The Superman Megasite brings you another exciting interview! This time around we speak to actor Gerard Christopher, who portrayed "Superboy" in the Television series Superboy then later titled The Adventures of Superboy.
Q: Well first off, if you would, please tell us a little about yourself and taking on the role of Superboy?
I love acting but have many other interests as well; I sculpt, write, travel, cook, snow ski, scuba dive and am involved in some entrepreneurial business ventures. Superboy came along at a great time for me.
I was focusing on some other business at the time but when my agent called me with the interview for the job. I was really excited because not a day went by that a stranger didn't tell me that I looked like Superman. It seemed like a natural thing for me to do.
Q: It was stated once that you were a fan of Superman before even taking the role of Clark/Superboy, what about the character stood out to you the most?
Like most kids growing up in the sixties I was a big Superman fan. I remember seeing The Adventures of Superman with George Reeves and thinking how great it would be to have his powers. I remember sitting in the roof of our garage with a towel around my neck like a cape. Lucky for me I never jumped. What I liked about the character was his complexity.
He was a kind of illegal alien of another kind, he was like us, but he didn't fit in. People loved him but he didn't feel like he belonged and he was intensely lonely so he focused on the good that he could do. He was intensely strong and powerful but tried to be protective, gentle, well-mannered, kind, fair and respectful of others. Can you image how a kid today would act with his powers? That's a scary thought.
Q: What did you think of Superman Returns?
I thought that the movie was just great. It was done at a time where movie making technology has caught up with written sci-fi fantasy writing. What you write can now be filmed and be believable so it's an exciting time for the genre. This movie is especially amazing in terms of the 21st century movie making technology that makes the Superman fantasy come to life. I liked Brandon very much and think that he does justice to the Superman legend. The only thing that I didn't like is that they didn't ask me to do a cameo, which would have been fun. I actually had a fender bender with Jon Peters in 2004 and he said that maybe he'd put me in his film. We all know that producers are prone to exaggerating but it was an odd coincidence.
Q: In your honest opinion, what do you think of Brandon Routh's take on Clark/Superman in Superman Returns?
I thought that he was great! His Clark was imaginative and he walked the fine line that he needed to walk to keep the secret and the romantic tension. His Superman was strong and commanding and I thought right on the mark. Brandon also really looks the part.
Q: Do you own any of the original costumes from the Superboy series?
I produced the last season of the show and was able to take my costumes when the show ended with the exception of one or two that were stolen by a crew member that I knew. Yes, I have my costumes tucked away safely in storage and I can still get into them.
Q: What was your favorite episode of the entire series?
That's such a hard question to answer because I liked so many. I especially like the episodes where I could show off my super powers in a creative way like changing into Superboy really fast or using my heat or x-ray vision.
But especially a great flying sequence where I could actually fly outdoors on wires, not on blue or green screen which we did in the studio. I remember having a lot of fun shooting 'Body Swap' because I really got to break out of the normal Superboy personality and be a bad guy with super powers for a change. It was a lot of fun.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about the premiere of Superman Returns?
It was big and chaotic but it was very exciting for me, my wife and I sat next to Ilya Salkind who hired me. He really loved the film and was screaming and cheering louder than anyone else in the theatre.
It was fun for me to be there to see the film and I am grateful to Bryan Singer for inviting me, but that was not my film and I was a spectator just like everyone else who was just there to enjoy it and take it all in.
Q: What do you think of the Superman Megasite?
It seems like a real labor of love dedicated to the Superman legend it's great! I just wish they had more of my show on it, lol.
*The Superman Megasite is no longer on the web*
Comments