Welcome to the net Paalty, Hello.

And welcome to another special celebrating Superman edition of Missing Frames.

I'm your host, Sean Eastridge.

Now normally on Missing Frames, we watch all of the movies we should have seen by this point in our lives, and I do promise you that someday you'll get a normal episode again, I swear.

But for right now, I'm still just beyond ecstatic about James Gunn's new Superman film.

I can't stop talking about it, I can't stop watching it.

I mean, I've seen it five times.

Now, Who even am I?

Honestly, I know there's some of you up who are probably shocked I've only seen it five times.

You guys know me too well.

But as you also may know, I've been celebrating the release of this new Superman film by interviewing some of my all time favorite writers, editors, artists, and so on.

To celebrate all things Man of Steel.

I've chatted with the likes of Mark Wade, Philip Kennedy, Johnson, Dan Jurgen's Tom King.

I just spoke with Ryan North, the writer behind Crypto, the Last Dog of Krypton, which is amazing.

He also did the Fantastic Four series, And I know it's blasphemy to mention Fantastic Four in a Superman podcast, but I'm sorry.

It's just so good.

Anyway.

You can listen to all of those conversations.

They're all up and running on this podcast.

Go check them out, share them with your other super friends.

I greatly appreciate it.

So a lot of the conversations I've had so far happened before the film was released.

I haven't really gotten to discuss my actual reaction to the film with anyone until now.

And let me tell you what, I could not be more thrilled about my first guest following Superman's official release.

I'm speaking with none other than Ma Kent herself, Niva.

How Niva has been acting for nearly her whole life, and she's had a steady career, but she's never had a role like this.

She's never been in a film as giant as this.

Niva is just I mean, she's the absolute best.

I had such a great time talking with her.

We do a deep dive into the film.

We discuss how she prepared for the role, some of her favorite memories from the set, her favorite moments in the film, how thrilled we are to have a Superman movie that focuses on the importance of being kind and showing love to people, even when they don't deserve it.

We also discuss our hopes for potential Superman sequels and maybe a special like a Christmas with the Kents.

James, I know you're listening, so just putting that on your radar.

And we also talk about some of the controversy surrounding the casting of her and Pruitt Taylor Vince, who plays Jonathan Kent.

Some fans have been vocal about their complaints.

They've said the kentser kind of country bumpkins, rednecks.

We talk about that.

We discussed those complaints head on, and just a heads up, this conversation is full of spoilers, So if you have not seen the movie, seriously, what are you waiting for?

Go see it?

It's out.

How have you not seen this yet?

But just a fair warning.

If you haven't seen the movie, see it and then come back and listen, this episode will still be here.

But really, I cannot see Neva's praises enough.

She was in absolute joy to spend time with.

I could not be happier for her.

I think she's the perfect mak Kent.

I'm so glad James picked her to portray this iconic role, and I seriously can't wait to see more of her as Ma Kent.

All right, let's go ahead and celebrate Superman with Niva.

Howe now available to own non video cassette.

Niva, I am delighted beyond all rhyme and reason to finally hang out with you.

I feel like we've been planning this for a minute a minute, so it's great to finally see you.

This is true.

We have been planning for a while, haven't we.

I've had a little stress over the tech, as you well know, but I'm here.

You made it, and you did like there was no We got on a little early because we were going to try to troubleshoot, but you jumped right in.

You're a professional.

You don't give yourself enough credit.

Well, thank you.

So this is the first time you've really gotten to talk about the film without having to stress about spoiling something accidentally or not being able to give specific details.

That stresses off your shoulders as well.

Yes, the non disclosure agreement basically struck terror.

In my heart.

We own your first born we own everything.

I can't say anything at all.

But I was asked, you know, how did you bond with David in another interview with Pruitt and Prut was an easy answer because he's phenomenal person.

He's just a beautiful being and I saw that immediately and we bonded immediately.

We spend a lot of time together.

But David I really couldn't talk about without possibly giving away too much.

But in Ma's relationship with David with Clark, at this particular time in his life, he's a young man who's left home, he has a new job, he has new friends who make fun of his parents.

I mean, people may have missed that in the phone call because it went so fast, but they were really making fun of myn pa, talking about roadkill.

Yeah, the roadkill, Chittlands and stuff.

And he had a girlfriend that they had never met.

So at this point, at this time, I distanced myself a bit from David.

We didn't talk, we didn't and he didn't reach out to me either.

So I don't know what his rationale was, but mine was.

Ma is in that point in a mother's life where her son is grown, he's gone, and he has a whole new life that doesn't really include her.

Yes, that's the vibe I gotten from early in the film.

Well good, I'm glad that played, because it was a deliberate choice not to go over our scenes or even ask David how he felt about the relationship, because that would have interfered with that feeling of her distance from him because of where he was in his life.

And then the other.

Decision I made, which may or may not be what James Gun intended, was I came to the realization when he was severely hurt with kryptonite poisoning.

In my mind, that was the first time Ma realized she could actually lose him, he could actually die.

So there was that need to let him lit his life and go and save these people and do everything that Superman had to do.

But at the same time that very natural mother's instinct to protect our child, and so it was a very vulnerable time in Ma's life.

That that was what I was trying to convey.

Well, I think you improve it, convey it beautifully, and it's there from the first scene, you know, the first time we're introduced to Ma and Pa Kent in this film, they're calling their son, who is busy and the vibe I get from David's performance a little too busy to talk to his parents.

He's like, I got things to do right and how I mean, how relatable is that for any parent who has had to see their kids grow up and tried to keep in touch, but having to contend with the fact that they're an adult trying to live their lives and maybe aren't able to be as connected.

