April 2002

Smallville Interview

"It all started with the first real movie of "Superman," when Christopher Reeve was capable of flying, running and putting glasses without the help of a wheelchair. Then came "Superman 2," which had an unforgettable romantic scene when Clark carried Lois into the ice cave, even though I didn’t really understand how it was possible they were sleeping together when they weren’t even married. Very strange. At the end of the credit list, they said "Superman 3" was coming soon, and if I hadn’t learned by then that you should trust Americans when it comes to optimal cash machines, I realized it when that movie came out.

After a few years there was the TV series "Lois and Clark," but I was too old and stupid enough not to watch it. After that there was also "Roswell," but don’t ask me [to watch] what I wouldn’t ask you.

At "Smallville," the show’s creators, Alfred Gouge and Miles Miller chose to focus on Clark Kent’s teenage years, way before he became the Superman we all know. The beautiful ‘till nausea Tom Welling, plays the young Clark who crashed into the peaceful little town Smallville, Kansas, with a destructive meteor shower when he was 3. Martha and Jonathan Kent found him at a burned cornfield and decided to adopt him as the son they never had and only they know about the unique teenager’s secret, they will slowly discover that he has special powers.

Our friend Clark is in love with Lana Lang, whose is played by Kristin Kreuk, the oriental porcelain doll, and he literally falls over his feet every time he gets near her because of the Kryptonite necklace she has on her neck. Lana’s parents died at the meteor shower and Clark blames himself for their deaths. By the way, Anette O’Tool who plays Martha, Clark’s mom, was Lana Lang in "Superman 2." Michael Rosenbaum (you guessed it, a Muslim he’s not) plays the eternally bald Lex Luthor, because of the unfriendly bacteria exposure at the meteor shower, who becomes a close friend of Clark’s, when they both have no idea how much their fate will collide in the future where they’re supposed to become bitter enemies.

But that’s just part of the Superman story you knew. In "Smallville’s" case it’s a likeable teenage show, with great visual effects, which isn’t necessarily obligated to this Superman thing. In the show, Clark doesn’t know he’s like that. He just understands something is different about him and in the mean time takes advantage of his super powers to occasionally fight various evil creatures. The resemblance to "Buffy" doesn’t end here. The footage, the building of the characters, the dialogues, the hero’s cool friends, and of course the small town, the replacing "bad guys" and the super powers really remind you of that masterpiece show.

"Smallville" is yet still far from the depth "Buffy" has gained in the six seasons in which it’s aired, but it’s a lot less "Dawson’s Creek" than you would think. In the US the show is a huge success, way more than what they’re used to on the WB channel which is full of teen shows. The first episode had 8.5 million viewers, more than any other show on the channel, and after only 2 episodes they decided to book an entire season. Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk and Michael Rosenbaum became teen idols and shiny sex symbols.

In honor of the success and the airing of the show in the holy land I met the three at a not bad at all hotel in Los-Angeles with the wicked WB in charge lady watching from the side and counting our minutes.

Welling, who was mainly a successful catalog model until now is about 20 and turned out as a typical hunk who doesn’t have much to say.

19 year-old Kristin Kreuk came out of nowhere for her first role, and giggled on the couch like Britney Spears, the mandarin version.

And gorgeous Michael Rosenbaum (29 years old), who’s done a few things in his life, made sure to put a little more mature side to the conversation, and mainly made sure to crack me up to tears.

-Michael, you’re more mature and more experienced than Tom and Kristin, who are younger and almost entirely new at the business. And still, it seems like in "Smallville" you’ve hit the first real success wave.

Rosenbaum: It’s true. Of course it’s nicer to get a little attention after a few shows and movies, which didn’t really take off. Hey, I was on the cover of MAD magazine. That’s awesome. I’m a cartoon, you understand?

-Have you really always wanted to be an actor? Don’t say yes.

