"They don't call 'em tights for nothin'!"
 K
Callan came across her role on Lois & Clark much
like many actors get new roles -- she had to audition. "There
was
an audition process," she said. "The part of Martha
was just supposed to be in the pilot but when they tested the
pilot, Martha & John got such a nice response that they
added us to 7 out of 13 episodes."
Of
her memories of shooting the Lois & Clark pilot,
"Shooting the pilot was lovely. I can't really recall my
first day on the set, I'll just say that Dean and I bonded immediately.
I particularly remember us shooting the scene where I made the
'Superman' suit."
Did
K realize when shooting the pilot that she was you doing something
that would be so well-loved ten years later? "There is
no way you ever know anything like that," K says. "I
did know when I read the pilot that the writing was exceptional....that's
what makes a great show: Deborah Joy LeVine."
One
of the show's producers stated in an early interview that K
Callan added a special something to her performance. When asked
about her different take on the role, K said this: "I
just had a very special 'feel' for Martha, from the beginning.
We are very much alike. At the audition, all the other women
had on little skirts and print blouses, but I wore grey sweat
pants and a red turtleneck T-shirt. Although we ran out of time
before we could shoot the scene, Martha was originally seen
for the first time welding. I even learned to weld for the scene.
Then shooting the pilot went over budget and we had lots of
rain and they lost that scene. But just reading that Martha
welded made me want to dress the way I did."
When
asked about a particular episode or scene that stood out as
a favorite, K responded "the pilot, hands down."
"It
was also fun working with Roger Daltrey," she added. Daltrey
appeared in the show's third season finale, "Big Girls
Don't Fly."
Would
she have liked for the show to have continued beyond Year Four?
"I think all of the supporting players wanted the show
to go on forever, but then we didn't have the responsibility
to 'carry' the show like Dean and Teri did. That's a very heavy
burden with mostly 18+ hour shooting days and they were both
there every day. We weren't," she said.
K
still keeps in contact with a few folks from her L&C days.
"The only person I'm in close contact with is Ellie Kanner,
who cast the show. We became good friends. Dean's assistant
Anita and I e-mail from time to time. I went to see Teri when
she did Cabaret and I see Deborah Joy occasionally and guested
on her show - - as did Dean."
"Every
once in a while I'll be flipping along and catch a little of
the show. That always brings back some very nice memories,"
she shares, referring to the show's daily morning repeats on
cable, which stopped airing in August 2003.
When
asked if she's seen the WB's current take on the Superman legend,
Smallville, K shares "I really like the show. I'm
always disappointed that Annette has so little to do."
When asked if she'd consider a guest appearance, K replies "Sure,
that would be fun."
K
tells us that she appears in the pilot and a few other episodes
of the new HBO series Carnivale that debuts September
14. "I think the show is going to be a huge hit. Again,
great writing," she says. She also tells KryptonSite she
would do another weekly series again "in a heartbeat."
K
Callan still writes several "how-to" books about the
industry which one can find details on her website at http://www.kcallan.com.
"One
of the most interesting parts of the L&C experience was
interacting with the fans," K tells us. "I did that
a lot until one fan put me in an untenable position with management
and then I pretty much withdrew. I used to love to visit the
FOLCS and chat after the shows. I met a lot of very nice people.
I particularly enjoyed meeting L&C fans from outside the
U. S., it was also so gratifying to know how the show touched
people." We, too, were thankful for K's great performances
as "Superman's mom" and thank her for the years of
entertainment.
Bio
and interview written by Craig Byrne
Special thanks to K Callan - Visit
her website
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