On top of that, you have a boy who has superpowers and is also the hero of his city, so you have all that stress too.

It's not a very simple situation.

She's navigating it from her simple life.

Were you able to pull from your own experiences parenting superpowered children.

I have superpowers, and some of my nieces and nephews definitely do.

So I've been around superpowers, but I didn't raise one, got it.

So that's where the tape from Pat Christie comes in.

This is the woman who, when you were auditioning, you received from the casting director, this woman who had a very specific accent James was looking for.

Yes, her name is Pat Christie and she's the son of Richard Christie, who is on the Howard Stern Show.

And so he sent me a two minute tape and then another two minute tape, and it was a conversation between Pat and Richard, so between a mother and a son.

And although I started out trying to emulate her accent on the tape, she says, Richard bought me an air dryer, so I've been cooking some fish in for well.

I tried French fries, but it didn't turn out as well as that's a hope.

So I was working on getting her accent.

But what I ended up getting from that tape was so much more.

Because the conversation was between a mother and a son, her personality started coming through, and she had this matter of fact conversation with him about tomatoes and dogs and hamburgers.

But underneath that, underneath that very normal, nothing flashy conversation, there was this deep river of abiding love of the mother and I felt that strongly.

So when I did finally put Mad together with all the pieces, there were other pieces to her as well.

But that vibration from Pat, that mother energy, became a part of who MA was.

The accent apparently is become quite controversial.

I didn't know this.

According to people online, I either sound like I'm from Tennessee, or Kentucky or Mississippi, or Ireland or Scotland.

Wait, you've got in Ireland.

In Scotland, Scotland.

I couldn't do a Scottish accent if my life depended on it.

But then for every one of those there's someone who posts that says, I live in rural.

I hate the word rural.

Yes, yeah, if you if you leave out the middle R, it sounds like rules.

And if you say the middle R, it sounds like Scooby Doo.

Which is, by the way, another James Gun project, one of his early Scooby Yeah, he wrote the Scooby Doo movie.

I did not know that you did a pretty good Scooby Doo accent.

I did do that one, but apparently.

A Scottish access a Scooby Doo.

So that type of town in Kansas, people would I live in a small town in Kansas, and you sound just like my neighbor down the road.

So it's such a wide range of opinions.

Finally, one person who I think was a voice actor, said, what she's using is Ozark English, which I've never heard that before, but that it still used in south parts of southeastern Kansas.

But I don't know if I nailed it.

There were a lot of words in the script that were not on the tape, but I do think I nailed Pat's personality and the mother, the mother energy, and for me that was more important.

I think you did a great, great job regardless of having those words to hear.

Well, thank you.

I appreciate that.

And then the other thing that happened was you remember the scene where they're at the bedside taking care of Clark.

A lot of times, not always, but usually when I do a role, I have to find it in my body first.

There has to be some movement in my body.

What moves first and why does it move?

So it's more physical than emotional at first, you'd say at.

First, because the physical comes out of the emotional.

So if you find the physical, the emotional is already there.

A lot of times I will find what part of their body moves forward first.

And with Ma it was her hands.

And when we were in that scene, I heard this song by Jewel It's called Hands, and there's a line in it that says only kindness matters, and so that's perfect.

But the line that got me was she says, my hands are small.

I know, and the humility in that, the humility of all I have are these hands, but I will use them.

I know they're small, I know they can't do much.

But I'll clean your boots, I'll cook your meals, I will comfort you.

And in that scene, she has one hand close to his heart and she has the other hand stroking his forehead, and at one point she and I have to say she because at that point it felt like ma, not me.

But she reaches over and puts her hand over Pau's hand, and in that moment, she is holding her son and her husband.

She is holding her world in a space of comfort, and that moment in the filming felt to me sacred.

Every time I watch that scene, I tear up.

I do too.

It's unique for you too, just having experience that and feeling all of those things.

You know, in that way you're embodying the role and you do kind of have to feel those emotions in a very raw, in tense way.

But what I think is special about Martha and Jonathan and their relationship, what they bring to the character of Superman is exactly what you're describing.

The like I we are simple farmers.

It's humility is what they bring to the table, humility and love and that feeling of like they will do everything they can to protect their son, but not only that, to instill him with the ideals that ultimately make him who he is.

And that juxtaposition of this incredible being from another planet who is the most powerful hero in the universe, but has that humility that to me is the core of what Superman is.

The powers are fun, that's icing on the cake, but to me, it comes back to his heart and his humility, and then are what instilled that in him?

And I love hearing you talk about that moment, that feeling of smallness.

But Ma is going to use whatever she can, whatever she can bring to the table.

Yes, she would use small hands to help her son any way she can't and her husband.

Yeah, And it's a different like you said, this is we have not necessarily seen this version of a relationship with Clark and his adopted parents.

A lot of the times the parents are more actively involved, and whether you're talking about stories in the comics or the TV series, what we tend to see is that kind of constant back and forth.

But you're right, this is a different interpretation.

I think James wanted to maybe isolate Clark a little bit and have him be separated from that love, maybe because he's growing up and needs to find his own way.

But ultimately what he realizes is those values that John and Martha instilled in him are what make him who he is and kind of help him reground and rediscover himself later on in the film.

Well, that's a really good point that it may have been James intentional along that there be that isolation, a little bit of isolation for David or Clark.

Well, I love that we keep calling him David.

It is hard to distinguish between David and Clark.

It is because he is that person.

I mean, he is that kind, he is that sweet.

