Smallville Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The Smallville F.A.Q.

Got some questions about Smallville that you're wondering about? Hopefully this page will answer them all... Be warned, some spoilers will follow. (This page is need of an update -- it's coming soon!)

If you have any questions to add to the FAQ, please send them in to PlanetKrypton@aol.com!

INDEX

SECTION 1: PLOT BITS
1-1. What is Smallville?
1-2. Wasn't Clark Kent Superboy in his teenage years?
1-3. Does that mean we won't see the costume in the series?
1-4. Why are Lex Luthor and Clark Kent friends? I thought they were bitter enemies!
1-5. Where's Lois Lane?
1-6. Will we see Lois Lane in the series?
1-7. Lex Luthor didn't grow up in Smallville, did he?
1-8. Why does Clark always get sick when he's around Lana?
1-9. When the meteors start to come crashing towards Smallville, why does everyone just stand there and 1-10. In 1989, the population of Smallville is much smaller than it was in 2001. Why is this?
1-11. Will Lana and Clark ever get together?

SECTION 2: THE CAST & GUESTS
2-1. How old is Tom Welling?
2-2. Where have I seen Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, and Michael Rosenbaum before?
2-3. Did Michael Rosenbaum shave his head?
2-4. What nationality is Kristin Kreuk?
2-5. Who is that girl who acts like a blond Lois?
2-6. And who's the kid who's always hanging out with her?
2-7. Isn't Pete Ross the Vice-President and married to Lana in the comics?
2-8. Who's the football guy?
2-9. Why does Lex Luthor's father act like such a jerk?
2-10. Where are Lana Lang's parents?
2-11. Why does Chloe Sullivan talk as if she's not from Smallville?
2-12. Some of the promos I've seen for Smallville have a different lady playing Clark's mother. Who is she?
2-13. Didn't I see Annette O'Toole in one of the Superman movies?
2-14. Will Annette O'Toole's husband, Michael McKean, be appearing on the series?
2-15. Will we ever see Gerard Christopher, Dean Cain, or Christopher Reeve on the show?
2-16. Does Jonathan Kent drive an orange car?

SECTION 3: BASIC SHOW BITS
3-1. What is that music they've played in the background for several of the show's promos?
3-2. Where is Smallville filmed?
3-3. How many episodes of Smallville will there be?
3-4. I loved that song I heard in [insert episode title here]. What was it called?

SECTION 4: THE PRODUCTION
4-1. Why does the name "Brian Robbins" seem familiar?
4-2. What have the executive-producer team of Al Gough and Miles Millar done before Smallville?
4-3. Do the producers or writers even read the comic books?

1-1. What is Smallville?
Smallville is a weekly television series that premiered on October 16, 2001 on the WB Television Network. It tells the stories of a young Clark Kent before he grew up to be the great hero known as Superman.

1-2. Wasn't Clark Kent Superboy in his teenage years?
Not according to current continuity. After the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" that hit the comics in 1986, the revised version of the Superman story didn't have Clark putting on a costume until he arrived in Metropolis as an adult.

1-3. Does that mean we won't see the costume in the series?
The current plan is for *no costume* to appear on the show. We *may* see it in the final episode, but nothing is planned at the moment.

1-4. Why are Lex Luthor and Clark Kent friends? I thought they were bitter enemies!
The most hated enemies are the ones who were friends first and felt some sort of betrayal. So, Clark and Lex will develop a friendship, so then, when they do become enemies we'll see how much of a loss that is for both of them.

1-5. Where's Lois Lane?
Lois is in Metropolis. She didn't grow up in Smallville like Clark and Lana did.

1-6. Will we see Lois Lane in the series?
It could be possible, if DC Comics will allow it.

1-7. Lex Luthor didn't grow up in Smallville, did he?
Nope, and the show doesn't change that fact. While young Lex was present for the meteor shower when it hit Smallville in 1989, it only happened to be because that was the time that Lionel Luthor bought the creamed-corn factory and turned it into a fertilizer plant. Lex returns to Smallville when he's 21, to run his father's plant.

1-8. Why does Clark always get sick when he's around Lana?
She wears a necklace that contains a part of the meteor that killed her parents. The meteor, of course, is a piece of Kryptonite. (oops!)

1-9. When the meteors start to come crashing towards Smallville, why does everyone just stand there and watch? Shouldn't they be running for their lives?
That's true, but you must remember two things: One, the meteors could have landed anywhere (and they did); and two, maybe folks from the town of Smallville just aren't that bright.

1-10. In 1989, the population of Smallville is much smaller than it was in 2001. Why is this?
LuthorCorp's built a fertilizer plant and many housing developments; both things have brought a lot of people to the town. Growth for Smallville isn't unprecedented; in the classic Legion of Super-Heroes comic books, the Smallville of the future was HUGE!

1-11. Will Lana and Clark ever get together?
Wait and see.

2-1. How old is Tom Welling?
Tom is 24 years old.

2-2. Where have I seen Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, and Michael Rosenbaum before?
Tom did a memorable turn as "Rob the karate instructor" on several episodes of CBS's Judging Amy. Kristin starred in (and still stars in) the CBC teen series Edgemont. She can also be seen in an upcoming ABC TV movie of Snow White. Michael, with hair, appeared in such movies as the first Urban Legend and sitcoms like The Tom Show and Zoe, Duncan, Jack, and Jane.

