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Margot Kidder – ‘Lois Lane’
You were there for all of the drama?
Margot Kidder: “It was very disappointing to have to redo scenes that we knew were wonderful and to redo them simply because the Salkinds didn't want to pay Donner. It was kind of disgusting. And then they redid them cheap and fast, as opposed to putting the care and love into them that Donner put into them. So we were disappointed and I was rather mouthy about it and got cut out of Superman III. I had 12 lines and one of them was, ‘Oh, Clark.’"
Will we see your better work in this version?
Margot Kidder: “Yeah. It was a long time ago, more than a quarter of a century ago so I hope it's my better work. It's certainly better direction.”
Any specific things you remember that you're looking forward to seeing restored?
Margot Kidder: “Oh gosh, I'm looking forward to seeing the first scene were I try and prove that I know Clark is Superman. I haven't seen this cut so you'll have to ask me afterwards.”
How would you contrast the experiences working on one and the other?
Margot Kidder: “The directorial styles were completely different. I think Richard Lester's a wonderful director but I didn't think he was right for this because he was a little too clever and wanted to almost let the audience know that he was in on a joke, or that he was a little too hip to be doing Superman.”
You’ve been a vocal supporter of this version. How gratifying is it to have it released?
Margot Kidder: “It's thrilling. I never missed a chance to whip up the fans into righteous indignation, so I loved it. I'd say, 'You write Warner Brothers and make sure they release it.' So it's good. I'm delighted. I'm thrilled.”
That makes you a power player.
Margot Kidder: “I wouldn't call myself that. I'm a grandmother in a little town in Montana right now. I just think it's fun. It's really fun.”
Sarah Douglas – ‘Ursa’
What was it like to have shot your section with Richard Donner and then to redo it with Richard Lester?
Sarah Douglas: “The main thing was they were completely different directors. For a young actress, for any actress actually, but as I was then quite young, to have the experience of working with somebody like Richard Donner who was very relaxed, very loose, had a really easy approach to everything. Whereas Richard Lester, very technical.
For instance, I remember there's a sequence when I have to go hit the manhole cover and catch it and throw it at Superman. I remember it was three in the morning, we'd been waiting all day, it was cold and freezing. I came onto the set, onto the backlot actually, and Lester said, 'Right, you come to do do do do do. You hit the manhole cover, you catch it, you throw it, you do this.' It was like mimicking, but I did it. That was his [take], right? I'm pretty certain that if it had been Richard Donner, Donner would have said, 'Look, Sarah. It might take you days. It doesn't matter. We'll give it a go.' He's got a much more relaxed approach and I've got to say I wouldn't have accomplished it, but I do think that Lester's approach for me worked very well. Very direct.”
Is your better work in this new version of the film?
Sarah Douglas: “I never thought about that. I can't imagine. I can't imagine what I'm going to see. It's going to be really interesting because I've seen the film probably two years ago, I might have looked at the whole thing. But on the whole, it comes on and I watch a little clip and I move on. In fact, I will sit down after tonight and watch the whole thing. I'm most excited to see it on a big screen again. That's brilliant. So I think 10 minutes, 15 minutes of the opening sequence and then 15 minutes that we haven't seen.”
Is there something specific you remember shooting that you're happy to see restored?
Sarah Douglas: “I know that the Fortress of Solitude, we reshot a lot of the Fortress of Solitude. I know they had a lot of trouble at the time matching it because by then, Geoffrey Unsworth sadly, had died. So I'm wondering if there's going to be a different feel. I just don't know. I think the fans are the ones that know much better than me. It all seems a lifetime ago. I'm not trying to seem like I don't really care. I just can't remember. I think it's going to be really interesting.”
Do you feel one way or another about which version should be definitive?
Sarah Douglas: “No, because I was an English actor in London. I was not on location. In other words, I went home every night to my husband. I didn't have that relationship with Donner that the others had because they'd all come over, they were all on location together. They all hung out together. Though I obviously adored him, it was a different sort of relationship. So when it came to the change, I just thought they had gotten Richard Lester. And also, you know what? I was 27-28. I was just thrilled to get more work out of it. I was ecstatic. ‘Hey, this is great.’ So that's about it.”
When's the last time you tried the black suit on?
Sarah Douglas: “Probably about two hours ago because they all wanted me to wear something black and I said, 'No.' I've given up on that. I slip into the black so often and tonight I said, 'No, I'm going to wear a color,' so here I am.”
Page 3 Interview with Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen)
