Christopher Reeve Interviews

[Metallo]

Reeve on the D!ck Cavett show.



Didn’t think they were going to talk about Superman much but Reeve shares interesting stories about the movies, Brando, acting, the film industry, and STM being a pioneer for serious big budget comic book/strip movies, superhero movies, and cartoons/pulp character movies.




















Damme language filter!

[crazy_asian_man]

This was a great find.... and it's amazing how much new bits of information STILL shows up decades later.

Its the first time I'd heard that about the interaction (or lack of) between Reeve and Brando, other than the (pretty cruel) prank that Donner and Brando did on Reeve for the 'who am I?' line delivery.

If Brando wasn't taking it seriously from the start- and it was a main reason Reeve took on the role.... I could see a young actor getting REALLY nervous right from the start of production. Yikes.

[Metallo]

Yeah I think this was the first time I’ve heard those specifics about that scene. It might be in a book but it’s interesting to hear Reeve actually say all that. Add that to the Letterman interview and it’s obvious his opinion on Brando dropped after working with him. I understand Brando laughing cause it was kind of silly but like Reeve said he was trying and what IS that supposed to look like. Brando should have tried harder to be a bit more professional about it.

Like you said though it’s always surprising how much more we learn about these movies even 30-40 years later.

[crazy_asian_man]

Jan 6, 2019 10:56:34 GMT -5 Metallo said:

Yeah I think this was the first time I’ve heard those specifics about that scene. It might be in a book but it’s interesting to hear Reeve actually say all that. Add that to the Letterman interview and it’s obvious his opinion on Brando dropped after working with him. I understand Brando laughing cause it was kind of silly but like Reeve said he was trying and what IS that supposed to look like. Brando should have tried harder to be a bit more professional about it.

Like you said though it’s always surprising how much more we learn about these movies even 30-40 years later.

I remember a radio interview Reeve gave way back when (I heard it live decades ago) about whether or not he hearned anything working with Brando, to which Reeve just said that he actually learned more from watching bad actors than great ones- but that was the whole reference. I didn't know Brando treated it as a joke until seeing this.

[Metallo]

For all we know he may have been talking about Brando even though his wording makes it seem like he’s not and he’s saying Brando was great. If so that’s a pretty sly dig. Years later he did talk about how lazy Brando was and how he didn’t care. Unlike Brando Reeve did seem to try a lot harder on the later movies even when he knew they were going to be awful.

[Deleted]

In Brando's defense, I think I laughed a little at that scene too. 

[Metallo]

I think everybody did. Reeves point was Brando’s a legend whose been around long enough to be professional. If the roles were reversed I think Reeve would have tried not to laugh out of respect for another actor trying to work. Brando’s been known to be thin skinned himself at times so he might not have liked it either. If he did apologize like Reeve said Brando knew he was kinda wrong.

[crazy_asian_man]

Jan 6, 2019 17:23:54 GMT -5 Metallo said:

I think everybody did. Reeves point was Brando’s a legend whose been around long enough to be professional. If the roles were reversed I think Reeve would have tried not to laugh out of respect for another actor trying to work. Brando’s been known to be thin skinned himself at times so he might not have liked it either. If he did apologize like Reeve said Brando knew he was kinda wrong.

Also- weren't the Brando scenes the very first ones that were shot?

I can imagine with Reeve being nervous as he was already with being typecast (or the movie being a total bomb)--- that having Brando not take the movie seriously right off the bat had to have put some paranoia or anxiety into Chris throughout the shoot. If the 'serious' actors were laughing at the material- what about everyone else on the set?

Also- the more experienced actors would have other things to go on to, or be remembered for- whereas this was (at the time) Reeve'e first giant exposure to the world as an actor.... and the movie would have risen or fell on his shoulders (in the eyes of the public anyhow). With this bit of news, I can more understand why Reeve could have been stressed out throughout the shoot.

[crazy_asian_man]

Jan 6, 2019 16:55:03 GMT -5 @roffellamo said:

In Brando's defense, I think I laughed a little at that scene too. 

I wish we had a chance to see all the takes to get a better sense on whether or not thet scene was badly edited in the RDC or just a big mistake in how it was shot.....

