Margot Kidder’s role in Superman

Both Margot and Stockard always looked 50. In the 70s girls looked so old. Gross decade.

You can see a number of the screen tests online.

Stockard Channing: Lois Lane

Stockard Channing: Lois Lane....

Superman Screen Tests

Stockard Channing certainly could have played the role, but her star power would have drawn attention away from Superman. Lesley Ann Warren would have been fun and closer to what they were going for, but probably would have been too quirky and distracting. Margot Kidder had a fragile, demure, and innocent quality, while also possessing a small degree of grit, which served the film that Donner made. She was perfect.

I think the brunette (and being slender and Caucasian) element had to do with the way Lois Lane was drawn originally.

Stockard is horrible as Lois. Margot was a thousand times better.

Margot was wonderful in that audition, clearly the best.

Warren is beautiful but she kind of overwhelms Reeve with her overacting in the screentest. Stockard had no chemistry with Reeve. But otherwise, she is okay. The moment Kidder's eyes meet Reeve... Wow, now that is chemistry.

Channing was god awful. That accent, the atrocious hair...maybe she could have pulled off Ma Kent.

Kidder was perfection even in her screen test. I'd say Palance was a close second and then a toss up between Raffin and Blakely.

Archer would have been another awful choice and while I genuinely love Warren she would have been far too light for the film.

The only problem with Kidder is that she looked like Superman's mother.

Kidder seems to have the one characteristic that defines Lois Lane that the others just didn't project... Lane's feistiness.

Kidder looked amazing as Lois in the Richard Donner cut of Superman 2. She mentioned that she cried naturally during all but one of her scenes.

Kidder isn't the best actress of that bunch.

She is the best Lois by a country mile.

[Quote] Kidder seems to have the one characteristic that defines Lois Lane that the others just didn't project... Lane's feistiness.

Which every Lois should have.

Channing is the worst one. Absolutely not. Ewww.

Channing is too one-note jaded. Better for Rizzo.

[quote]Kidder seems to have the one characteristic that defines Lois Lane that the others just didn't project... Lane's feistiness.

She also possessed the ability to switch from feisty, intrepid reporter to wide-eyed girl that just wants to believe.

Not an easy feat.

Love Warren, but way too goofy, wispy for Lois. And I would imagine when she leaned into feisty it would have come off as bitchy. Which, however, works so well in her other roles.

Warren played her as an airhead.

[quote]She also possessed the ability to switch from feisty, intrepid reporter to wide-eyed girl that just wants to believe.

"You've got me? Who's got YOU!?!?!"

That's honestly one of my favorite moments of any movie.

R17 Had the same thoughts about Karen Allen. She would have been perfect.

[quote]Lesley Ann Warren would have been fun and closer to what they were going for

I agree. I’ve always liked her.

[quote] Stockard Channing certainly could have played the role, but her star power would have drawn attention away from Superman.

Stockard was not a star yet in 1978. She had not done "Grease"--that was two years later. her TV show "Just Friends" (later "The Stockard Channing Show') that didn't do very well in the ratings but got on her on the cover of a national newsmagazine with Gary Coleman and Robin Williams did not premiere until1979.

Ann Archer would have been a fantastic choice. She's "out-of-this-world" beautiful like Reeve while Kidder is "next-door" beautiful. Although I do love Kidder in the role.

I love Stockard Channing and really liked her audition but she's nobody's fool and would have to work hard to seem truly vulnerable and dependent on a man. She's totally believable as a ballsy reporter.

If Lesley Ann Warren had played Lois and challenged Superman to say what color underwear she wore, he would have had to reply "But you aren't wearing any".

Is there any question that Margot Kidder was the perfect choice for the role? There has never been a better Lois Lane before or since--she defined the character.

OP, I love you for starting this thread.

Sad that Kidder died by suicide.

The Donner cut of Superman 2 is infinitely better than the Lester version.

The absolute best moment is early on when Lois realizes Clark is Superman while in the office. The look on her face is a great mix of wonderment and confidence in an "I knew it!" manner. She then proceeds to throw herself out the window in a hilarious bit.

I really like all the love for Kidder here.

Karen Allen would have been great as well.

But, Kidder really set the bar and it has not yet been matched.

Why were only brunette actresses considered? Lois could have been a blonde or light brown haired love interest!!

Superman is one of my all-time favorite films.