What was it like when you finally did get to meet him and spend significant time with him shooting those moments.

Well, because of the decision I had made, it was wonderful to watch him work.

But there was always that you know, Mom doesn't really know where she stands right now, so there was always that hesitation, which was totally absent with Pruett.

So it was a very different relationship based on where he was, not where Ma was.

Ma hadn't changed, but he had changed a great deal.

What I kind of inferred from the film is he feels he is on this mission now.

His biological parents sent him to Earth to be a here as far as he believes, to be a hero and a champion for the people of Earth.

And to me, I feel like maybe where we see Clark at the start of this film is the full embrace of that message.

He's like, no, I have a mission now, and I appreciate everything my Earth parents did for me, but now it's time for me to focus on the important things.

And over the course of the film, when he realizes, wait a second, maybe I was sent here for more nefarious purposes and suddenly realizes like, oh, my entire worldview and my perception of who I am is it's been shifted in a fundamental way.

And what do you do?

Like, you know, you you return to the people you know, the family you know, and you surround yourself with friends and loved ones to kind of recover and recouperate.

And I think that's what's beautiful is that even though Ma and Pa are not in the movie a whole lot, there you and Preuit are.

Your characterizations are so strong that performances are so strong that those little moments become some of the film's best Like the highlights for me are those scenes because it gets to the heart of who this character is.

Thank you, thank you for that.

Some people have asked me, you know, I wish you'd had a bigger role, don't you wish you'd had And I said, no, I don't.

I'm very happy that it was the size that it was because for my first, you know, major major blockbuster film, I wouldn't have wanted to have to carry what David and Nicholason Rachel are carrying.

I know, I can't imagine it was perfect.

I mean, it's exciting for you.

You've been working as an actor for years and years and years, but this is certainly You've never done anything like this.

You've never done a project.

Like this before, never, and it's so strange.

There should have been a lot more trepidation and intimidation and worry.

But that's the wonderful thing about James Gunn He has a way.

I think he walks in rarefied air, I really do.

There's something about this man.

He has a way of imbuing his surroundings and the people around him.

Was such a calm, clear confidence that you feel comfortable.

I never felt intimidated by James Gunn.

People have said, how do you feel talking to James Gunn?

I said, well, I like him.

He seems like a nice guy, James Gune.

I know I should I should be kneeling, but.

He doesn't require that, right, very kind of him not to make you kneel every time he walks into a room, and that would be.

Hard for me.

My knees are not what they used to.

Well, I was so excited as a fan of James's and I you know, of course I've seen the Guardians of the Galaxy films and have have loved those.

And I remember hearing he was taking over the reins of DC with his business partner Peter Saffron and just being so excited.

I was like, oh, this is this is going to be interesting.

And then when I heard he was writing a Superman film, I was I was very, very excited because a lot of it had to do with just you.

I mean, you learn a lot about a filmmaker from their films.

You know, the films are or no matter how fantastical, no matter how outlandish a film can be, I think you're seeing into the heart of that individual.

And I think because of what I'd seen in James's other films, what I'd kind of gathered from that and then interviews i'd seen of him, I was like, this is a man who has a huge heart, and to me, that is what somebody making a big Superman film needs.

And so I remember when they announced it, when he announced that he was going to be writing and directing it, I was just like, this is going to be something special.

And a lot of that had to do with just him and knowing that that was someone I could trust as a fan to not only respect the material, but do something new and fun with it, something maybe shake the cobwebs off a little bit.

But was that kind of your feeling knowing he was involved?

Was that almost more excitybe than the part itself and the movie itself.

What was exciting to me was discovering how iconic a character Ma Kent is and why she's that way, and delving into the beauty of that and the power of that.

I can't tell you how many people have come up to me or talked to me and said, I just lost my mother or I just lost my grandmother, and they would say that seeing me on screen for just that short amount of time made them feel that connection again.

And I get pretty emotional when I think about that, because I lost my mother and I know the pain of that.

So I became quickly aware that this was a character that lived in people's hearts.

You know, she wasn't just a page in a comic book.

She had strength that people resonated with that was very simple, clear, beautiful and kind and to be able to be asked by James Gunn of all people, to bring that to the screen, and he knew he was taking a chance with me.

I'm not the typical I'm not Diane Lane.

For sure, right both of us.

And I'll tell you when I when I went to Trilotte's studios for the chemistry test, that moment Prut said his first line, I said, that's Paw right there.

I mean, never mind, you know, everybody else can go home.

That has to be Paw.

And if he hadn't gotten it, I would have just been distraught, because I think he was absolutely perfect.

I loved him, and I remember when the casting was announced.

I remember thinking I was like, oh, this is a little bit different, you know, as somebody who's seen a lot of iterations of this, and like you said, you know Dane Lane, and like, you know, we've seen that.

That's the most recent big screen version.

We've seen people's minds.

That's exactly right.

And I and I think, you know, I think Ma and Pauw Kent have also maybe been they've certainly been the Hollywood the hunky Hollywood version of Farmers, you know what I mean.

Like it's like I was saying, it was difficult for me to accept the level of Hollywood glamour when he cast you, and I was like, this is I need, Look, I need something more grounded, James.

I thought we were going for a more grounded approach, but no, I remember seeing and I remember thinking like, this is exactly right.

Like I remember there were people who were thinking of you know, Kevin Costner versus Pruett, and just like like, is this what Paul can And I remember thinking, I'm like, look, I trust James, and I think this is going to be great, and I think we're going to get something very special from this.

And that's exactly what we got.

