KryptonSite’s First Interview With Smallville Executive Producer Alfred Gough

This was the first interview conducted by KryptonSite with Smallville executive producer Alfred Gough, back before many people had even heard of the series. In many ways it got the “first word” out about the show.

As many of you who have been reading this website already know, Smallville is an upcoming TV series that will tell the tale of a Clark Kent in his adolescence; as his powers are developing, before he was “The Man of Steel.” The show is set to star Tom Welling as the young Clark Kent, with Kristin Kreuk (Edgemont) as 16-year-old Lana Lang. Also in the show will be such actors as John Schneider, Michael Rosenbaum, and John Glover.

Smallville was a concept developed by the writing team of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Gough and Millar have worked on several projects together, including the TV series Martial Law and Timecop, and the movie “Shanghai Noon.”

Mr. Gough was kind enough to share some of his time and answer some questions about the upcoming series, and what fans should expect to see in this series about a very interesting Kansas town.

Special thanks goes out to Dana, for being all-around awesome and helping make this interview happen; to the folks who helped come up with good ideas for interview questions (Hi, Donna and Russ!); to Brian Selzer for the initial editing of this interview; and to Al Gough and Miles Millar for the time and for giving this interview the final look-through. This is an excellent team with a great amount of enthusiasm for this series.

PLANET KRYPTON EDITOR CRAIG BYRNE: Tell us about who you are, and what your duties will be for Smallville.

SMALLVILLE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AL GOUGH: I’m Al Gough, and I’m one of the creators and executive producers of Smallville along with my partner, Miles Millar. Miles and I are a writing team, and on Smallville we are the “showrunners,” which means we will be responsible for all of the scripts, hiring the writing staff, overseeing the look and tone of the show, and the day-to-day operations. Basically, the buck stops with us.

CB: When you took on this project, were there things that you were instructed to keep away from?

AG:Not really, we got a call from Peter Roth, who is the president of Warner Bros. TV, and he said he wanted to do a show about young Clark Kent. We were intrigued, but also had reservations. We weren’t interesting in doing Superboy, we wanted to do something that was cool and character driven. Unlike, say, Batman, Superman has always been the goody two shoes of super-heroes. We wanted our Clark Kent to have angst and edge, without losing the essence of who he grows up to be. That’s why in the series Clark doesn’t wear the suit, doesn’t wear glasses and can’t fly.

We also altered the mythology. When Clark crashes to Earth in the ship he’s accompanied by a meteor shower of Kryptonite. In the pilot you see the meteor shower raining down on Smallville and Clark’s arrival as a three-year-old. Then we cut to 12 years later and discover that the Kryptonite is in the soil and is causing all these strange things to happen.

CB: Kryptonite is also showing up in peoples’ necklaces too, right?

AG: Yeah, Lana Lang has a piece of Kryptonite in her necklace. It is actually made from a piece of the meteor that killed her parents. The thing with Smallville is that it appears normal and picturesque on the surface, but because of the kryptonite it’s really “Twin Peaks”-like underneath.

CB: Is this anything like the “Hellmouth” underneath Sunnydale in Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

AG: It’s along those lines, but it’s not as specific because that’s really only about demons and things like that. Our stories are more bizarre and offbeat, more X-Files than Buffy. We are also very much a relationship show. For example, we’ve got a whole new take on Lex Luthor. He’s in his early 20’s and he’s been sent to Smallville to run a division of his father’s company. In the pilot you see him befriend Clark. It’s an intriguing relationship to play with because everyone knows where the story ends, but you’ve never really seen how it started out. I think it will be fun to watch.

CB: So you’re approaching Superman quite differently from the way Lois & Clark handled the material?

AG:While Lois & Clark has a lot of fans and was a very popular show, we wanted to re-interpret Superman for today and make him more relatable. We’ve humanized him in a way you haven’t seen before. We really wanted to get inside Clark’s head and show that he’s just as vulnerable as any ordinary teenager. This is a kid who’s not only going through puberty but is also struggling with his emerging superpowers.