Stockard Channning, while talented, was a bit too hard to be Lois Lane. And, she wasn't cute enough.

Superman's opening music and credits still thrill me. I was stoned to the gills when I saw Superman at the theatre right after it opened. Those big, blue, block letters coming at me Freaked. Me. Out., in a good way

You’ve never seen the comic book? Lois Lane is brunette.

[quote]Superman's opening music and credits still thrill me. I was stoned to the gills when I saw Superman at the theatre right after it opened. Those big, blue, block letters coming at me Freaked. Me. Out., in a good way

And not a lot of theaters were equipped with Dolby Stereo yet and the credits had cool whoooshing sound coming from all over the theatre.

I still think that this movie has the best ever tagline, even better than Jaws 2

R24 I liked both Erica and Teri. Don't know what to make of Bitsie, but she was obviously chosen because of her resemblance to Kidder.

I like Erica Durance as well. And I'm not apologizing for it.

Although Dana Delany's Lois from Superman: The Animated Series was pretty awesome.

If they do a remake, they should cast Rashida Jones as Lois. She looks like she could be Margot's kid.

Picturing Reeve lifting Channing and flying her around would now be a camp event.

I always thought Reeve's Superman was way better looking than Kidder's Lois Lane. And I did not like Lois Lane's personality. Even as a kid, I wondered what Superman saw in her.

Stockard Channing? hell no.

Stockard Channing was originally not even originally chosen to audition. Apparently wires got crossed and she up to do a screen test that was meant for Carol Channing.

Kidder did something no other actress playing Lane has pulled off and I've looked for it ever since I realized what she was foinv: she is not just acting like Lane, she is thinking like her. Watch how preoccupied she is in the newspaper office scenes--she's trying to write an article spell a word, talk to Clark, on and on, all these fast bits you see in her face, her hands--all things that make you believe you're watching a smart and snart-ass person trying to outdo her peers. Then... Look at Amy Adams who, by comparison, plays Lane like a lobotomy patient.

R36 I don't think there will be another Superman film for a while.

R40 everyone in that movie was a lobotomy patient thanks to Snyder.

R31, have you never heard of wigs, glorious wigs?

Phyllis Coates was the best Lois ever. 2nd runner up is Erica Durance. Lois is supposed to be strong, tough, smart.

R40, I've never heard of the word "foinv" and neither apparently has Google.

Definitely agree with your post however.

Margot Kidder was a wonderful actress. She steals every scene in Black Christmas and the first two Superman movies.

And Kate Bosworth in Superman Returns was one of the worst casting jobs I've ever seen.

Parker Posey should have played Lois in Returns.

R46 Kate is the worst Lois. But I'm glad Brandon got to play Superman again in Crisis.

Wasn’t the “posing as newlyweds” scene in several of the auditions from Superman 2?

R46: ITA! I wanted Anne Hathaway for Lois.

R47: Posey would've been too!

I liked Deborah Raffin.

Just for reference here is the real life Lois Lane.

Joanne Siegel in the 1930s worked with Superman artist Joe Shuster as the model for Lois Lane. She later married Superman's co-creator Jerry Siegel and sued for restoration of her husband's authorship copyright in the Superman character.

Another view of Joanne. I'd love to have seen Margot doing this scene.

I agree with those who say Margot was perfect in the role—she was brainy, sexy, and funny onscreen. I've always loved her, and was sad when she passed away a couple years ago. She was fantastic in Black Christmas and Sisters, too.

R53 any bondage scene involving Superman is good lol

I agree with R36, R47, and R50.

I think Rashida Jones, Parker Posey, and AnnE Hathaway ALL would have been GREAT as Louis Lane. I'd like to throw Rachel McAdams into the mix.

But, Rashida and Parker would have really smashed it. Rashida looks SO MUCH like Kidder, OMG.

I agree with r24. Kidder was so perfect in that role and Hollywood just doesn't get how crucial that character is to the Superman universe. Kate fucking Bosworth?! Your movie deserved to tank based on that awful casting. And while I generally like Amy Adams she's just not right for the part either.

[Quote] Kate fucking Bosworth?! Your movie deserved to tank based on that awful casting. And while I generally like Amy Adams she's just not right for the part either.

The more that i think about it....i guess Amy wasn't a great fit. I thought her chemistry with Cavill was fine though.

Stockard Channing always looked her face had recently been stung by a bee.