When I look at the old comic books, the old Superman comic books, and I see Min and Paul they are.

They look far more like myself and Pruitt than what has been portrayed.

I completely agree.

So you had asked earlier if I was more excited that it was James Gunn doing it or that I got the role.

The thing about James Gunn that I had read and I loved Guardians, and I had read about him was that he wanted to do it in the old, the old way, like the Christopher Reeve vibration.

Yeah, and to me that's Volumes.

I mean, because that's the one that I loved.

So I was very excited.

I think to this day that's the that's the version that resonates the most with people.

It is and for good reason.

I mean, that's a phenomenal film.

But I completely agree.

I remember thinking sometimes with the criticism and some of the criticism we've seen now, I'm like, have these people read a Superman comic?

Have they looked at a Superman comic?

This is very in line with who these characters are.

I think sometimes people forget or aren't maybe aware that it is based on a comic book.

So there's a heightening.

Things are heightened.

So if you're not expecting that, you know, it can look over the top or you know, they can have a negative reaction to it, but for me, he brought it to life.

He took paid comic book and he put it on the screen and that was what I wanted to see.

So it thrilled me.

Me too.

I've seen it times and I just loved every minute of it.

I'm with you.

I think I think part of it too is maybe you know, uh Pa and Maw have they do have limited screen time, and you have to make sure that the screen time they have is as you want to convey who these characters are as effectively as possible.

And I think in terms of how we do it, the first scene with you is you know, yelling into your phone like hoping that hoping that your son can hear you.

And you know, I could see somebody saying like, well, it's a little it's a little heightened, it's a little comical, and it's like, well, yeah, but you have to convey in a very small amount of time that these are two farmers.

I don't know how many of these people have had conversations with their moms on the phone, but you know, I still get butt dials from my parents on a regular basis where they don't realize they've called me, or they don't know what's going on.

So you have to convey that technology is not their thing.

You have to convey that they are grounded farmers who are maybe the world has left behind a little bit.

And you have to convey the contrast between the life Clark is living and who his parents are.

So it's yes, it's heightened, but it's all in service of the story and the time, the screen time you have.

But I really take issue with people who say they look like country bumpkins, and that's being kind.

Some of the comments were very rude and even cruel, But what they I don't understand that people who value being in nature, working with their animals, growing food, their relationships with the people they love are not stupid because of that.

Yes, they may not know about a lot of technology, but that doesn't make them slow.

Yeah, and I personally never saw Paul Rama that way, even for a second.

There's a difference between simple and slow, you know, like they are.

Jonathan and Martha are simple, And I know that can come across as condescending.

When I say simple, I mean they know what their needs are and they know how to meet their needs and they know what brings them joy in life.

They live life at a slower pace by choice, and they live life with certain values of what's important to them, and that's not the next gadget.

That's not where their focus is.

The only reason they probably have a phone is so that they can talk to Clark, but that doesn't mean they ever use it other than that.

I don't really think they ever use the phone except when Clark calls.

So for me, it was never about their intelligence.

Yeah, I completely agree.

I think that is a misconception.

These people are living their best life.

And I also think like the way, you know Pruit's scene with David where he kind of reminds him like this is who you like.

What makes you who you are is your choices and your actions.

That scene and that whole sequence with you and the family together, there's nothing remotely in that scene that gives off a vibe of like, oh, these slow, silly country folk.

You know.

The phone scene has played for laughs to kind of convey who they are, And then that whole sequence is that's that's mon Podkent, Like all of it is mom Popkent to me.

So I think we'll just say the criticism.

Everyone is welcome to their own opinion, absolutely, and everyone who doesn't agree with us is also rotten.

But we can have opinions without becoming cruel.

That's exactly right, and that's my point.

You know that, yes, if you like it or you don't like it, but there's no reason to be cruel.

I think it's easy sometimes for fans to forget.

They feel such distance from these big films, and.

They have the anonymity of yeah and the absence of direct consequence.

If you're having a conversation with someone in person, there can be a direct consequence to you saying something, but if you're just posting, you know, you don't feel that feedback immediately.

I want to say, as far as the state of Georgia, and maybe I think, maybe now I have a competitor, because I think you are, obviously as Superman's mother, his biggest fan, but I've always considered myself Superman's biggest fans, certainly of the people I know in my immediate vicinity, and as as the person holding this title of greatest Superman fan in the State of Georgia other than you, of course, I can declare here on this podcast, that you and Pruitt are absolutely phenomenal in the film, and that this Jonathan and Martha are fantastic, And I would like to have a stern conversation with anyone who is being mean to you.

I hope you are seeing that.

I don't know how many comments and kind words I've seen from people, and these are opinions I agree with compleat letely.

But some of the the absolute highlights of the film are your scenes.

As they're they're not enough of them.

I agree, I want more, mon pod Kent.

I hope we get to see more of them.

But your mouth to God's ears or to James, Yes.

Let's get it over to Let's get the message to James.

We need more mind Podkent.

But I I adore every moment.

I think you both are wonderful, and I hope you're you know, I hope you're seeing those comments as well.

I hope you're seeing I am and I am, and they're they're very beautiful.

And I've cried more than once about someone who The ones that touch me the most are the ones that it brings back a memory of their loved ones, And to me, that's that's the highest praise I could ever hope for.

Yeah, as an actor, you've not experienced this level of people like I have people reached out to you like this before to say like you are literally like you're reminding me of my relationship with my mother.

You're moving me to tears, Like what's that like?

Like, how does that feel at this point in your career to beginning messages like that?

In a way, it feels surreal.