Rosenbaum: No. It mainly developed in college. In high school I was in a production of "Grease," but forget it, everyone has been at a "Grease" production at least once. I was always very extravagant, look at me. It’s a confidence thing, and my personality hides my self-confidence. As a child, I was very short and my armpit hair came pretty late too. In the showers they were counting hairs and I would hide. High school is a tough business. I did another play and another show, gained confidence and used to make my grandmother laugh, who always told me I have talent and I guess she was right.

-So, is there any satisfaction from the jewel? [he means Michael..hehe]

Rosenbaum: My grandmother died a year ago. I promised her I would be back to do theatre. She always wanted me to be on Broadway, nothing else counts as far as she was concerned. I’d tell her ‘Grandma, I’m in a picture with Clint Eastwood’ and she would answer me ‘when are you gonna do Broadway?’. ‘Grandma, I’m in a big series making a lot of money’ -- ‘you’re bald there and you look funny, when are you gonna do Broadway?’

-How did you get to be Lex Luthor?

Rosenbaum: They’ve known me on the WB for years, because I did some comedies there, and when they were searching for a serious and settled Lex they didn’t believe I was their guy, because I’m like a comic actor and can’t be serious. I came, I walked in, they saw this side of me and decided to give me a chance. After that they forced me to shave my head.

-Were you a big superman fan when you were a kid?

Rosenbaum:Like any other kid. I had Superman underwear and I ran in the house like I was flying. I’ve always wanted to fly. I think I actually did.

Welling: I wasn’t at all. I saw the movies and dressed as Superman for 2 years in a row in Halloween when I was 4 and 5. Other than that I didn’t really know who he was and what the story was, and it helps me today because I’m finding out the material almost like Clark does in "Smallville," because we both don’t really know who we are supposed to be.

Rosenbaum: I wanted to be a hockey player. I play pretty well, and if you’d offer me a 10-year contract today at the NHL I’d trade everything for it, without a problem at all.

-Well, so why didn’t you?

Rosenbaum: I had a back surgery when I was a kid after I got hurt at a hockey game, because I was really competitive, probably too competitive. My dad wasn’t exactly those typical dads who force their kids into playing, just the opposite. I would come to him all eager and passionate after I had scored 4 goals hoping to hear a word of encouragement out of him, and that I can make a career in hockey and what do I hear? ‘Whatever.’

-Sounds like a typical supportive Jewish family.

Rosenbaum: Yeah, right? Nothing’s good enough, don’t get excited about anything. But one hell of a soup with kneydalach. Everything’s so loud too, everyone’s always yelling. When I come home for holidays it’s almost embarrassing. I talk to my dad about the Mets, and he starts yelling and cursing. ‘Dad, relax, we’re talking about sports!’ That’s how it is.

-How close are you to Judaism?

Rosenbaum:After we moved to Indiana it was harder. When I lived in New York, I was closer to religion because there were more synagogues. In Indiana there was nothing. My dad hated the rabbi there, he didn’t even believe he was Jewish. My grandparents would have been happy maybe if I brought a good Jewish girl home, but it doesn’t really matter to them because none of their kids are married to a Jew, except my mom and dad, who are divorced. My dad married a Gentile and my mom is going to marry a Gentile. You know how it is, they just want me to be happy.”

-Do you like that fact that you’re shooting in Vancouver, Canada?

Rosenbaum: It’s really beautiful up there but it rains all the time. Tom is lucky, because he has his fiancé with him and I have mainly myself, because I’m not seeing anyone now, but after a while even I get tired of myself. What’s the hardest in Vancouver is that I really do miss my family and friends.

-Tom, actors are usually really snobs to models who become actors.

Welling: You know what, I hadn’t seen any of that. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t a supermodel and maybe just because I get along well with people. Maybe it happens behind my back or when I'm not around but if it does, they do a good job hiding it from me.

-Do you miss anything about modeling?

Welling: Not really... Maybe that I don’t get to be in New York as much as I want to now, because I love that city. I wish I could find a way to get the producers shoot the show in New York. But that won’t happen I guess, there aren’t enough cornfields. I’d much rather act than model, because you can express so much more of yourself and not just by your looks.

