At the Chicago Comic Con this weekend, Brandon Routh answered questions about playing Superman, living up to the Christopher Reeve legacy, and his thoughts on "Man of Steel". Here are a few excerpts from the panel...
Q: Have you seen the new Superman movie "Man of Steel" and if so do you agree with the new direction they took?
Routh: With a new born baby I have not been out of the house much to see movies, but I have heard a lot about the film. It seems to me that they were given a note that more action was wanted. It tried to make up for what "Superman Returns" lacked, but at the same time what "Superman Returns" had perhaps "Man of Steel" lacked. You can't get 100% success. To reach too far toward one crowd, you miss another audience or age group. It is difficult to be a movie executive.
Q: In the movies you have had super powers playing Superman. In life what would you say your superpower is?
Routh: I guess what I want my superpower to be and I do my best to exhort that and it’s real cheesy, but it is to spread love.
Q: Was there a lot of pressure for you to live up to the old Christopher Reeve's Superman?
Routh: Yes, absolutely. I think everyone out there who was a fan of those movies was saying "yeah I see this new guy, but he is no Christopher Reeve". I grew up watching those movies and Chris was my superman, so I knew full well the challenge I had in front of me. I wanted to make sure I did justice to his legacy. That is why I tried to bring as much of his spirit and energy to the role as I could while still doing things to make it my own. If I would have gone in and did a totally different Superman, some people would have like that, mainly people who did not know Christopher Reeve as Superman. Many more people know him in the role, so it was important that I try and bridge the gap.
Obviously, it's hard to go see movies with a new born baby, but Routh has been out of the house appearing at convention. It's quite possible he might not be too anxious to see the Man Of Steel. Maybe someone needs to find the Man of Steel a babysitter (Hello Batman?).