Smallville: Erica Durance on Being Lois Lane
The actress talks about Lois and Clark's close new situation in Season 8.
September 12, 2008 - Erica Durance has played Lois Lane on Smallville since the fourth season, but because the show was focusing on a younger Clark Kent -- in high school still when Lois was introduced -- so far the producers had avoided creating too much of the classic Lois and Clark scenarios. Things are beginning to change though in Season 8 of Smallville, debuting Thursday night. Clark now works at the Daily Planet alongside Lois, bringing their characters closer than ever.
During my recent visit to the Smallville set, I sat down and chatted with Durance about her character and how Lois is continuing to evolve.
IGN: Your character has slowly but surely gotten more important as the series has progressed.
Durance: This is now my fifth season. It's gone by really quickly. But I was able to kind of learn as I went with finding the character. She was in little snippets here and there. But as the years have gone by, now we're in our eighth season and a couple of the cast members are not in and some are not full time, so the dynamic is slightly different and therefore I'm actually getting to step up and do more and be more involved. It's going a little bit more towards the Superman mythos, which is really fun. This year has a lot of new surprises and I think the fans will really like where it's headed.
IGN: This year, you have more of the classic dynamic of Lois, Clark and Jimmy at the Daily Planet. Is it fun to get to play out such an iconic scenario?
Durance: It's really fun and I've always been a kid at heart. Some would say I don't play the kind of cool actress – "Oh yeah, I'm so above this." I see a part [of the script] that's going to bring it into that mythos and I get really excited. Like I fix up Clark's outfit and change him – I don't physically change him; that would have been a whole other thing. [Laughs] That would have taken me a few days! But that was one of the little things.
They're starting to bring Clark into the Planet and he's going to be working there and we have desks that are facing each other. So there's all sorts of fun, tantalizing little scenes that we have there. For example, she sees herself as very mature and his mentor and she just kind of guides him through, whether it's on the intellect of how to write a story or how to scoop out a story, or it's just his physical appearance. He comes in and looks like a country bumpkin. She gets him all changed up and suddenly he looks like the Clark Kent in the mythos. It's pretty fun. So I see little things like that and I get very excited about it.
IGN: You seem to also have more of an opportunity to build what we know is going to be the great love story of Lois and Clark. Before now, they have never been this close on a day to day basis. Are you trying to throw in even more hints of a potential attraction now?
Durance: Yeah, it's been a tricky little journey, because of the way you have to work hand in hand with the writers on what's been allowed to happen, as far as even licensing and that sort of thing. It's a whole new can of worms. But throughout the years, we've had these little moments and that sort of thing to weed through. But this year, we're actually having more screen time to do that. So they get thrown into these different situations where you see Lois really has to be honest with herself and confront how she really feels about this person. Maybe she feels more than she's ever wanted to admit, and it's just one of those things that you want to push down through sheer will. But it's bubbling to the surface for her. And just that whole trick of how does she kind of hide that from him, because she wants to protect herself. They get into a whole lot of trouble, trying to scoop out the stories. It's the classic wink-wink, nudge-nudge. It's been like that through the whole mythos. She thinks she's doing it all and she's saving herself, but he has to just be very patient with her, as he goes around and actually saves people. And then she's like, "Where did you go off to? Because I had to fix everything and do everything, once again, because you always take off!" So there's a lot of that fun stuff to play with.
And I love that Lois is really getting to delve into the journalism and show her intellect. I love that my character has had all sorts of sides to her – the absurd, the funny, bringing in a little bit of sexiness. I love that it shows a female can be really well rounded and she can laugh at herself. That's one of the things I love about playing her as a character – me as a person, I've learned that it's okay that you're not perfect. And the way the write her is, "Yeah, so what, I messed up! I'm human. Deal with it. I'm sorry." And she sucks it up and moves on. I am a perfectionist to the hilt, so I've learned something from that.
IGN: Oliver Queen is back in town this season. Is there some unresolved issues between he and Lois that need to be worked out?
Durance: What they've done, which I think is really great, is they've done a good service to the relationship that she had. This was her first, I think, real relationship where she allowed herself to be honest and to fall in love and it just didn't work out. So this year, when they do come in contact, it's like any relationship I think when you have all these feelings come up and you don't know how to explain them and they're not right and they're not the right timing. So we do have a specific episode where she really has to go in and save him and help him and deal with all that kind of leftover feeling that comes up that she knows should be over. But that's part of being human and that's what I like about her – she's very human.