-Kristin, did you model before you started acting?

Kristen: No, I didn’t even think about it for a minute. I really don’t like those magazine girls, because they’re the perfect skinny girls, who made all my friends and everyone around me feel insecure and uncomfortable with themselves and I don’t want to be a part of that world.

-Don’t you feel like you are one of those girls in the magazines now?

Kristen: Being there as an actress is different than as a model. I believe the way I present myself and that’s an entirely different thing than another picture in the magazine. I also really don’t like the Hollywood approach that actors have to be as skinny as possible. People should see the beauty in a girl no matter how much she weighs and I hope that will change in time.

-Is this strong opinion part of the education you got at home?

Kristen: Definitely. My dad’s Dutch and my mom’s Chinese, so she was responsible for being tough with me and with my sister. That’s the Asian part in my personality, being conservative. I couldn’t date until I was 16 and I wasn’t allowed to wear any make-up until that age and any grade at school under a B was a disaster. Everything is part of the education I got and the weight problems with girls I knew closely, because my little sister has a friend who was Bulimic at age 12. It’s just terrible.

-Tom, this is your first big role. Doesn’t it concern you that you could be identified with the young Clark for the rest of your career?

Welling: You definitely think about it, mainly when you sit in front of a 5-year contract and sign it. Me as Clark is just one card I play with, and I believe there are many more cards I can play. I asked my dad about whether or not to make a commitment, and he told me that people understand you’re doing a good job and they’ll see it. Like in every profession, you do the best you can, and then who knows what can happen.

-Are you aware of the hysteria around the show, at least in the US? In the internet there are a lot of geek-superman-fans websites who follow everything that has to do with the story.

Welling: I know, but I kind of get away from the Internet.

Rosenbaum: One of the websites called me sexy lexy. Me? Sexy?

Welling: In Vancouver we’re sort of in a bubble and we don’t really know if people aren’t recognizing us or just leave us alone. The times I was in L.A I felt a lot more the show’s success. It took me 15 minutes to get into the hotel today, and that’s not something that happens in Canada. My biggest sign of success so far is that I got 2 tickets to the Golden Globes this year and I got to talk to Steven Tyler from "Aerosmith." Those shows always looked like fun on TV and it was fun.

-Kristin, do you get hit on more now or like Clark, they collapse a moment before?

Kristen: Boys were always really afraid of hitting on me. Now they do actually come more, but now I have to be more careful with who I’m talking to, because it’s possible he turns to me just because I’m that girl from TV, or because he just wants something really specific, you know. I have good radar for people, maybe because I usually see what their true intentions are. A lot of times I was told I transfer something threatening, so I guess a lot of guys got that and they don’t dare.

-How much are you like Lana?

Kristen: Lana is a good person, who believes in the goodness of people. She’s pure, smart and intelligent, and that of course is a character I admire. I don’t think she’s like me in a lot of ways, but I’d like to believe that deep down I’m as good and honest as she is.

-Tom, what do you want to happen with Clark later on? The creators tell that he’s not going to fly ever, at least not in the show.

Welling: Between us, they say that now, but you never know. I don’t even know what’s going to happen next week, because we usually get the script 3 days before the shoot. Clark keeps looking for his true identity and what he’s supposed to be, and if that ends then what’s the point of the story?

-But he knows already that he has special powers.

Welling: At "Smallville" Clark is of course superman but not yet, and only his parents know who he really is. The powers he discovers he has, work against him in this story, because they make him different and he can’t share that with anyone. He can’t show his friends he can lift a car. He’s a super-hero, but still doesn’t know he is one. He doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do, he just knows he’s different and that he can help people, which doesn’t always turn out the best thing for him. There are a lot of questions and that’s what makes it interesting.

-What’s it like being a sex symbol? I mean for you, I know what it’s like.

Welling: I thought so. It’s something out of my control. It’s weird and you don’t really understand what it means. You see yourself on the covers of magazines, so that must be good, you’re probably doing something right. I take it slowly, I haven’t lost control because of it yet.