CB: So everything’s going to develop as the series develops?

AG: Definitely. We liked the idea of his strength growing incrementally since he was a kid. For example, when he was 4 he could lift a coffee table but not a pick-up truck. I think that borrows a little from the John Byrne revamp. The difference is in those comics Clark seemed very well-adjusted and he played football and he hid it, and nothing was a big deal. We’re actually playing that “Guess what? Getting these powers is a huge deal!”

CB: Tell us a little bit about Tom Welling and Kristin Kreuk. What was the magic about them that got them the roles?

AG: We cast Kristin first. It’s one of those things, when you’re sitting in a room, hearing a million people read a scene and then someone comes in and nails it. She’s from Vancouver, Canada and is a total natural. When we saw her audition tape we just knew, “this is Lana”. She has a wonderful, delicate beauty. When you look into her eyes you immediately understand why Clark Kent pines for her.

It took us longer to find Tom Welling, who plays Clark. The challenge was how do you find Superman before he was Superman. It’s like looking for Harry Potter or Anakin Skywalker.

We really wanted a fresh face, someone who wouldn’t be identified with any other role. We had casting directors all over the country looking, and we saw 100s of actors in person and on videotape, but nobody popped for us. Then Tom came in. He’s just one of these guys who has star quality. Not only did he have the right look, but he also had that right sort of spirit — you could see him becoming Superman. There’s a gentleness, but also real strength. We had him read with Kristin at the network – wow – talk about chemistry. We couldn’t be happier. The rest of the cast is quite extraordinary as well. Sam Jones who plays Pete Ross is a real find. Together with Allison Mack, who plays Chloe, they light up the screen. As for Michael Rosebaum – he is Lex Luthor – charming, funny, charismatic. I think this will be a break-out role for him.

CB: Are there any actors that you’d specifically like to see guest starring on the show?

AG: We’d love to write a role for Christopher Reeve, which I think would just be really cool. Another thing is to find people like the Jimmy Olsen [Marc McClure] from the movie. It’s fun to do that. I remember when I saw the Superman movie; the Lois Lane from the old George Reeves series [Noel Neill] was Lois Lane’s mother on the train. We’re always looking for interesting casting ideas. There are a lot of [famous] Superman fans out there, so hopefully, if they watch the pilot and like what they’re seeing, they might be willing to be a part of the show.

CB: You might not want to go there, but how about John Shea as Lex Luthor’s father from Metropolis?

AG:I think we are going to respectfully steer clear of Lois & Clark. We really want to distinguish the show. That said, John Shea is a very good actor.

CB: Regarding the other members of the cast [not yet finalized], are there any names we’ve seen other places?

AG: Yeah there are. John Schneider, who plays Jonathan Kent. He’s fantastic and really helps ground the show.

CB: Will we see Lois Lane in the series?

AG: Yes you will, I can’t really say how, but with DC Comics’ blessing, she will definitely feature somewhere down the road. She could potentially visit Smallville or our gang could meet up with her in Metropolis.

CB: Will filming remain in British Columbia?

AG: We’re shooting the pilot there, we’re not sure about the series. It could be Los Angeles, it could be up here.

CB: What was the appeal that brought you to the “Smallville” project in the first place?

AG:Superman is one of those characters who has made an indelible impression on popular culture. You see the “S” everywhere, Bon Jovi has it tattooed on his arm for God’s sake. The really great super-heroes, like Batman and Superman, have lasted so long because they can be reinterpreted for each generation. There was the radio show in the 40s, the George Reeves show in the 50s, the Christopher Reeve movies in the 70s & 80s and Lois & Clark in the 90s. We liked the idea of introducing Superman to a new generation. Because he doesn’t wear the suit in “Smallville” it’s going to allow us to explore the human side of Superman. That’s what really attracted us. If there was ever a way to exemplify what it’s like to be a young person trying to find his way in the world, Clark Kent is your guy The fact that nobody’s really explored that aspect of the character is what really attracted us. We also liked the fact that Smallville hadn’t been mined.

