31 Mar 2011 | Eric Ditzian
These days Margot Kidder lives in a small Montana town of 6,000 people, spending her days as a political activist and a grandmother, far from the hubbub of her former life in Hollywood and her portrayal of the love interest of the most iconic superhero on earth.
But every so often her old career as Lois Lane pops up in the news, as happened earlier this week when Amy Adams was cast as Lois Lane in Zack Snyder’s “Superman” reboot.
When MTV News spoke to Kidder about the casting, she explained what it takes to be a great on-screen Lois, and expressed some serious jealousy that she won’t get to be carried up, up and away in Henry Cavill’s arms.
MTV NEWS: What do you think about Amy Adams as Lois Lane?
MARGOT KIDDER: She’s a brilliant, wonderful actress! She’s incredible. She’s an extraordinarily accomplished young lady — and gorgeous and full of energy and spirit. She’s so different from part to part, it’s going to be really interesting to see what she does with Lois.
MTV: What’s the key to playing a great Lois Lane?
KIDDER: Gosh, I think Amy Adams is so much better an actress than I am that I wouldn’t even for a second presume to give her any advice on the subject at all!
MTV: Do not sell your Lois Lane short!
KIDDER: Well, thank you. But she’s amazing, this girl.
MTV: For you, Lois was really the role that put you in the spotlight. Amy Adams is obviously much more established. Do you think there’s anything to the fact that such an iconic character should be a relative unknown?
KIDDER: I don’t think so. We act for a living, so a good actor is going to make you believe that’s her. So I don’t think that really matters. And she gets to act with that divine Henry — how do you pronounce his last name?
MTV: Cavill, like “travel.”
KIDDER: Oh my god, he’s heaven. He’s heaven! He’s got a sexuality! As wonderful as Christopher [Reeve] was — and he was wonderful and perfect — he was not exactly a big steaming heap of sexuality. And this Cavill really is. I loved him on “The Tudors.” I couldn’t get enough of him. I think the casting is just inspired. The director sounds very, very bright. So clearly there will be something interesting going on. And hopefully, they’ll get the same kind of wonderful, funny dialogue from Tom Mankiewicz for ours.
MTV: Some people are saying Amy Adams is a little too old for Henry
KIDDER: They are? Who cares! What a bizarre thing to be concerned about. She certainly doesn’t look older than him.
MTV: What did you think of Kate Bosworth as Lois?
KIDDER: I thought she was delightful and underrated. Because we got Tom Mankiewicz — he did more than polish the script, he really did most of the writing on “Superman” and “Superman II” — I got the benefit of all the clever, can’t-miss lines that he wrote for Lois. Very witty and sort of ’30s. I don’t know that they gave [Bosworth's] Lois as much of a sense of humor. But I thought she was terrific.
MTV: At the end of the day, is that what you think makes Lois great on screen — those witty, funny lines?
KIDDER: It’s the old adage and it’s always true. You can make a bad movie from a good script, but you can’t make a good movie from a bad script. It’s all about the writing. There’s that rather rude joke about the Polish girl who went to Hollywood and slept with the writer, and that was me! When someone told me the joke, I didn’t get it.
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