Six SUPERMAN Actors Honor Original Star Christopher Reeve
By Movieguide® Contributor
Superman actors took a moment to honor Christopher Reeve at MegaCon in Orlando, Florida. The late actor iconically played the hero in several movies, beginning in 1978.
Those six actors included Tyler Hoechlin (SUPERMAN AND LOIS), Brandon Routh (SUPERMAN RETURNS), Dean Cain (LOIS & CLARK), Tim Daly (SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES), George Newbern (JUSTICE LEAGUE animated series) and Tom Welling (SMALLVILLE).
Welling recalled working with Reeve on SMALLVILLE. Reeve played scientist Virgil Swann.
“We got there and the plan was to shoot four hours and get his side of two scenes and then he would leave and I would do my side with someone else,” Welling remembered. “We did the first scene and they said, ‘OK, we’re gonna do the next scene.’ He goes, ‘What about Tom?'”
Welling continued, “He was like, ‘No I’m not leaving.’ And long story short, it got to the point about eight hours into the day and they turned around filming my scenes with him. And his nurse, power of attorney, was like, ‘If you don’t come with me in 15 minutes, I’m calling the police.’ He had to leave. He looked at me and goes, ‘They’re always telling me what to do.'”
READ MORE: SUPERMAN STAR’S KIDS CELEBRATE HIS REAL-LIFE HEROISM
Routh reflected on the lasting impact of Reeve’s portrayal of the Man of Steel, saying, “It was always gonna be like Chris. Even if it was some other movie, some other version of that slightly altered Superman, because I wasn’t playing Chris. I wasn’t playing Superman. [I was] playing the feeling, the love when you’re Superman.”
Reeve died in 2004, but his fans got a closer look at his life in the documentary SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY, which released last year.
“It’s a real honor to just be in a position to help tell his story for the best of my own memories,” his son Matthew told PEOPLE last fall.
His youngest son, Will, told Entertainment Weekly, “The response overall has been gratifying and fulfilling and meaningful on multiple levels. It’s a treat as the son of Christopher and Dana Reeve, just from a child’s perspective, it is meaningful to have people love my parents and to get the opportunity to talk about my parents with the world. I’m so proud to be their son. I’m so proud to be a part of this family.”
READ MORE: HOW CHRISTOPHER REEVE’S ‘REMARKABLE’ FAMILY GAVE HIM ‘PURPOSE’ AFTER ACCIDENT
- Content: +1Share:
- Content: +3