by Danny B » Wed Jan 18, 2006 5:11 pm
I thought this article may be of some interest to you guys...
From Sci-Fi Wire.com ( ):
Superman's Routh Channels Reeve
Brandon Routh, who plays the Man of Steel in Bryan Singer's upcoming Superman Returns, told SCI FI Wire that his performance is influenced in part by the last actor to wear the red cape in movies: the late Christopher Reeve. "Obviously it's influenced by Chris' performance," Routh said in an interview during a break in filming in Sydney, Australia, last July. He added: "We're somewhat using that as a vague reference, so it has to follow somewhat that character a little bit. And beyond that, it's within the writing. It's within Clark's relationship to Superman and what he needs. It's 'What is Clark to Superman? What purpose does Clark serve for Kal-El and for Superman?' And that ranges depending on the situation, but he's always a bit of a spy. He's the guy that can find out information. ... He finds out information about himself through how Lois feels about Superman. He's always there. He's the fly on the wall."
Routh, who resembles Reeves from certain angles, steps into Reeves' red boots in the upcoming movie, which also stars Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.
In performance, Routh seems to channel Reeves in part, especially when playing Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent. "I've seen and heard ... how Bryan describes Clark and Superman; sometimes it's the spitting image of Chris, and sometimes it's my own thing, and it's hard for me to judge that," Routh said. "So I do my own thing, and it's a character. Clark is also that kind of character that I've done before, whether it's in acting class or plays in high school or just myself, getting into those situations, being nervous about things. So it's all of that mixed together."
For Routh, Clark Kent is "the way Superman gets to relate to everyone, how Kal-El gets to relate to the public," he said. He added: "Clark is Superman. He gets to be humorous and fun, and I think sometimes that is not only a disguise, but it is fun for him. ... Clark isn't just completely made-up, I think. It's part of him, just as Clark is part of me and Superman is part of me. You can't be Clark without having it be a real part of you. So I think he enjoys that part of it as well." Superman Returns opens June 30.