Smallville: More 10x09 interviews
Another Alan Ritchson interview, another nice quote about Tom Welling. :) This one is from Jeffrey Renaud for Comic Book Resources.
Has your portrayal been well received when you meet fans at conventions and even on the street?
Yes, but believe me, I've definitely worn my share of the scorn for Aquaman, too. There's a lot to love about the character but I think it's such a hard thing to realize on screen, being that it's really a world that takes place underwater. He's basically the Superman of the Seas. It's a cool character and there's a great story to tell, but it's difficult to tell in that kind of media. He really hasn't been afforded the opportunities like the Batmans and the Supermans of the world. It's easier to tell those stories, so people can fantasize about that stuff easier, I think, and really see that character come to life and those potentials be realized. It's harder to tell the story with Aquaman, because you're kind of limited in terms of what you can do. I think that leads a lot of people to think, "Ah, this character sucks."
But I think there's a lot of good there and I think it's a pretty cool character but I definitely get it too. If you didn't know anything else, you'd be like, "You talk to fish? That's it. What else can you do?"
In this week's episode, we're introduced to Mera, Aquaman's wife. Will the story of how these two got together be told, because when we last saw Arthur, I don't believe he was married.
The thing that I like about this episode is that it stays very present. It moves forward and I think it moves the series forward. We don't spend a lot of time telling the story about where we come from, but we definitely address it. Right from the get-go, you're in on us and I think you realize who she is to me. And that's cool. I just think that it's appropriate that the show continues to move forward and stays present. The fact that stuff has been happening but on the show it's just like, OK, here we are now. What are we going to do with this? I like that.
If the introduction of Mera wasn't enough for "Smallville" fans, Tom Welling directed this week's episode, too. How is Clark when he is behind the camera?
Being behind the camera is in his nature. He's a very giving person. He's got a lot of knowledge to share and he really knows how to share it. He's just a super smart guy and he's very gentle with actors. He comes from my side of things, so he understands how to talk to actors. A lot of directors don't. Some directors are so technically oriented the acting is an afterthought, and knowing how to talk to an actor is definitely an afterthought. I spend a lot time just interpreting what they actually want. "What are they getting at here, because they aren't saying it very well?" That's not the case, at all, with Tom. Like I said, he's just very giving. There's always a good back and forth and he's very receptive to hearing ideas. He wants all the ideas on the table so he can put forward the best product. It was great fun and I feel fortunate to have worked with him.
Read the full interview at CBR HERE.
ETA: Here's another one, from Brian Truitt for USA Weekend, with a clip and some interesting insights into the Smallville filming process.
So when you go back to watch that first episode in 2005 with you as Aquaman, do you cringe or was it pretty OK for your first time?
I don’t watch it. I can’t. I’ve got clips with it on my reel and stuff, and it’s just … ugh. I watch it now and, oh my God, I was looking at my mark, my eye lines were terrible, I didn’t know anything about acting or the delivery. I know people still see it. Tom said he rewatched all those episodes prior to me coming back just to get back to that character, and he was directing this time, too, so he wanted to be real familiar with the evolution of that character. He was watching it going, “No no no, it’s perfect.” He’s who he was then, which is very similar to how I was at 20 and 21 is a very different person than I am now and I’ve changed. He said, “That’s great. I’m trying to recapture that innocence I had on day one, where I don’t really know what I’m doing.” That was half the charm of Clark. Personally, it’s hard for me to watch any of my early stuff, knowing how little I knew.
Do you have any of that freedom [to improvise] on Smallville?
If I change a single word on the page on Smallville, it is an epic to-do. The director has to get with the producers on set, they have to have a meeting and talk about it and figure out what to say exactly to the studio and network because they have to conference-call them, and this has literally happened on set. I’m sitting there like, “Geez, I just don’t want to say ‘fish sticks.’ Is it really that big of a deal?” It’s the biggest headache, so it’s a wildly different form of acting.
Read the entire interview at USA Weekend HERE.
Has your portrayal been well received when you meet fans at conventions and even on the street?
Yes, but believe me, I've definitely worn my share of the scorn for Aquaman, too. There's a lot to love about the character but I think it's such a hard thing to realize on screen, being that it's really a world that takes place underwater. He's basically the Superman of the Seas. It's a cool character and there's a great story to tell, but it's difficult to tell in that kind of media. He really hasn't been afforded the opportunities like the Batmans and the Supermans of the world. It's easier to tell those stories, so people can fantasize about that stuff easier, I think, and really see that character come to life and those potentials be realized. It's harder to tell the story with Aquaman, because you're kind of limited in terms of what you can do. I think that leads a lot of people to think, "Ah, this character sucks."
But I think there's a lot of good there and I think it's a pretty cool character but I definitely get it too. If you didn't know anything else, you'd be like, "You talk to fish? That's it. What else can you do?"
In this week's episode, we're introduced to Mera, Aquaman's wife. Will the story of how these two got together be told, because when we last saw Arthur, I don't believe he was married.
The thing that I like about this episode is that it stays very present. It moves forward and I think it moves the series forward. We don't spend a lot of time telling the story about where we come from, but we definitely address it. Right from the get-go, you're in on us and I think you realize who she is to me. And that's cool. I just think that it's appropriate that the show continues to move forward and stays present. The fact that stuff has been happening but on the show it's just like, OK, here we are now. What are we going to do with this? I like that.
If the introduction of Mera wasn't enough for "Smallville" fans, Tom Welling directed this week's episode, too. How is Clark when he is behind the camera?
Being behind the camera is in his nature. He's a very giving person. He's got a lot of knowledge to share and he really knows how to share it. He's just a super smart guy and he's very gentle with actors. He comes from my side of things, so he understands how to talk to actors. A lot of directors don't. Some directors are so technically oriented the acting is an afterthought, and knowing how to talk to an actor is definitely an afterthought. I spend a lot time just interpreting what they actually want. "What are they getting at here, because they aren't saying it very well?" That's not the case, at all, with Tom. Like I said, he's just very giving. There's always a good back and forth and he's very receptive to hearing ideas. He wants all the ideas on the table so he can put forward the best product. It was great fun and I feel fortunate to have worked with him.
Read the full interview at CBR HERE.
ETA: Here's another one, from Brian Truitt for USA Weekend, with a clip and some interesting insights into the Smallville filming process.
So when you go back to watch that first episode in 2005 with you as Aquaman, do you cringe or was it pretty OK for your first time?
I don’t watch it. I can’t. I’ve got clips with it on my reel and stuff, and it’s just … ugh. I watch it now and, oh my God, I was looking at my mark, my eye lines were terrible, I didn’t know anything about acting or the delivery. I know people still see it. Tom said he rewatched all those episodes prior to me coming back just to get back to that character, and he was directing this time, too, so he wanted to be real familiar with the evolution of that character. He was watching it going, “No no no, it’s perfect.” He’s who he was then, which is very similar to how I was at 20 and 21 is a very different person than I am now and I’ve changed. He said, “That’s great. I’m trying to recapture that innocence I had on day one, where I don’t really know what I’m doing.” That was half the charm of Clark. Personally, it’s hard for me to watch any of my early stuff, knowing how little I knew.
Do you have any of that freedom [to improvise] on Smallville?
If I change a single word on the page on Smallville, it is an epic to-do. The director has to get with the producers on set, they have to have a meeting and talk about it and figure out what to say exactly to the studio and network because they have to conference-call them, and this has literally happened on set. I’m sitting there like, “Geez, I just don’t want to say ‘fish sticks.’ Is it really that big of a deal?” It’s the biggest headache, so it’s a wildly different form of acting.
Read the entire interview at USA Weekend HERE.