But in another way, and this I don't know how this will sound, but it does feel like it's what I what it's all been for.

You know, all those struggle, all the rejection, all the disappointment, all the hard financial times and you know I'm not out of those yet, but I'm getting there and all of that.

But what's really important is it feels like I'm on my path.

Like you couldn't have You couldn't have done this unless you would had the life that you lived.

It all brought you to this point.

Yes, that's a good summation.

Yes, everything that I've been through and everything that I am has brought me to.

Mom and speaking just as an extension and of this larger than life experience.

I think while on the set, you know, you're seeing David in his Superman outfit, so there is that vibe of like, oh, wait a second, we're in a Superman movie.

But in general, it sounds like what you're saying, and what I've heard reflected from other people who have worked with James is this is a pretty It feels tight knit and small and almost like an indie production, So you're not necessarily feeling, like you said, the pressure or the scale in that way in these smaller scenes.

But let's switch a little bit and talk about going to that red carpet premiere and then getting to see the film with an audience for the first time.

I mean, what was that experience like, after kind of waiting and having to sit and keep everything secret and worrying about you know, Warner Brothers in DC, taking your home away if you say the wrong thing to the wrong person, what was it like finally getting to celebrate all of this work and then seeing it for the first time with an audience who had not seen it before.

Well, I never could have gone without my nephew, Jean.

He took care of everything, and he took care of me because this was all just completely overwhelming for me.

So Jeane made sure I got there and was taken care of.

But when it came time to walk the red carpet, there was again that kind of split feeling.

Part of it was surreal, like this is beyond.

Nothing could have prepared me for how overwhelming that walk is.

But on the other end was I knew I'd be here someday, which is such a bizarre juxtaposition of thought.

At one time, I can't believe I'm here, and then the other part, yes, I'm here, yeah, as if I were landing after a long, long flight.

There were the highlights of seeing yourself and hearing people's reactions to you and your performance, and also just getting to see because my guess is correct me if I'm wrong.

But because when it comes to big productions like this, there's a lot of secrecy around it.

Were you aware of what the film was as a whole or were you only seeing the bits and pieces that you were involved in.

Well, because most of all of my scenes were at the farmhouse, I wasn't making where the Daily Planet was for a couple of days, but I wasn't filming.

I did get to see just a tiny, tiny bit of that, but I got to read the script.

I couldn't keep it.

They let me read it when I got on set and then give it back.

So the first time of that I read through the script, the entire script.

That's when I have got wow.

This is a massive, massive, massive film.

There is an incredible amount going on in this film.

But seeing it on Imax, well, first of all, I got to sit right next to Pap through it and I was together, which to me was wonderful because we got to, you know, enjoy seeing it for the first time together.

But seeing it on the big screen, I was afraid because who likes their self thirty feet wide?

I don't know how big that screen is a lot more than that.

It was huge, and so who really was to see every wrinkle?

And you know, but when the audience laughed when the phone call started, I thought, Okay, he's got it.

He knew what he was doing, and it brings in humor and kind of sets up who they are in a way that I felt like was good.

You know, some of the criticisms as we've discussed, but I don't agree with those.

I think he did a wonderful job with that phone call.

So after the phone call, I was I felt better because I actually felt more confident about the other scenes because I found the hands.

You know that we talked about.

Her hands are small, I know, but she does what she can with them.

So I had that piece, and I felt more confident with the other scenes that that was going to be there.

But when I watched it back, I realized her hands were in the phone call too, but because she had them on both sides of the phone and she was kind of like she was holding him there on that call.

So when I saw that, I thought you were doing it subconsciously, even before you found that piece.

So overall it was and the ending just tore me up.

Oh, I know, it.

Was so beautiful.

I just I just wept, you know, it was just beautiful.

What was it like shooting those scenes with the little little Clark?

Oh?

Well, it was a lot of fun, but you know, we had to we had to do it with a lot of different kids to find the right ones, the ones that he wanted, and some of them were very scared and nervous and prove it was great with them, and I like I hope I was.

But it was a little difficult in those because I felt for them.

You know, they're very young kids and to be put on camera like that, and it was intimidating.

But then the ones that he ended up picking were the very ones that I thought, oh, yeah, this this is Clark, this is Clark when he was a little boy.

So when I saw them, I thought, my goodness, it was perfect, just perfect.

But again that's James Gunn's vision is so clear that once he sees it, he knows it and he knows it's going to happen both things.

He knows that's the way to do it, and he knows it's going to happen.

What amazing confidence.

I love you made.

This is a comment I'd seen a couple of times which is a very very sill It's a very silly, nerdy internet comment to make, which is the wait a second, who was filming all this family foot.

Yes, well the robots.

The robots filmed it like they.

Did the other one.

You know, somebody filmed the other one, So the robots filmed it for posterity.

I have I had so many home videos of me and my parents together as you know, them bringing me home, and like, who's filming that?

The Superman robots?

I guess film that filmed my home videos, you know what I mean, Like, I just like I remember seeing that and just thinking like, has nobody did nobody have a home video of themselves as a kid.

You don't ask these questions.

I never asked like who, wait, who filmed my home videos?

Crypto?

Crypto filmed it.

That's it, that's you heard it here.

First.

He does have superpowers.

After all, that dog can do so many, so many different things.

You didn't, now you you didn't.

There was a young girl on the set who was kind of yes, yes, so Murphy did the kind of the motion capture and was she working with an actual live dog on set?

Uh?

There was a dog on set.

I never saw her working with the dog, but I did see her jumping around on all fours.

I love a dog, and I was just blown away.

