeve has called himself a bit of a 'theatre snob'- for perhaps the large amount of theatre training he'd had. It was no suprise that these two were going to clash. Someone who devotes his life seriously to acting most likely won't get along with another person who kids around and doesn't take it seriously.... apparently, (thought not to such a giant degree)- Reeve and Jacqueline Bisset (I believe) also had difficulty on set on another film for similiar reasons.

Ironically, Kidder was a perfect amusing fit against Reeve's innocent straight arrow on-screen... but I think I'm not suprised that they fought constantly off-screen, even decades later. Reeve definitely took his art and career more seriously than Kidder.... and had far more invested in making Superman IV than Kidder had to lose, had IV been a flop.

IV had a great idea, and I think its understandable if Reeve worked his arse off (he's not bad in any of his moments) TRYING to make it worthwhile for the audience- but it's also understandable to be so pained by how something turns out, that one has to divorce himself/herself from it.

In any case, great interview and great insight from another point of view. It's not impossible that Reeve may have been difficult to work with (Adding in what bits Sarah Douglas and Jack O'Halloran and David Prowse may have said here and there)--- but it sounds like the type of person who's difficult to work with, but puts the movie audience first and foremost rather than having a good time on set.

Personally, I'd rather see a movie where the actors are trying to make a great film, than a movie where the actors have a great time, but the movie doesn't even try to be good.

Anyhow-

[EvilSupes]

Yeah it usually is the case with making great movies. I read somewhere that during Raiders everyone got ill on set, and had to try 100x harder. I think the extra effort definitely paid off.

[adam15]

But Dick Donner fostered a sense of fun on set...

[ye5man]

I'm glad Reeve took the role so seriously.

Yeah, can't believe she thought Lester was English!

I think I'd have gotten drunk with her over Reeve at a bar. She sounds like a good laugh!

[crazy_asian_man]

But Dick Donner fostered a sense of fun on set...

Dick Donner is amazing...Not all of his films are perfect, but he hits the mark often enough that if his name is on it, I'll give it a view. That he puts out good films and also tries to make happy sets at the same time is admirable. (I knew a couple of people that worked in Donner's office and say nothing but great things about him as a person.)

I do like that Kidder mentioned what went on with the disappointing Donner "The Toy" movie.... I always wondered why, with such talent, that movie was so blah. Suprised that Donner felt too intimidated by Pryor to direct him. ((Maybe they should have both talked about how awful Lester was at directing a Superman film. That could bond almost anyone.))

It's a pity that the Donner book didn't come out. Hopefully the author of the bio would release it on the web sometime (or more portions of)?

[crazy_asian_man]

I'm glad Reeve took the role so seriously.

Yeah, can't believe she thought Lester was English!

I think I'd have gotten drunk with her over Reeve at a bar. She sounds like a good laugh!

If neither Kidder or Reeve took their roles seriously, I have a feeling Donner would have lost his sense of fun pretty quickly--- given all the pressure applied to Donner for the film behind the scenes. ((If "Superman" were a bomb, even though Donner had a giant hit with "The Omen", who knows how much damage this might have caused to his career at that time?))

About Kidder not taking acting (or the movie) seriously versus Reeve....
((Though I give her giant credit, as her interview is awesome in that she never hides how much she may have damaged other films she's been in through unprofessionalism in acting))

Kidder's personality for STM I think grounded the film in taking the slightly more cynical (and neurotic) point of view of the audience, which is why it works so well imo. When she's starstruck over the ultimate celebrity in Superman, we identify with her and wonder to a degree what our own reactions would be in encountering a god on earth. When she's won over by his innocence, hope, and optimism- so are we. So, it was great casting*- with great direction by Donner**.

(*Though I still would have been curious to see how Leslie Ann Warren would have done- really enjoyed her performance.... also, it's hard to picture Stockard Channing (who was great on "West Wing") as the second choice if Kidder didn't work out).

((*Her performance in IV I never thought was great- part of which we know now may have been behind the scenes, but also she may have needed a Donner to coax the right performance))

About Reeve's seriousness in the role and how it may have upset others around him during the production:

Donner constantly says how God gave him Reeve. Considering what Donner was up against, in trying to do a good film- Reeve taking the role seriously and having the acting chops ((Can only imagine Reeve's face when Donner and Brando played the practical joke on him by having Brando say: "You're going to say it like THAT???" during one of Reeve's rehearsals.)) has to be a giant blessing that Donner needed.

Having to wear a Superman costume that can reveal sweaty armpits every five-ten minutes can't help a performance, let alone having to believe you're this character in tights in front of a giant cast and crew that may or may not take the whole project itself too seriously themselves- (Remember Brando saying to Stamp: "Have you read this script? This movie might be crap....I need the money.")...