[Metallo]

Jan 7, 2019 4:35:03 GMT -5 crazy_asian_man said:

Jan 6, 2019 17:23:54 GMT -5 Metallo said:

I think everybody did. Reeves point was Brando’s a legend whose been around long enough to be professional. If the roles were reversed I think Reeve would have tried not to laugh out of respect for another actor trying to work. Brando’s been known to be thin skinned himself at times so he might not have liked it either. If he did apologize like Reeve said Brando knew he was kinda wrong.

Also- weren't the Brando scenes the very first ones that were shot?

I can imagine with Reeve being nervous as he was already with being typecast (or the movie being a total bomb)--- that having Brando not take the movie seriously right off the bat had to have put some paranoia or anxiety into Chris throughout the shoot. If the 'serious' actors were laughing at the material- what about everyone else on the set?

Also- the more experienced actors would have other things to go on to, or be remembered for- whereas this was (at the time) Reeve'e first giant exposure to the world as an actor.... and the movie would have risen or fell on his shoulders (in the eyes of the public anyhow). With this bit of news, I can more understand why Reeve could have been stressed out throughout the shoot.

Good point. Even beyond the typecasting a lot of the film rested on Reeve’s shoulders. He was only 24 when he was cast. What if the film was a massive failure financially and got planned by critics and audiences? The thought of that would make me nervous and put the pressure on. That alone would kill his career right out of the gate. For the audience to take it seriously everyone involved would have to take it seriously. I think Reeve knew they couldn’t let it slowly drift into being a farce which easily could have happened and did happen with the sequels at times.

[crazy_asian_man]

Jan 7, 2019 8:31:39 GMT -5 Metallo said:

Jan 7, 2019 4:35:03 GMT -5 crazy_asian_man said:

Also- weren't the Brando scenes the very first ones that were shot?

I can imagine with Reeve being nervous as he was already with being typecast (or the movie being a total bomb)--- that having Brando not take the movie seriously right off the bat had to have put some paranoia or anxiety into Chris throughout the shoot. If the 'serious' actors were laughing at the material- what about everyone else on the set?

Also- the more experienced actors would have other things to go on to, or be remembered for- whereas this was (at the time) Reeve'e first giant exposure to the world as an actor.... and the movie would have risen or fell on his shoulders (in the eyes of the public anyhow). With this bit of news, I can more understand why Reeve could have been stressed out throughout the shoot.

Good point. Even beyond the typecasting a lot of the film rested on Reeve’s shoulders. He was only 24 when he was cast. What if the film was a massive failure financially and got planned by critics and audiences? The thought of that would make me nervous and put the pressure on. That alone would kill his career right out of the gate. For the audience to take it seriously everyone involved would have to take it seriously. I think Reeve knew they couldn’t let it slowly drift into being a farce which easily could have happened and did happen with the sequels at times.

I can more understand now why Reeve would be so serious on set.... versus Margot or any other actor on set. He had (it seemed from his perspective) EVERYTHING to lose, as he wanted this as his road to his acting dreams.

He had to have had a rude awakening in dreaming of having a dramatic scene with 'legendary' Brando- then having Brando laugh it off. That had to hurt.

[Metallo]

Yeah he had more to lose than any of the actors. Brando and Hackman were already established and they weren’t the leads so if it flopped they wouldn’t get most of the blame. Kidder probably thought it might not work anyway and even she had more experience in films than Reeve.

[crazy_asian_man]

Jan 8, 2019 9:16:29 GMT -5 Metallo said:

Yeah he had more to lose than any of the actors. Brando and Hackman were already established and they weren’t the leads so if it flopped they wouldn’t get most of the blame. Kidder probably thought it might not work anyway and even she had more experience in films than Reeve.

In retropect it makes WAYYY more sense why Kidder got on Reeve's nerves by her not staying in character and treating it like a joke at the time....

[Metallo]

Very true

[Metallo]

Makes some interesting very candid comments in this interview

[crazy_asian_man]

Another great find!

I wonder if Chris had seen how SIV was cut before he went out for this interview.... In the back of my mind, I always wonder whether or not Superman IV would have made more money if they had at least left enough in to have made the story make sense during the last half.