I mean, how do you do that?

You know?

She was fantastic and such a joy.

That's my thing about James Gun I want to say, is he picks joyful people.

He picks good people that enjoyed being together and enjoy creating something together.

There's no diva behavior on a James gunset that I ever saw.

And that's all the way up to David.

You know, nobody was like, I deserve special treatment, that it was a team effort, and maybe that might be his secret power.

His superpower is he's able to assemble a group of people who will get behind his vision in a way that they all are willing to work together equally to create it with him.

Did you feel a little bit like a proud mother, not just for David, like watching him kind of you know, this is his big moment too, like getting to carry this movie and he does it.

He makes it look easy and you know it's not easy, but like that, similar to how you were saying, like it felt like you had you'd been to the moment, arrived, and somehow, in a weird way, you're like, yeah, I kind of knew I was coming to this moment.

I'm sure in some small way David must have felt that too.

And what was it like, what was it like, I mean, just being being you know, you're his mother, but also you know for James too, like kind of feeling that.

Did you feel that sense of protectiveness and that sense of pride getting to see them both succeed in that way?

Yes, And I've thought a lot about David and how you know he carries it so and he carries it well and without seemingly without stress, but you know, there had to be.

There had to be.

It was what people don't realize that who have never done a role like that, is how physically demanding it is.

You know, he's yanked around and flying around, and that suit itself, he had trouble breathing when he was laying.

You know, they finally had to unhook it a little bit because that's a tight, heavy kind of suit.

So even just the physical aspects of it that he handled so well, but the emotional for me, I thought his portrayal was spot on perfect.

He was able to convey that comic book heighten heightening, you know, without losing himself his personality, his humanness, and that's a fine line to walk.

I think he did a phenomenal job.

And I heard him say in an interview that people were asking, what if this is you know, you get typecast as this and this is all there is?

And he said, even if this is all there is, it was worth it.

In other words, he knew the risk of possibly Superman being all he was known for from here on out, that that was all people could see because it was so big, and because it was so iconic, but even if it was, it was worth it to him.

And I think I feel the same way in his place.

Yeah, I love that, and I think it speaks to who he is as a person.

And i'd like to think also, I'd like to think that we and I've referred to myself as the audience are more Christopher Reeve had the downside of maybe an audience that was not willing to accept him and other roles.

And I feel like because of his portrayal and because it's been so many years since, the audience is more willing to see these actors in different roles.

And I hope that is what we see for David, for you, for all of the actors in this film, that we get to see that because I think the audience has learned from years of hearing these stories of typecasting that we're more accepting I think of seeing characters and actors go to different places.

Yeah, I hope he works all the time.

But you mentioned James james script.

I didn't fully appreciate how brilliant his script was until I saw everything come together.

You know, even from the first shot that they showed.

You remember the very first steal that they put out was David, I mean Clark putting on his boots, remember putting on his boots, Ma, I cleaned your boots, he tied, he ties everything you know punk rock, you know, kindness is the new punk rock.

And then the end with I'm a punk rocker.

Yes, brilliant, brilliant.

Everything, everything just a wove into this tapestry of magic.

It was that was that all the punk the maybe that's the new punk rock?

And then down to the song choice was that in the script at the time.

I think the kindnesses of new punk rock may have been in the script, but I don't remember any reference to a song at the end.

But he found the perfect song and I can't get it out of my head.

I've been listening to it pretty much every day since.

It was just perfect.

Everything was and mister terrific.

I have to say that scene with him with the tea spears, I had the same look on my face that Rachel did.

It was so amazing and I liked that.

Scene gets applause every time I see it in theaters.

Which is the choreography in it.

James was talking about that too in some interview that he just told whoever did all of that.

I wish I could remember his name.

I'm sorry about that, but he was saying, all I had was a general idea of seeing it in Rachel's perspective as it happened around her.

That's what he gave this guy, and that's what he ended up creating.

Is just phenomenal.

I also read that because of the environment they actually shot in and the way the choreography when they went to shoot it looked on camera, they actually had to redo everything on the day because the choreography, even what they practiced.

They kept some of it, but what they practiced just didn't look as good on camera as they envisioned it, so they had to on the day then improvise a little bit even more and combine the old with the new in the middle of Georgia heat in Georgia summer, I can't imagine.

But that makes me think of something else that James Gunn does.

You know, if he gets an idea or someone gives him an idea, it doesn't matter to me.

It didn't seem to matter if they're already setting up for another scene.

Now wait, let's go do this, and you're just I don't even know how to describe it.

It's like on a dime.

Do you have a specific example when you were working.

Yes, it didn't end up getting in the I don't think it's in the end sequence, but maybe it'll be on a director's cut.

But Putt hadn't I he just threw out a joke.

He said they were talking about the flashback scenes and all the ones that they needed, and he said, well, I could do Shakespeare.

JA said, okay, let's do that.

And so through it has got a towel or a towel or a blanket or something around him, pinned with a clothes pin, and he's got a room as a and he's saying to be or not to be.

He's performing with Clark.

Clap Mayes watching and clapping and fixing his cape, and Clark just goes, yes, to be.

It's the cutest thing.

I hope it does end up somewhere I want.

So that's an example of him just saying okay and he's off.

I mean, there's no hesitation.

It's not like, well we need to move this, No, let's just do it, and the world moves.

The world moose right.

And I heard Wardrobe saying what kind of what where where is this in the.

Right the continuity and trying to figure all that.

Yeah, I love that though.

Well.

It keeps it fun and it keeps the energy high on a set.

