Comic-Con 2009: Allison Mack Interview
Interview By Craig Byrne - KryptonSite Webmaster

Following the Smallville panel at the Comic-Con International in San Diego, several cast members and producers from the show participated in roundtable interviews with various outlets including KryptonSite. Now it's time to share the interview with fan favorite Allison Mack (Chloe Sullivan!)

Questions are in bold and answers are not. Please do not reproduce this interview onto other forums without a link to KryptonSite.com, and please only use snippets with a link rather than re-posting the whole thing. Thanks!

Can you talk about Chloe's arc for this season and how things have changed since the season finale?

She is a woman scorned. The word that I keep using for Chloe is she's cauterized. I think that Chloe has hardened. Her intention and her direction and her deliberation is much stronger than it ever has been before, and I think she is much more committed to actualizing the things that she believes in, and she's doing it in a way that's different than Chloe's done it before, because she doesn't have Clark to stop her from doing the things she wants to do. She's a bit more potent this year than she ever has been before.

We hear there's going to be some happiness coming for Chloe. (See the interview with executive producers Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders, which will be posted here on KryptonSite shortly!)

Happiness for Chloe? I had no idea! That would be lovely. I would love to play some happy things. It's been a while since my character's had happiness on this show. So I would be very pleased. That would be great. I spent the last six episodes of the season last year crying and fighting and running, and the first three episodes of this year doing the same thing, so it would be nice to do some joyful things.

So you'll be directing more this year?

I'm directing another episode this season, which is very exciting.

Will you be doing anything differently to prepare this time?

I'm a little cockier this year, so I haven't gotten into my research yet for directing. I have a few directions that I have my eye on as far as shadowing is concerned, and I am always watching films and reading books, so I'll get down into it, probably a little closer to the time.

Erica used the term "Superman" when referring to Clark's alter ego when we interviewed her. Do you have any idea if the term will come into the show?

Calling him Superman? Right now he's the Blur, and I don't foresee that changing anytime soon, because right now, we're really just establishing that title for him. I don't think it's out of the question to think that we wouldn't eventually be calling him that.

Can you talk about portraying a character that's not in the comic lore?

It's so cool to know that the character that we've developed made enough of a name that people wanted to see her put into that mythos. I think that's an incredible compliment for both myself and the writers. It's an amazing thing, and I'm thrilled.

Will Chloe be returning to the Daily Planet anytime soon?

I hope so. I love that set. I want to film there more often, so I don't really know. I don't think she's a journalist anymore. She's really dedicated herself to being more of a behind the scenes kind of superhero techno girl. She's more potent in that way, but I think that she can't really keep herself away from the Daily Planet, because the woman that she loves the most in the world works there. So, she's there often.

What kind of scenes are you sharing with Dr. Hamilton (Alessandro Juliani)?

He's wonderful. A.J.'s great. It's amazing, actually. I have someone to share the technobabble with now. He speaks in a similar way that she does, so it's great. I don't have to carry the full weight of all of the technical jargon anymore. I can share a bit of the brunt of that with him. A lot of our scenes are kind of sidekick to sidekick. It's a funny dynamic, because neither of us know how to lead just yet. We're figuring that out.

As the season begins, does Chloe try to look into where Lois has disappeared to?

Absolutely. Chloe's made it her life's work to find Clark and Lois, as well as the Justice League. She's the only one that stayed true to Metropolis and held down the fort while everyone sort of fell apart, so she's trying to fit the pieces back together.

If you could take Chloe in any direction this season, what would you want for her the most?

I want to do something different. I want to see her go for what she wants in a way that she never has before, and step into her own in a way that she never has before. I think that Clark and Chloe have different ideas with respect to how to get jobs done, and now that Clark is not working so closely with Chloe, I want to see Chloe step into a direction with respect to getting the job done that she's never done before. I think that we're going to see her much more intense, much more ruthless, and much stronger this year.

If Chloe and Clark might not be interacting as much this year, does that mean there's less chance for a romantic future between them?

Unfortunately, I believe that's the truth. They're both committing themselves a little bit more to getting the job done this year, although Clark is always distracted.

How does that make you feel?

I think she moved on from Clark a while ago. I think that when she married Jimmy, she was really honest about her love for Jimmy, and I think that Chloe has taken Clark in as a family member moreso than a lover, and I think that happened several seasons ago. So while I'm unhappy that I don't get to play a love story with Tom Welling, as any actress would, I am pleased that I don't have to be the sad puppy dog anymore.

What happened to Chloe's dad?

Chloe's dad disappeared. Chloe's dad is not around. Chloe and Clark are pretty much orphans, and I think that sort of made their relationship stronger.

Who have you shared scenes with thus far this season?

I'm working a lot with A.J. (Alessandro Juliani) who plays Dr. Hamilton. I am working with Tom right now, just wrapping up a lot of the stuff that they left open-ended last season, and I'll be working more and more with the Justice League, as I find them and put the pieces together.

Will we see Chloe's reaction to Clark's new outfit?

[Laughs] She has some opinions that she shares, in her way.

They're promoting this season as Clark's "darkest hour." Will there be any light in this season?

Absolutely. You can't have Erica Durance, Justin Hartley, and Tom Welling in a show together without it being funny. It's definitely darker, but with darker storylines, comes darker humor, so it's good.

Can you talk about Sam Witwer and Aaron Ashmore, who have now left the series?

I think Sam brought a depth and a darkness to the show that we really needed, and I can't say enough good things about Aaron Ashmore. I think that he's an amazing individual; a wonderful actor, and he's so sorely missed on our show. I wish them both the best.

You can see Allison next in the Smallville season premiere, airing Friday, September 25 on The CW.

Read more Comic-Con interviews: Erica Durance (Lois) - Allison Mack (Chloe) - Callum Blue (Zod) - Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders (Smallville Executive Producers) - Cassidy Freeman (Tess)

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