IGN: Can you talk about Lois's interaction with some of the new characters, like Tess, Davis and Maxima?
Durance: They've done a really great job and hopefully during the season they're able to bring in even more characters that people recognize from the comics. We have the CEO of Luthorcorp coming in, Tess Mercer. I've had a little bit to do with her. And of course we go head to head – Lois really doesn't get on with people right away. She kind of knocks heads with her, which is always fun for me to play that kind of thing. And Davis, I don't have much to do with yet, but within the other characters, I think the audience will be very excited to see where they're going with that and watch him evolve in the different characters lives and as he gets closer to the other characters.
The Maxima character I had some direct contact with. It was a wonderful episode. She comes in, she sets her eyes on Clark and goes after Clark. And as the situation goes, Lois ends up finding them in a rather compromising position and has to deal with how she feels about it. But Lois doesn't do anything quietly, so she's not going to be all wounded. She kind of waltzes off and then Maxima gets in there and decides to hate Lois and she gets herself in a very bad situation. It's all this kind of strange, embarrassing kind of stuff that she has to go back and face Clark with. That's been fun to play, but it's been tricky.
IGN: Has there been a transition this season, with [former showrunners] Al Gough and Miles Millar having left?
Durance: Yeah, there is that change of the guard feeling. Those men created this show and they've been there since the beginning and so when they do the switch over, you do feel it a little bit up here for sure. But the folks that are executive producing it now have worked with them for years and have been writers. I think that there's nobody better to come into that position of making those decisions then people who have been writing it for years, because they know these characters inside out. It's been really good.
IGN: It seems most of the characters get a chance to have superpowers on this show. I'm trying to remember if Lois has…
Durance: Lois has not yet, but I do hear down the rumor mill that she will get her chance this year, and I very much look forward to that. So apparently, Lois gets to step into those boots. Even if you think of Lois and then you give her superpowers, it's going to be mayhem, I think. [Laughs] It's going to be crazy, you know? But I really look forward to doing that and trying to play a character that's slightly possessed by something is going to be fun.
IGN: What power would you like her to get?
Durance: I'd like to throw people. I really want to be able to throw people around. I think that would be fantastic. The reason I like the whole throwing thing is because there's all the wires involve and all that kind of stuff, and you just look so awesome. You look so incredible!
IGN: Do you know more about Superman comics than you ever imagined now?
Durance: Yeah, and I'm still learning. I'll still go to conventions and that sort of thing and I'm the first one to admit, "Hey, you know a lot more than me, so if you have something you want to share, please let me know." Because certainly I enjoyed Superman as a child, but I didn't know of the characters that come in and which ones are part of the comics and which ones aren't, so it's been fun to figure all that out.
IGN: Lois is such a famous character. Do you still have moments where you think, "Wow, I'm playing Lois Lane!"
Durance: Yeah, I have moments where I have a little smile to myself. I'm very grateful to be doing that, because that's the female character that I always liked, because of her strength and independence and that she didn't see herself as a victim. So to be able to actually do that, yeah, I get a kick out of it, for sure.
Written By: Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer, Kelly Souders, Brian Peterson
Directed By: Kevin Fair
Guest Stars: Alaina Huffman (Black Canary), Alan Ritchson (Aquaman), Phil Morris (John Jones/Martian Manhunter)
UPDATED 9/13/08: Lois infiltrates Luthor Mansion with hopes of finding out where Chloe has been kept. While there she is caught by Tess. Lois tells Tess that the only thing that Chloe was guilty of is standing up for what she believes in.
- Oliver and Clark get into a fistfight which may all be an act to rescue Clark.
- Lois makes a comment to Clark about how he's "disappeared for a month, and come back with a sense of humor"... so, apparently the premiere is one month after the events of "Arctic."
- It looks like Clark and Lois might encounter one another while rescuing Chloe.
- Clark tells Lois he'll see her "bright and early Monday morning" before telling her about his new job. He says he wants to take the job so he can be "in the middle of the action."