To know that you can play that even within the realm of this very like you know, millions and hundreds and millions of dollars and people breathing down your neck.

That James was able to find those moments in play and have fun is crucial.

I was so jealous, you know, I was jealous because Prude had Prude just threw it out there.

I had ideas too, and I told James later, I said, if I get to come back as mom, I'm going to play Okay, now I see that you can.

Yeah.

So were there any other scenes in the final film that that you loved that impressed you the most, mister terrific?

Were there any other moments that stood out to you Metamorpho?

Yeah, Anthony Kerrigan deeply emotional.

I was just really sweet, and I just loved everything he did, even the you know at the end where he says he wants to join the gang and he says, not with that mug Nathan Pillen, whom I love, and he says that's a cool name.

You're in, You're in.

That's so good.

Well, I love I'm not I'm not as familiar with Metamorpho.

I've read a lot of comics.

I've read a lot of Superman, and I think this is what James and he talked about it.

But it's like he puts his money where his mouth is, where this is.

This is a film that could have collect under the weight of all these characters and all these things happening, but they're all they are all so well defined, well written and then beautifully performed.

And Metamorphos stood out to me because you see him in visual form, just on the posters and in the behind the scenes footage, and you're thinking like, oh, this is an intense and scary guy.

But then Anthony's performance is so human and so moving.

You don't expect it, but it throws you like You're like, oh, this is there's so much more to these people than you think.

And I love that.

I didn't have that reaction to his photo at all.

I thought this poor being God was him, he is suffering.

Yeah, there was so much pathos or pathos.

I don't know how you pronounced that.

Yeah, that's right.

Yeah, that I thought, Yah, I'm going to root for this character.

I don't even know who he is.

I'd never heard of from Minamori.

Just that photo.

I said, Oh, he's going to be somebody.

That is there's pain, there's a pain there, there's a pain behind the eyes that you knew.

I knew going into it there was going to be more to that character than what I was perceiving from the images.

It's funny because you said he looks scary, and he does, and it's it's I never thought about it, but I never was scared of him, even how bizarre he looks and how frightening he looks.

That never even came into my consciousness until you said it.

But yeah, he's scary looking.

Well, it's a great bait and switch because, you know, I think James's brilliance and the marketing's brilliance as you are setting this up as like we don't know exactly what role he's going to play in the film, you just get these visuals and then very quickly it's you suddenly this character sitting in a cell looking very like strange and very alone, and you learn like he has a son right across and then all of a sudden I think with the moment that really sold me was after you know this, this poor citizen is killed, you have Rex's immediate reaction is he just bursts into tears and he's just like, he just killed that guy.

And it's just a very human thing to say, and you don't expect it coming out of this big, kind of monstrous, strange looking creature.

And I think that is something James has excelled at in past projects, is just making you suddenly empathize with these characters you didn't expect to.

But I think speaks to Anthony's performance because that's like an emotionally charged scene and you like, you know, he plays it, you.

Know, after he says he just killed that guy says I didn't do anything.

Yeah, and wow, yes, yeah, but I love I love Metamorphos.

I'm glad you brought that up.

I also love Apparently this is another this is another big controversy James told in a recent interview, did you hear this about the squirrel nearly being cut out of the film?

The yes, Yes, I did.

Yes, I'm like, again, this is why James was the right person for the job.

I can't imagine if that scene had not been in the movie, and to me, that is so at the heart of who Superman is.

Like he saves the squirrel, of course he does.

You know, people have to suspend their disbelief a little bit.

Of course, there were people, you know, there was an entire city under seat.

But he saves the squirrel.

But the point is all life is sacred and you save what you can.

Yes, to me, that's the point, and he does.

I think.

I tell people all the time the reason I think Superman is special is that.

And this is literally the example I would use before I even saw James's movie, this new film, I would tell people it is like, the reason and Superman is the best is because you know, of course he's stopping an alien invasion, and of course he's saving people.

He's saving Air Force one is crashing and he has to hold it up so it can land safely.

I was like, but in the midst of all of that, he's also going to stop and save a little girl's cat from getting stuck in a tree.

And to him, that's all equally important.

And I remember when he's when he saves the squirrel in the movie, I like, I cheered louder I think than I've cheered in a movie theater for in a long time, because I was like that.

To me, it's like, that's literally what I've been saying about this character is it's of course you're going to get the larger than life moments, but it's all about those small moments, and to Superman that is just as important and that's why he's his special character.

And going back to check on the people, are you okay?

Yeah?

No, after that guy, the giant monster, yeah, the fire Yeah, that's if Superman is not protecting us, then I feel like you lose, you lose a lot of what makes that character special.

So it's those little moments of him checking and then the girl nods at him and he kind of nods back like okay, okay, and then his next move is like, let's get the creature's focus away from the people.

And you know, that to me is perfect.

It's perfect.

And all the moments where he tried to reason with the people who were trying to kill him, yes, you know we don't have to do this.

Yeah, And the last moment between him and Lex is not a scene in which he kind of gloats and like, yes, I finally defeated you.

It's a moment of him trying to empathize with him and connect and saying like, you're capable of so much more, and you're a better person than this, and.

I hope one day you see that exactly.

That to me is so at the core of who Superman is.

And when Nicholas cried, that was such a powerful moment for me.

I loved what he did with Lex Luthor.

I love the whole cast.

They're just phenomenal.

It's got to be fun because you haven't gotten to work with a lot of them and see a lot of this, so you're getting to finally see them.

Yes, And at the after party, I got to meet a lot of them that I wasn't on set with, and in particular Alan two Deck.