On the other hand, if Chris had seen the cut, knew it was a disaster, and had to do these interviews, with his name all over it--- how painful THAT had to be, promoting a flop--- but then again, probably more than a few actors I'm sure had to do that with a smile on their face....

[Metallo]

I imagine he’d seen enough to know how bad it was even if it wasn’t finished. Even if he hadn’t he had to know it was a mess just from being on set. He did tell Cryer before the premiere it was a disaster but even Cryer knew something was wrong when chunks of the script were cut before filming. There are a bunch of these interviews from the same days. Reeve puts on a positive front but that’s the business.

[crazy_asian_man]

Dec 3, 2019 8:28:37 GMT -5 Metallo said:

I imagine he’d seen enough to know how bad it was even if it wasn’t finished. Even if he hadn’t had to know it was a mess just from being on set. He did tell Cryer before the premiere it was a disaster but even Cryer knew something was wrong when while chunks of the script were cut before filming. There are a bunch of these interviews from the same days. Reeve puts on a positive front but that’s the business.

Good points. I know during the filming that Marc McClure had talked to Reeve and Reeve wasn't that optimistic but was just focused on completing it--- but made sense, given the news that the budget was slashed to pieces behind the scenes.

At the same time it's got to be ironic--- Kidder thought STM was going to be a flop & Brando didn't seem to be much help in taking it that seriously in the beginning.... so maybe Reeve thought/ was hopeful it would all work out for the best.

In thinking of 'what ifs'---- what if Donner and Mank accepted the assignment when Reeve asked?

Wouldn't it have been wonderful if Donner was able to get WB to step in and co-finance or whatnot from his involvement?

At the same time... Poor Margot really DID age a lot by that time. Imo she looked significantly younger than Reeve. But then again, she did age a bit even in the couple of years between STM and SII--- I'm guessing it was too much smoking versus Reeve's healthy living.

[Metallo]

Well Kidder was older than him anyway. Seems to be a regular thing since half the women who’ve played Lois are older than the men who’ve played Superman. Kidder, Hatcher, Adams, and Tulloch were all older than their respective leading men. Kidder did go through a lot though even before she had her mental breakdown.

And not to be sexist but men often age differently than women anyway. There’s the rare exception where some women actually look better as they get older but for a lot of em they hit the wall at a certain point. Men do as well but it’s often much later. There’s also the difference between aging well and aging poorly. You age either way but some still look good for their age. I think Lee Meriwether looks great to be 85 or whatever she is for example. With her it was gradual. She never really did hit the wall hard. I remember Yvonne Craig looking surprisingly good into her 50s but she kinda hit the wall all of a sudden. Damn that sounds kinda sexist. Sorry. 😂

As for STM vs SIVs expectations of success it was different circumstances. With STM I think a lot of people involved weren’t only sure how they’d do it but they didn’t think the concept would be accepted. By IV they’d proved the concept could work but the execution was clearly being done poorly andon the cheap.

[atp]

Reeve was being very diplomatic about the flying scenes...

[crazy_asian_man]

Dec 4, 2019 5:45:29 GMT -5 atp said:

Reeve was being very diplomatic about the flying scenes...

If fx completion was done up until the last minute, it's possible that Reeve had no idea how the final shots would look like.

Having said that- there ARE some flying scenes that seemed fine and not like a piece of flying cardboard coming at you.

Speaking of which, I'm starting the rumor that the producers actually wanted to save even more by having that Reeve cardboard do interviews rather than the real Reeve.

[crazy_asian_man]

Dec 3, 2019 15:50:50 GMT -5 Metallo said:

Well Kidder was older than him anyway. Seems to be a regular thing since half the women who’ve played Lois are older than the men who’ve played Superman. Kidder, Hatcher, Adams, and Tulloch were all older than their respective leading men. Kidder did go through a lot though even before she had her mental breakdown.

And not to be sexist but men often age differently than women anyway. There’s the rare exception where some women actually look better as they get older but for a lot of em they hit the wall at a certain point. Men do as well but it’s often much later. There’s also the difference between aging well and aging poorly. You age either way but some still look good for their age. I think Lee Meriwether looks great to be 85 or whatever she is for example. With her it was gradual. She never really did hit the wall hard. I remember Yvonne Craig looking surprisingly good into her 50s but she kinda hit the wall all of a sudden. darn that sounds kinda sexist. Sorry. 😂

As for STM vs SIVs expectations of success it was different circumstances. With STM I think a lot of people involved weren’t only sure how they’d do it but they didn’t think the concept would be accepted. By IV they’d proved the concept could work but the execution was clearly being done poorly andon the cheap.