"Bravery is not something that you can learn." ~Phil Morris, a.k.a. J'onn J'onzz, The Martian Manhunter
Posted: 15 Sep 2008 13:39
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Quote: Clark tells Lois he'll see her "bright and early Monday morning" before telling her about his new job. He says he wants to take the job so he can be "in the middle of the action."
Is Clark going to be a news reporter? __________________
“This Thursday, Smallville returns to The CW and, as I'm sure you've heard, The Justice League -- led by the Green Arrow -- will be in search of Clark, who's been M.I.A. since the fortress collapsed last Spring. But is the Green Arrow on Clark's side? In this first hour, the two will get into a knock down drag out fist fight and G.A. will later pierce the man of steel's chest with two near fatal darts. And Chloe, of all people, will be instrumental in getting the Green Arrow on this mission. So, what's going on? Has the Smallville world gone mad?
Could be. Things will certainly change in this eighth season of the series and there are a couple new characters who have much to do with that. We won't meet Doomsday this week, but Tess Mercer -- the lady now in charge of Lex's estate -- will play a major role in the premiere episode's events. Expect to learn more about the tough villainess this Thursday -- she comes from very humble beginnings, taught herself to read and is Harvard-educated -- and to see a face off between her and Lois pretty early on.
For those of you who're a bit skeptical about a Lex-less season, you should at least give this new year a shot. There's a lot going on, more humor and many winks to Clark's ultimate destiny. I don't think you'll be disappointed”
Quote: Expect to learn more about the tough villainess this Thursday
If anyone from the show happens to wander by here and is looking at my words right now:
Please do NOT make this a relative to the Luthors-it's already overdone soap opera material and would be really lame(even if we got a Lionel or Lex flashback out of it). __________________
Beneath this mask is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea Mr Creedy and ideas are bulletproof.
~V~
Posted: 16 Sep 2008 18:37
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^ 2nd that. __________________
“Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.” ~ Garfield
UPDATED 9/17/08: Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has revealed that episode #8-10 will feature the return of Kristin Kreuk as Lana.
Question: Got anything big on Smallville? (Get it? Big on small?) -- Josh
Ausiello: You're brilliant! Smallville is putting the finishing touches on what I'm told are two of the biggest episodes in years -- 8.10 and 8.11. The former marks the return of Lana, while latter is being penned by celebrated comic book writer Geoff Johns.
The eighth season of the CW's Smallville takes flight this Thursday at 8 pm/ET, promising major steps in fulfilling the promise of the Superman character's mythos. Of course, a big part of the big guy's future involves one Lois Lane. Here in Part 2 of my Q&A with Erica Durance, the Canadian beauty reveals what's new and improved with Clark, teases the "heartache" that comes with Lana's return, and raves about "sexy" costar Allison Mack. — Matt Mitovich
TVGuide.com: I get a lot of Clois fans asking the question, "How quickly will we get a Lane-Kent byline on a story?"
Erica Durance: We haven't done the byline yet, but we have worked on stories together.
TVGuide.com: As he and Lois go undercover on assignments, will we see Clark more and more "disguised" in what will become his trademark glasses?
Durance: I haven't seen those pulled out yet, but it definitely is moving that way. What I really like about this year is they're making Clark more of his own man. Lois will think she's helping him, and he's incredibly patient as he keeps her out of danger, but he gets to solve problems and come to conclusions on his own; it's not always him needing someone to give him the information. He's going solo a lot more, and the fans will really enjoy seeing that.
TVGuide.com: What can you reveal abut Lana's return?
Durance: I know that they're bringing her back [in Episode 10], and that creates some heartache for Lois. They have the whole triangle going again. I don't know exactly how they'll be doing that, but it will be in a way that's very hard for Lois. I wouldn't want to speak for Clark, but I think that he's kind of realizing glimpses of that and how he feels about Lois. He's just not willing to admit that to himself or to her. When Lana comes back, that creates a real problem.
TVGuide.com: A "super-conundrum."
Durance: A super-conundrum.
TVGuide.com: Will we see more of Oliver and Lois?
Durance: She does have to confront her break-up with Oliver, and they do have a few storylines together, but from what I have seen they are not getting back together in the near future.
TVGuide.com: What is Lois' relationship like with her new boss, Tess Mercer?
Durance: She fights with her. [Laughs] She's on the verge of getting fired, so she goes head-to-head with Tess. Listen, if something comes right at Lois' face, she steps in, she never backs off. So far, we've had a few moments where we are not on the same page, and there will be more of that as the season goes by.