CB: That was one of the most popular parts of the movie.

AG: It’s terrific, it’s a wonderful part, I think it was so memorable because when Jonathan (Glen Ford) dies you really feel for Clark, you’re totally invested in him as a person rather than a superhero. That’s what we hope to get across in the series. What’s interesting about focusing on this part of Clark’s life, is watching him go through the trials that will ultimately lead to him becoming the man of steel. If he had crash landed in a different town and had been picked up by different parents, he’d be a completely different guy.

CB: How old will Jonathan and Martha Kent be this time around?

AG: In their forties. We didn’t want to be like Buffy or Roswell where the kids have all the secrets and the parents are sort of out of it. We want “Smallville” to be multigenerational. So you’ve got Clark and friends, and you’ve got Lex who’s a little older, and you’ve got the parents.

CB: There will also be new characters such as Lana’s aunt Nell, correct?

AG:Lana’s aunt is Nell, and she’s friendly with the Luthors, and she and Jonathan used to date in high school and she sort of has feelings for him. Basically it’s creating levels of relationships. This is not a “slamming lockers” show. The parents will play a significant role, obviously because Jonathan and Martha are the only ones who know Clark’s secret.

CB: Is there any possibility of Pete Ross figuring it out?

AG: Potentially down the line, I think anything’s possible.

CB: Will there be an attempt to keep from becoming campy like Lois & Clark did toward the end?

AG:Yes. The minute we become campy like that we are dead.

CB: What kind of villains will Clark face?

AG: They certainly won’t be larger than life villains. We want to keep the show grounded in reality. Like all rural towns, Smallville is going through change; LuthorCorp’s come in, housing developments are eating up the farmland. There are people like the Kents who are trying to hold onto their traditional way of life, and then you have Lex who really sees Smallville as a new beginning and really wants to bring it into the 21st century, so you have those stories as well as the weird things that are happening.

CB: So what about [a seriously played] Brainiac or something like that?

AG:I would say certainly not for the first few seasons. I think you have to earn your audience, and you don’t want to start there.

CB: What kind of costume will Clark wear before there is a costume?

AG: He just wears regular clothes, he isn’t in disguise, he just has to keep his powers secret. He won’t be wearing glasses. I always thought the glasses and that sort of persona that he plays in Metropolis is to disguise the fact that he is Superman in the costume. Here he’s a kid dealing with these sort of extraordinary powers and trying to get through high school. Part of it is keeping these things secret. It’s more along the lines of the movie where he didn’t have the costume until he went to Metropolis. Basically, we’re not doing “Superboy.”

CB: Say ratings went down and the WB demanded changes, would the costume show up sooner?

AG: <laughs> The plan is not to put him in the costume.

CB: Will the show definitely be on the fall schedule? Could it be bumped into midseason, for example?

AG:It has an episodic commitment from the WB, which means yes, but a lot of things can happen. The only thing that could potentially affect Smallville, and the entire season, are the writers’ and actors’ strikes, which could definitely throw a wrench into when the show would air.

CB: Could this series be a possible lead-in to a new movie franchise?

AG: That would be great.

CB: There was a very well received Bruce Wayne pilot script floating around a few years ago. If Smallville is a success is there any chance Bruce Wayne could appear and spin off?

AG: That’s for DC and Warner Bros to decide.

CB: And for the final question… Will we believe a boy can fly?

AG: <laughs> At some point, yes. But one must be careful to walk, and then leap, before they can fly.

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This interview is copyright 2001 Craig Byrne. Please do not reprint this interview without permission. Those interested in referencing or linking to the interview are welcome to do so by acknowledging the source.