The director of tonight’s (March 1) episode of Superman & Lois, Amy Jo Johnson, is known to fans for a variety of things: She played “Kimberly,” the original Pink Ranger, in the first incarnation of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers; later, she could seen in such movies and series as Felicity, Wildfire, and Flashpoint. Johnson’s creative pursuits then led her to directing; she has directed short films including Bent and Lines which also featured some of her music, as well as Tammy’s Always Dying, a feature which starred Felicity Huffman, Aaron Ashmore, Lauren Holly, and more.
The Superman & Lois episode “Tried and True” is Johnson’s first time directing television, and she was given a fantastic episode to start with, written by Max Kronick and Patrick Barton Leahy. KryptonSite was able to speak with Amy Jo Johnson about this accomplishment, and yes, we did get a Power Rangers question in there! Come back to the site after the episode has aired for some more spoilery talk, but for now, here’s Amy!
KRYPTONSITE’S CRAIG BYRNE: Having started on a superhero type show yourself and then starring in and directing dramas, do you think that’s what made directing Superman & Lois a great fit for you?
AMY JO JOHNSON: Yeah. I guess so, thinking about it. Let’s see… definitely the family drama aspect of the show drew me in. I think this was sort of up my alley and maybe why I got the job, based off of my film Tammy’s Always Dying. And then tackling the superhero aspect of the show was probably the most thrilling for me, because I got to really learn a bunch of stuff and do something sort of out of my wheelhouse. Did I bring any knowledge that I got from Power Rangers to that? Maybe, the couple of times I did the green screen. It was a very daunting new experience. I was terrified in the beginning, and really just jumped in with two feet and tried to bring everything I’ve got to the table, and aended up learning a bunch, and was supported by so many great and talented people. The entire team on this show is a really well oiled machine. And so that was definitely a helpful advantage.
While filming the show, did you find out anyone in the cast or crew had been a longtime fan of yours? I noticed that Tyler was born in 1987, making him the perfect age…
On one of the last days of shooting… we were doing the memorial scene, and we were outside of the memorial, and [Tyler and I] ended up chit chatting, and he’s like “I actually have an autograph from you when I was 11!” His dad met me because he used to live in Glendale and I used to live in Glendale, and I couldn’t believe it! I was like, “NO WAY!” So that was kind of fun, to have that conversation with Tyler.
Is there something surreal about filming Superman flying on a rig?
Yeah! I took so many pictures, because it’s surreal, and epic… It gave me goosebumps when I’d see him getting attached up there, and a little man all dressed in green was holding this thing, and the core strength it took for him to just go vertical, and this giant crane goes swooping in towards him… it was a thrill, to say the least, on that VFX day. I was like “wow. This is super cool!”
Where can people see your film Tammy’s Always Dying?
You can rent it on iTunes or any of those platforms. I think it’s still on Showtime right now. It’s on HBO Max. It’s on Crave in Canada. It’s out there! It stars Felicity Huffman.
You had a tweet last week about it being dumb if the Power Rangers universe doesn’t use or acknowledge the OGs. Is that something you’d like to be a part of, either as an actor or director in the future?
I would love to direct something in that whole new world. I would love that. I think that would be so fun.
What was your favorite part of the Superman & Lois experience?
I have so many favorite parts, but as I said, it was truly the most thrilling and a little bit terrifying adventure I had gone on and jumped into, as my first TV episode. With the episode that was written and was given his, it had so many aspects of it. I got to really dabble in all aspects of the show, so I really loved that.
And I loved working with Todd Helbing, the showrunner. He was a really amazing mentor, [as was] Gregory Smith, who is the producing director. I was so supported through the entire process. I’m really grateful for that, and the entire experience. I started being petrified, and then I [went out] on the such a high, and so excited to get into the editing room. It was a roller coaster of pure excitement. It was a thrilling experience for me.
Is it safe to say you would like to do this again?
Oh, yeah. Now, if you asked me a week into prep, I would be like “why am I doing this? This is so scary” But now? Absolutely. 100% I would do it again.
What else is coming up for you?
I’ve spent the last two years writing a couple of feature films. They’re done being written, and now I’m just trying to get those off the ground.
Is there anything you’d like to say to your longtime fans and the fans of Superman & Lois about why they should tune into Tuesday’s episode?
First of all, I think the series is wonderful. For my episode, I think I was really blessed with a super cool script. The song “Tried and True” by Ween plays a big part in the opening and the ending of the episode, and it was so fun to sort of create this little music video with that. I’m really proud of it. Oh, and Tyler has his shirt off!
Superman & Lois “Tried and True” airs at 8PM ET/PT Tuesday, March 1 on The CW. See some preview photos here!