TVGuide.com: Is Lois still pursuing the Lex story? At Comic-Con we saw her snooping around the mansion in a maid's outfit.
Durance: Yeah, she's still pursuing that story. It took the backburner for a couple of episodes, because Chloe was in trouble and Lois got sidetracked by some of her other stories. But that's always her main thing.
TVGuide.com: Speaking of Chloe, what's her cousin's take on her new friend, this Davis Bloome guy (aka supervillain Doomsday)?
Durance: She doesn't know what to think of him yet, that's for sure. She's trying to protect Chloe from herself. She thinks that Chloe has fallen too quickly for Jimmy and tries to give her some unwarranted advice and help on that front.
TVGuide.com: Which female character are you sharing scenes with most this season?
Durance: Chloe still. I did a few with Tess, but still Chloe.
TVGuide.com: One reader forwarded me a rumor that Lois would be pushing Clark in the direction of Chloe, but I don't see that happening.
Durance: No. [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: Over the past three years, you've risen on FHM's "Sexiest Women" list from No. 38 to No. 15. To what do you attribute that success? Fewer carbs?
Durance: I think they're being extremely generous! [Laughs] Those magazines are very lovely but there are women on there who I find to be much more stunning.
TVGuide.com: TVGuide.com did a poll of TV's Fittest Stars, and you ranked at the top of that.
Durance: Wow! That's nice.
TVGuide.com: But I have to tell you that Allison Mack beat you in our Sexiest Sci Fi Stars poll a few weeks ago....
Durance: Well, I agree with that. I've seen her in person and she is very sexy. She doesn't see herself that way, but I see her like that!
UPDATED 9/17/08: While Erica Durance has denied the "Chlark support," we say just to watch the episode and see what you think.
Episode #8-7: "Identity" October 30, 2008
Written By: Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer
Directed By: Mairzee Almas
UPDATED 9/18/08: At episode's end, Lois is determined that Clark will help her to land the exclusive with the new hero of Metropolis, unaware that the "hero" is Clark himself.
- Remember when Clark put on a pair of green tights to remove suspicion that Oliver was the Green Arrow? Look for Ollie to return the favor.
Episode #8-8: "Bloodline" November 6, 2008
Written By: Caroline Dries
Directed By: Michael Rohl
Guest Stars: Laura Vandervoort (Kara)
UPDATED 9/18/08: Erica Durance has revealed in an interview with the CW Source that Lois gets superpowers of some sort in this episode, and these powers may have some connection to "an alien's wife." One of Lois's powers will involve throwing people around.
- We're pretty sure this is also the one where Kara comes back, so unless there is a change, expect to see Laura Vandervoort's return as Kara.
Ask & ye shall receive!! A new episode title & a promo!!
Episode #8-10: "Bride"
November 20, 2008
Guest Stars: Kristin Kreuk (Lana)
UPDATED 9/22/08: Title Posted. Please do not repost this on other websites without a link to KryptonSite.com.
- Lana might not be the only surprise guest in this episode.
The Bible is so powerful. It's not to be left on your shelf. It's to outline even the simplest scriptures that can mean so much in building yourself up.
"I am God's workmanship." (Ephesians 2:10)
"I have been redeemed and forgiven." (Colossians 1:14)
"I am the salt and the light of the earth." (Matthew 5:13-14)
Written By: Holly Henderson & Don Whitehead
Directed By: Rick Rosenthal
Guest Stars: Jessica Parker Kennedy (Bette/Plastique)
Something new.
Episode #8-10: "Bride" November 20, 2008
Guest Stars: Kristin Kreuk (Lana)
UPDATED 9/23/08: This is indeed the Chloe and Jimmy wedding episode, and at least two characters will be seriously injured in the process.
- The wedding will take place at the Kent homestead.
- Clark and Lana finally have a talk, and Lana tells him why she needed to leave.
- All of the Season 8 regular cast except for Cassidy Freeman (Tess Mercer) appears in this episode.
- This is the mid-season finale for the show, meaning some big things will happen that can keep us wondering what will come next.
