Once again, actress Kate Bosworth is on the opposite end of an interview. And judging from our talk, there's no doubt she's comfortable there, since she's been on the reporter side, too -- as the iconic Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane in the long-anticipated "Superman Returns."
But just because Bosworth is comfortable it doesn't mean her conversations about The Man of Steel's return have become old hat. In fact, the 23-year-old film star is still trying to come to terms with the sheer size and impact of director Bryan Singer's superhero epic.
"I don't know if I'll ever wrap my head around it, to be honest," Bosworth told me in an @ The Movies interview Thursday. "I'm happy that people are liking the film. In terms of being a part of something like 'Superman' it is definitely a very surreal experience."
Unlike the 1978 film where Lois (Margot Kidder) and Superman (Christopher Reeve) struggle with their feelings for one another -- and to a lesser degree, she also has feelings for Clark Kent -- the love triangle in "Superman Returns" involves Lois and two different men.
It develops when Superman (Brandon Routh) returns to Earth after a mysterious five-year absence to discover that Lois has moved on with her life and is engaged to Richard White (James Marsden), the nephew and fellow employee of the Daily Planet's Perry White (Frank Langella).
But given her romantic history with Superman and love for Richard, who oddly enough embodies all of the wonderful qualities of Superman, Lois is in a complex romantic dilemma -- an aspect of the script that Bosworth is thrilled about.
"I think they made a really smart decision by bringing that in," Bosworth said. "People can relate to those feelings. I think everyone has been in at least one of those situations and can understand and relate to it."
The great part about "Superman Returns" is that it has a grand, Golden Age of Hollywood feel: it's very nostalgic, yet the sensibilities of the character are modern. And no one benefits more from those modern sensibilities than Lois.
""She's a modernized woman," Bosworth said. "She got to do some saving of her own rather than always being saved. That was an element that I think is more up-to-date and really exciting."
But in a keen, retro-focused approach, Bosworth looked to the works of classic film actress Kate Hepburn to guide her portrayal of the assertive reporter. And while Bosworth didn't try to play the role as the film legend would have, she does bring a Hepburnesque aura to the part. In fact, the naturally blonde Bosworth even dons a brunette hairdo in the film.
"Obviously, I would never even try to emulate Hepburn because she was just in a league all of her own," Bosworth humbled. "But I wanted Lois Lane to have similar characteristics and qualities that Kate had. Even in her look and the way she stood."
On top of bringing some classic presence to the role, Bosworth was also saddled with the responsibility of doing the sort of justice to Lois that would meet Superman fans' expectations. After all, the allegiance of Superman fans is strong, and realizing that she'll be associated with the role of forever, she wanted to make sure her lifetime voyage into comic book fandom was going to be a smooth one.
"I was nervous to embark on it because it completely unknown to me," Bosworth explained. "I've never been a part of something where people are so passionate about a certain character and a film. There are certain expectations and pressure that get thrown upon you. But at the end of the day, you're entrusted to a part and you just hope you do your job ... if you start listening to all (of the expectations), it starts to get a bit muddled in your head."
Lois Takes Flight Routh isn't the only person that gets to fly in "Superman Returns." Bosworth has a fine share of flight time, too: aboard a 777 flight that goes awry at the beginning of the film.
And true, while movie magic makes this doomed flight arguably the most breathtaking air disaster scenes ever put on film, Bosworth earned her share of bumps and bruise making it seem real -- as Lois bounces about the cabin while Superman attempts to gain control of the plane.
"My stunt double broke her ankle on that sequence, and I remember scraping my shins badly as the seats flew forward, and I caught my shins under a bar -- that was pretty painful," Bosworth recalled. "Usually the stunt coordinator has everything thought out perfectly, but there are certain spontaneous things that will happen when people get hurt on action films.
"It took a long time to shoot that sequence -- a couple months -- but it looks great," Bosworth added with a laugh. "It was worth it."
On the not-so-bumpy side of her super flights, Bosworth shared a good amount of time in a harness with Routh to film some spectacular scenes featuring Superman and Lois flying in and around Metropolis.
Since she's not afraid of heights, Bosworth said she didn't have to preoccupy herself with not looking down. But she did admit the prospects of a fall would have been grim.
"We were high enough that if we fell, we probably wouldn't have survived," Bosworth said. "It's pretty high, but it's safe as well."
Back on the ground, Bosworth is now trying to adjust to the afterlife of "Superman Returns," including such cool marketing ideas like a Barbie doll fashioned after Lois Lane.
We've both seen it -- and while I think the likeness is on the mark, Bosworth is a little more humble.
"I feel like it just looks like Barbie with brown hair," Bosworth laughed.
Either way, she's tickled by the fact that her character has been immortalized in plastic.
"It's very strange and very exciting," Bosworth enthused. "I certainly never thought that when I was a little girl playing with Barbies that one day I'd have one that's supposed to look like me."
And with any luck, there'll be more Bosworth Barbies to come. If "Superman Returns" is successful enough, the groundwork is in place for the Bosworth, Routh and the crew to take flight again.
"We're all signed up for another couple, so hopefully we'll make them," Bosworth said. "We had a fantastic time doing the first one so I'm hoping we do."