...and knowing it could totally obliterate his career- (See poor Helen Slater, if "Supergirl" was a good movie, how much of a lift would that have been for her?)--- I'd probably be tense and on-edge all the time during a year long shoot. Having to be a method actor while wearing the sweaty Superman underarm suit (McClure saying that on-set Reeve hoped/wanted people to refer to him in character, but off the set, McClure giving great praise to Reeve as easygoing when not working)--- and not necessarily having everyone go along with it- again, another reason to be on-edge all the time.

I wasn't there and couldn't say for myself how reasonable/unreasonable Reeve might have been on-set and whether or not he took himself and the role too seriously--- ((that's more for others to say who had to experience it firsthand)) but since we're dissecting and still talking about his performances and nuances in four films that are decades old now--- aren't we ALL glad he took things as seriously as he did?

[ye5man]

Plus Reeve was just 24 when he got the role, not suprised he became so dedicated. I'd rather have a guy like that on my team than Kidder.

I don't mind Kidder's performance in IV. I wonder how well directed the actors were? Some of the supporting actors did well despite the circumstances. Of course, poor Reeve was pretty much begging for film acting roles a few years later!

[Metallo]

Reeve had to take it seriously. When you're playing a character like that in a get up like that you walk the FINE line of coming off as a complete fool.

If you don't take it seriously how can anyone else? See Arnold as Mr Freeze or Dean Cain as Superman. You gotta work twice as hard compared to the people playing normal characters.

[crazy_asian_man]

Plus Reeve was just 24 when he got the role, not suprised he became so dedicated. I'd rather have a guy like that on my team than Kidder.

I don't mind Kidder's performance in IV. I wonder how well directed the actors were? Some of the supporting actors did well despite the circumstances. Of course, poor Reeve was pretty much begging for film acting roles a few years later!

Agreed.... dedication + acting chops = ended up with performances that last on film forever.

Kidder's performance really felt off- For all that's tossed at Sydney Furie, no one on the cast/crew ever says that the guy didn't try his best, though, given the change in circumstances, and did seem (from the interviews he had before shooting) to have his heart in the right place.... but even so--- even Donner was intimidated enough to NOT direct Pryor in "The Toy".... is it possible that Furie was also intimidated by cast members who had played the roles for a number of years already, and maybe NOT direct Hackman nor Kidder (as well as the other returning cast members)? Not impossible.

Reeve- according to his autobio and biographies--- was frustrated and hurting for certain roles awhile after STM (*though STM gave him major notice with a lot of directors in Hollywood, he wasn't thrilled with a lot of the stuff he was able to get cast in, and was angry after awhile that he had to audition years later, whereas around the time post-STM, he never had to.)

Though.....his perspective all changed once the tragic accident happened. Glad, though, that he seemed to still have some joy and pride in having done STM and "Somewhere In Time", feeling those would stand the test of time. (And they pretty much have)

Reeve had to take it seriously. When you're playing a character like that in a get up like that you walk the FINE line of coming off as a complete fool.

If you don't take it seriously how can anyone else? See Arnold as Mr Freeze or Dean Cain as Superman. You gotta work twice as hard compared to the people playing normal characters.

Totally agree--- Plus, at the time of STM--- there was no guarantee that a movie about a comic book character would make ANY money at the time, since it was the first time SOOO much money was put into a budget for a film like that--- often people forget that STM's success really was a landmark that the other superhero films could follow and point to, when trying to get studios to greenlight their comic adaptation. ((And now, with TDK's success and most of Marvel Studios' successes, hopefully superhero films will be a regular staple))

Anyhow--- I can imagine how exposed Reeve must have felt, having so much money be on his shoulders. Because of that, I'm fine when I read about arguments or temperments that Reeve may have had on set- I never tire of hearing more behind-the-scenes stories on these films--- it's disappointing when David Prowse or another actor shares a bad experience with Reeve during the making of the movies- but then again, it's not the whole story, it's just another perspective, that can be added to the whole library of Superman movie trivia.

Reeve I'm sure felt like everything was riding on STM being good- perhaps even more than Donner had things riding on STM (since Donner had directed tons of television before then, that seemed to always be a viable backup plan, though definitely it'd be a giant step back after the big box office success of "The Omen")- and by the time SIV came out, Reeve's star and carryover fame had faded most advantages from STM--- so, again, I'm sure that Reeve felt the giant need to make sure everything was just right for SIV--- and MASSIVELY in a mood probably once he knew that everything was going 'on the cheap' for it, as well.

Still..... glad to read more from this article about all the films from Kidder, that I hadn't read before. Still hoping that Furie will give a full-length interview SOMETIME in the near future, as well.... *sigh*