A New Face In Town: Davis Bloome
Written by Russ Dimino
As the eighth season of "Smallville" begins its run on the CW, fans are being introduced to some new characters. The season premiere, "Odyssey," gave us the debut of Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman), the acting CEO of LuthorCorp in Lex's absence. With the season's second episode,"Plastique," another new face will enter the fray. Davis Bloome, played by Sam Witwer, is a Metropolis paramedic with a dark and terrible secret... lurking within him is a deadly, rampaging monster. Like Tess, Davis is an original character created just for "Smallville," but with roots in the Superman mythology. The creature he becomes, Doomsday, originated in the comics, and made a claim to fame that Superman's other enemies could only dream of - he actually killed the Man of Steel.
In 1992, DC Comics announced that they were doing the unthinkable. They were killing off their flagship character. The "Death of Superman" storyline ran through all four of DC's Superman comic book titles, plus Justice League of America. The story saw Superman engaged in a brutal slugfest with Doomsday, a hulking monster whose only motivation was wreaking death and destruction. The saga culminated with Superman #75, a special issue sealed in a black bag, in which Superman was literally beaten to death by his relentless opponent. Superman was absent from his own comic book series for several months before ultimately being resurrected, returning from the grave to carry on his neverending battle for truth and justice.
But, just as Superman was destined to return, so was his unbeatable foe. Doomsday has popped up multiple times in the comics since his historic fight to the death with Superman. Some notable follow-ups include "Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey," a rematch which delved into the origins of the monster (he was actually an early Kryptonian experiment in genetic engineering gone horribly awry), and "Superman: The Doomsday Wars," in which Brainiac bonded with Doomsday, giving the once-mindless monster some amped-up intelligence.
In the late 1990s, Warner Brothers tried multiple times to bring Superman back to the big screen. The property passed through the hands of many different screenwriters and directors, each with a different idea of how to revive the franchise. Several of these versions were adaptations of the "Death of Superman" saga, and would have included Doomsday. One such script, titled "Superman Lives," was written by filmmaker Kevin Smith, known to many fans for his "Jay and Silent Bob" films. In Smith's script, Doomsday is brought to Earth by Brainiac, and unleashed to kill Superman as part of a bargain between Brainiac and Lex Luthor for control of the planet. The project never made it to the screen, but the script can be found on the internet for fans who are curious about what might have been.
An animated Doomsday made multiple appearances on Cartoon Network's "Justice League" and "Justice League Unlimited" series, though here he never succeeded in finishing Superman off. His debut in the two-part episode "A Better World" saw Doomsday lobotomized by the heat vision of an alternate-reality version of Superman, the leader of a darker, more ruthless version of the League known as the Justice Lords. Then, in "The Doomsday Sanction," the creature's origin was explored. This time out, Doomsday was interpreted as an imperfect clone of Superman who had evolved into a monstrous killing machine. Doomsday's voice was provided by Michael Jai White. White is no stranger to comic book roles... he played the lead role in the 1997 "Spawn" movie, and, more recently, he portrayed the mobster Gambol in "The Dark Knight."
In 2007, Warner Brothers and DC Comics released the direct-to-DVD animated movie "Superman: Doomsday," a loose adaptation of the comic book storyline of Superman's death and rebirth. This time out, the monster's origin was glossed over, and the creature was simply accidentally unearthed from an underground tomb by a LexCorp excavation project. The brawl between the title characters was beautifully animated and one of the highlights of the film.
The character's adaptation into the "Smallville" universe will mark the first time that Doomsday has had a human counterpart. Exactly who Davis Bloome is and how and why he transforms into Doomsday is a mystery that will surely unfold as the season plays out. Clark has faced other villains possessing sheer brute strength before, such as Titan (played by wrestler Kane) in the episode "Combat," and the bone-crunching phantom zone rogue (played by Batista, another wrestler of course) from "Static." Clark has even been killed and resurrected before, in the fith season episode "Hidden." It remains to be seen if the "Smallville" version of Doomsday will live up to his comic book roots and prove to be Clark Kent's most deadly adversary yet.
Question: Thank you for the spoilers from Smallville. Got anything new? -- Sue
Ausiello: Details are emerging on the blockbuster November sweeps two-parter (episodes 10 and 11) and they're so tantalizing that even I'm tempted to watch. Following Chloe's wedding to Jimmy, Brainiac slowly starts taking over Chloe's body. By episode 11, he has taken complete possession of her. And that, my friends, is just the tip of the iceberg.