Which oh yeah, I just love.

Him and he's so gracious and funny and he's a phenomenal performer.

I just I just adore him.

That is so so great.

So other favorite moments from the production, any fun memories of working on the set.

Every moment I spent with Pruett.

He's just a delight and has so many wonderful stories to tell.

And we had dinner several times and really just enjoyed meeting him, getting to know him.

It was a true highlight of the whole time I was there.

But then another favorite moment I have is during the phone call, you know the phone, the yelling and the phone.

Well, I first was just a little loud, you know, little I said, you know, I'll be a little bit louder than normal.

And then all of a sudden, I hear James in the other room saying, do it louder.

So I would do it louder, and he would say, Neiva, do it louder, louder.

I'm going to blow out the sad guy's ease.

But that was just so fun.

That's just so James louder louder, and I could hear him laughing in the other room.

See, And that's how you know you're doing a good job, if you're making the director laugh.

That's the important thing.

Well, that's the other thing about James.

I had every confidence that if I ever did anything that he didn't like, that he wanted me to do differently, there would be no hesitation, you know, he would definitely let me know.

So that gives you a confidence too, to feel like you're doing what he.

Wants you to do, or you can go as far as you need to, and then he'll pull you back if he needs to, or he'll push you to be even louder if you need right.

He'll push or pull, which where you want you to go exactly?

So what are you hoping maybe in future films?

We don't know what will happen, but we obviously need more Ma and Pa Kent.

I would love that even beyond just your characters.

What are you hoping to see in future Superman films?

Well, I hope he keeps I hope he keeps the same flavor, you know, particularly with Clark with Superman, because I think he's right on point with that, and I hope that he stays in that vein with him.

I would love to see Batman Superman.

Yes, I would love to see this version of a Batman in Superman movie.

Several people have said, we need Christmas at the kNs.

Yes, there's never been a Superman Christmas movie that I can recall an instant classic.

I think we need a Christmas at the Kents.

We and you know James has done the Guardians of the Galaxy holiday special, So let's just put that out into the universe.

Please, that would be amazing.

But can you imagine because you know, uh there and there, maybe there's uh there is material that we will see on a Blu Rayar and extended version.

But Lois, this is literally the first time she gets to meet Martha and John is in this moment of crisis where their son is recuperating.

But I would love to see a Christmas would be the best time to do it, to have like Clark officially meeting or bringing Lois home to meet his parents and how that was.

And you know that the Superheroes could be there too.

Yes, who turns down a MA can't deserve.

That's exactly right.

This is this is all gold.

This you need to you need to get on James.

Make sure I have mentioned I would.

I think people would love to see that, and I think that would be a ton of fun.

I'm there for anything James wants to do in the future.

But MA is a role that I love and I hope I get to.

There's so much.

Is there a part of you that you know you are busy and you've got your own life to live, But is there a part of you that feels like, you know, I kind of want to look into the comics a little bit and maybe see, like, you know, what other stuff is there for me to play with?

Is there any curiosity at all?

Or are you more like I'm just gonna wait and see what James comes up with and just go with that.

Well there is now I had not thought of that, but sure, I mean, why not.

Yeah, But I definitely love Ma, so I'm all in for anything regarding her in the future.

Great.

And you know, there's it's been my clear that I am La in that universe, so it would have to be another universe that I got cast and something else which happen.

But I have a good, strong feeling we have not seen the last of Ma and Paw, and.

From your mouth to God.

To I will be the first person on the picket lines if there is a world in which we we don't get to see more of them.

I will be knocking down James's door and sending him some some sternly worded letters and emails.

And it'll be great, of course, well as we as we finish up and wrap this up.

I guess just final thoughts on Superman as a character.

I mean, this is it's crazy to believe, but this character has been around for nearly one hundred years.

I think this new film is a wonderful, wonderful celebration of everything that has made him so special.

But for you personally, this is you've gotten to experience this care character in a very personal way in your own career and then playing his mom.

What to you do you think makes this character so lasting and so special?

What do you think it comes down to?

I think at different times in history he may have held significance for different reasons.

In today's world, to me, Superman is a shining light.

You know, He's a light in a lot of darkness.

And we've gone society today is gone without getting modeling, We've become callous and like we were talking about before, cruel.

Sometimes in the anonymity of the Internet, we've got this disconnect of human life and the value of that.

And to me, Superman is, like you said, equally values all life.

So anything that can get us back to that way of thinking, I think is a blessing to the world.

And I love I mean, people are posting all over the internet just the ide you know, maybe maybe that's the real punk rock, is that kindness and seeing people as beautiful and I love once again to have a Superman film where I think sometimes the mistakes that have been made with this character are to be a little embarrassed by that worldview and to kind of shy away from it.

So to have this big, gigantic, high profile film that embraces that heart and that idea is so crucial to Superman.

I think speaks to James as a person, but also just speaks to why this film is so wonderful.

Is just emphasizing the kindness and the beauty of people, and that kindness is the new punk rock in a world where people are mean, being rebellious and choosing kindness is a wonderful, wonderful message to put out into the world.

I'm so grateful to him and to this team.

I'm so grateful to you for being so wonderful in this movie and being a part of this experience.

It's such a treat.

I'm so happy that this is the that this is the Superman that we have out here right now.

I've said this before another interviews, but if in the whole history of Superman, if I were in one, I would have chosen this one.

Yeah, this particular Superman because of the message of hope and love and kindness.

I'm glad you got to be in it me too.

Niva, thank you so much for celebrating Superman with me.

I really appreciate it.

Well, thank you, I appreciate you.