2-3. Did Michael Rosenbaum shave his head?
And the answer to the #1 most frequently asked question is... yes. Supposedly the skullcap made him look like a Conehead.

2-4. What nationality is Kristin Kreuk?
The beautiful Kristin Kreuk is part-Chinese, part-Dutch.

2-5. Who is that girl who acts like a blond Lois?
That would be Chloe Sullivan, played by Allison Mack.

2-6. And who's the kid who's always hanging out with her?
That would be Pete Ross, played by Sam Jones III.

2-7. Isn't Pete Ross the Vice-President and married to Lana in the comics?
Yep.

2-8. Who's the football guy?
That's Whitney Fordman, "big man on campus" at Smallville High. Every show needs their own "Flash Thompson" or "Doug Simpson;" in Smallville, Whitney's your man.

2-9. Why does Lex Luthor's father act like such a jerk?
Because he can.

2-10. Where are Lana Lang's parents?
Dead, unfortunately.

2-11. Why does Chloe Sullivan talk as if she's not from Smallville?
Because she's from Metropolis. She and her dad moved to Smallville in recent years. Now her father, Gabe, runs the LuthorCorp fertilizer plant where he deals with a lot of crap.

2-12. Some of the promos I've seen for Smallville have a different lady playing Clark's mother. Who is she?
The original pilot episode of Smallville had Cynthia Ettinger playing the role of Martha Kent. Ettinger was released from the role in June, and in July it was announced that Annette O'Toole would be her replacement. She stars alongside popular actor John Schneider who is playing Clark's father, Jonathan.

2-13. Didn't I see Annette O'Toole in one of the Superman movies?
Yes. Ironically, Annette played Lana Lang in "Superman III."

2-14. Will Annette O'Toole's husband, Michael McKean, be appearing on the series?
It would be nice; but, we haven't heard of any plans yet.

2-15. Will we ever see Gerard Christopher, Dean Cain, or Christopher Reeve on the show?
The producers *are* interested in having guests from Superman past on the show, but nothing's been announced yet. They are most likely going to keep away from ties to Lois & Clark at this point, since the show was only cancelled four years ago. This answer applies to anyone from past Superman shows you may want to see on the series.

2-16. Does Jonathan Kent drive an orange car?
No, but it appears he may have stolen Uncle Jesse's pickup truck. A visit to the Smallville Ledger classifieds, however, once revealed that someone named "Bo" was trying to sell an orange Dodge Charger for a tractor. Hmm.

3-1. What is that music they've played in the background for several of the show's promos?
That would be "Song Yet To Be Sung" by Perry Farrell.

3-2. Where is Smallville filmed?
Right now the show is filmed in British Columbia, Canada.

3-3. How many episodes of Smallville will there be?
The WB originally ordered Smallville for thirteen episodes; that order has been incresed to a full season. There will very likely be many more than that.

3-4. I loved that song I heard in [insert episode title here.] What was it called?
KryptonSite has a list of all of the music heard in all of the episodes, at http://www.kryptonsite.com/smallvillemusic.htm. From there you can orde the CD's, too!

4-1. Why does the name "Brian Robbins" seem familiar?
Before he was part of the team behind Tollin-Robbins Productions (with Mike Tollin and Joe Davola), Robbins played "Eric" on the popular sitcom Head of the Class. (You know, the one where the kids were such geniuses yet they managed to be in high school for at least 6 years and even outlast their teacher). Tollin-Robbins also produces several other movies and shows, most of which are on Nickelodeon.

4-2. What have the executive-producer team of Al Gough and Miles Millar done before Smallville?
Before Smallville, Gough and Millar worked on several series, including Timecop and Martial Law. Their biggest project, however, was writing the popular Jackie Chan movie "Shanghai Noon" and its upcoming sequel.

4-3. Do the producers or writers even read the comic books?
Most definitely. Many folks on staff have a copy of "Superman For All Seasons," and it's a good bet that a majority of the writers have been reading the comics for years before even taking on this project. It's quite obvious that the people behind the show are big fans of the Superman character, and will do everything possible to make this a faithful adaptation.

Superman For All Seasons
Smallville explores the story of a young Clark Kent and his place in the world on television. In the comics, this was very well illustrated in Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's "Superman For All Seasons." This has been labeled a "must read" by many fans and also listed as the favorite Superman story of recent years by many. Check it out!

Anne Frank and Me
Authors Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld wrote this tale of a young girl from the present day who is learning about Anne Frank in class and suddenly finds herself in wartime France and encountering Anne Frank herself.

This book should be of interest to Smallville fans especially because the book's writers, Bennett and Gottesfeld, will be writing an episode of Smallville titled "Jitters," and most likely several more episodes in the show's future. While you're at Amazon you can also find several of Cherie Bennett's other popular young adult novels such as "Life In The Fat Lane."

Superman Transformed!
In 1997 the creators of the Superman comics altered Clark's powers. Since it's a given that Smallville's Clark may be dealing with at least one electrical wraith, here's where you can find out what happened when things turned shocking for Superman. It's also good if you were away from the comics for a while and were wondering what that blue Superman thing was all about.

Any purchases through the Amazon.com link keep KryptonSite going. (Webspace sadly isn't free when you want your own domain!) So if you do purchase something through one of these links, thanks!

RETURN HOME