I'm glad that they got the full cast together- but in an alternate universe somewhere where Donner and Mank took over-
I would hope that Donner and Mank recognize how some of the actors had aged and perhaps gently shift the tone of the series to kind of reflect that some time had passed between movies-
having Lois play the fast, neurotic spunky reporter who was head over heels for Supes was fun in STM & SII- But it felt VERY forced here in trying to pretend that she was exactly the same character with no time passed-

I would have had Lois shift to be a bit more mature without giving up her passion- maybe not be as jumpy- and comedy-wise you could still bring that out maybe by having her in conflict with Steve Lombard or Cat Grant maybe.

Still...

Love that they got the cast together and tried.... but in hindsight, to make it all work wasn't just a problem with the budget but adapting to the age of some of the actors for it all to feel truthful.
Looking at it as an expensive home fan film movie with the original cast makes it shine brighter. Their heart was in the right place, though.

[crazy_asian_man]

Dec 3, 2019 15:50:50 GMT -5 Metallo said:

Well Kidder was older than him anyway. Seems to be a regular thing since half the women who’ve played Lois are older than the men who’ve played Superman. Kidder, Hatcher, Adams, and Tulloch were all older than their respective leading men. Kidder did go through a lot though even before she had her mental breakdown.

And not to be sexist but men often age differently than women anyway. There’s the rare exception where some women actually look better as they get older but for a lot of em they hit the wall at a certain point. Men do as well but it’s often much later. There’s also the difference between aging well and aging poorly. You age either way but some still look good for their age. I think Lee Meriwether looks great to be 85 or whatever she is for example. With her it was gradual. She never really did hit the wall hard. I remember Yvonne Craig looking surprisingly good into her 50s but she kinda hit the wall all of a sudden. darn that sounds kinda sexist. Sorry. 😂

As for STM vs SIVs expectations of success it was different circumstances. With STM I think a lot of people involved weren’t only sure how they’d do it but they didn’t think the concept would be accepted. By IV they’d proved the concept could work but the execution was clearly being done poorly andon the cheap.

Another thought on aging & actors:

Singer said that he cast with sequels and bearing actors' ages in mind...

That being the case- wonder if Superman IV influenced Singer in casting Bosworth for SR?

[Metallo]

Nah. Bosworth was too far in the OTHER direction. Far too young to play the character at that point in Lois’s life. Much like Katie Holmes in Batman begins it wasn’t very believable. Besides Bosworth was cast based on Kevin Spacey’s recommendation. He and Bosworth worked together in Beyond The Sea. I imagine Singer did it as a favor to make Spacey happy and to sign on at all because I believe he was busy with his work at the Old Vic theatre at the time.

[crazy_asian_man]

Dec 4, 2019 17:34:55 GMT -5 Metallo said:

Nah. Bosworth was too far in the OTHER direction. Far too young to play the character at that point in Lois’s life. Much like Katie Holmes in Batman begins it wasn’t very believable. Besides Bosworth was cast based on Kevin Spacey’s recommendation. He and Bosworth worked together in Beyond The Sea. I imagine Singer did it as a favor to make Spacey happy and to sign on at all because I believe he was busy with his work at the Old Vic theatre at the time.

I was okay with Bosworth- but after seeing a fan trailer of Routh/Durance, Durance would have been much better.

Some of Singer's choices for casting superhero films is fantastic- Jackman (though he was second choice and actually way too tall), Routh, the guy who played Iceman, Stewart & Ian Mckellan, Nightcrawlers #1 and #2, Sam Huntington for Jimmy Olsen-- but others really make me groan.

Both Jean Greys I felt weren't quite cast right, Perry and Lois were a bit 'off' (though ok), I agree that Bosworth got mainly cast from Spacey's recommendation most likely- but even if not, unlike Donner's films where most everyone feels right on the money, I've always felt some of Singer's casting less than 100 percent.