I love Amy Adams, but I agree that she wasn't a good fit. But, then, again, should those films ever have been made?

The 2006 version had more potential, but, I agree with others here, Kate Bosworth's casting was offensive.

I forgot about the TV version from the 1990s. Teri Hatcher wasn't bad.

Love Stockard, but her audition was really bad. She played it as if Reeve wasn't even there, wasn't playing off of or listening to him at all. They had zero chemistry because she played the scene as if it were a monologue

Holly Palance was surprisingly okay, better than Lesley Ann Warren, who was great as Norma in Victor/Victoria for precisely the same reason she bombed as Lois: her exaggerated Golden Age of Hollywood style of acting.

Margot was so perfect as Lois right from the beginning that even the awful wig and open in the back hideous dress they put her in couldn't ruin her audition. As somebody else noted, she's the only one not visibly performing Lois; instead, she inhabits the character by thinking and reacting as Lois would, and by connecting instantly and electrically with Reeve.

Teri Hatcher was good. That series wouldn't have run without her. Dean Cain was ok.

[Quote] I love Amy Adams, but I agree that she wasn't a good fit.

She was a good fit on Smallvile though lol

[Quote] Dean Cain was ok.

And now he's a Trumptard.

[quote]Margot was so perfect as Lois right from the beginning that even the awful wig and open in the back hideous dress they put her in couldn't ruin her audition

The producers cast Kidder on the basis of her unique compatibility with Reeve and she could not be replaced in the part, yet they treated her badly. Kidder's chemistry with Reeve did not diminish throughout the series even though her part did. By the time of Superman IV: Quest For Peace she looked old and was photographed harshly. Conversely, that same year as S4QFP she made a great TV movie called Vanishing Act where she looked radiant.

[quote] Love Stockard, but her audition was really bad. She played it as if Reeve wasn't even there, wasn't playing off of or listening to him at all. They had zero chemistry because she played the scene as if it were a monologue

Stockard has an aloofness that works for certain types of roles. That quality was on full display when she appeared on WWHL last year. She was never rude but there was almost no interaction with her fellow guest (Ellie Kemper) and even her body language screamed aloof!

Lois needs to be girl-next-door appealing but also really driven to be the best. Which is something that Kidder, Hatcher, and Durance could all pull off.

Stockard Channing is awesome, but that's not her. At all.

[quote] she made a great TV movie called Vanishing Act where she looked radiant.

Oh my gosh I love that movie, r64! Back in the 90s when I was in college I rented that from Blockbuster and thought it was so clever and Kidder was just great in it. I watched it again a few years ago and the mystery part didn’t hold up as well for me but Kidder was just as charming.

Margot was spunky and kinda wacky, like you'd expect a "girl reporter" to be. She had good comedic timing, a funny raspy voice and a quick smile.

"She also possessed the ability to switch from feisty, intrepid reporter to wide-eyed girl that just wants to believe."

That's the thing, she's totally believable as the energetic, cynical, hilarious, hard-hitting reporter that Clark Kent the aspiring journalist looks up to, she's totally believable as the girl who turns to cooking mush when Superman takes her flying over the city, and she makes you believe that they are both aspects of the same person. You can also believe that she's the one human woman Superman would fall in love with, out of all the billions of humans around, because she crackles with energy and sophistication and humor and courage, even if she isn't top-notch beautiful she's... exciting.

I can't. I had crushes on Reeve's Superman when I was young, another crush on Kidder's Lois, and a crush on the two of them as a couple that has never been repeated. They were the perfect screen couple, wonderful characters separately and even better together, and both actors are gone now. And both are in a better place than this cruel world, so seeing them together now is terribly bittersweet.

"...she's totally believable as the girl who turns to cooking mush when Superman takes her flying over the city"

I'm sorry, I have no fucking idea how the word "cooking" got in there. It wasn't me, it wasn't autocorrect.

Karen Allen would have made an equally good Lois Lane as Kidder did.

Fun fact: the casting director wanted to lure Joan Crawford out of retirement for the role of Ma Kent. They sent a script to Joan’s former agent, turns out she had already been dead for a year!

And then they asked Lucille Ball, but Gary Morton talked her out of it.

Margot Kidder's own natural intelligence was what made her stand out. You absolutely believed that she could be the star reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper. She totally sold it in that respect.

R73 is right. Margot was whip-smart—she was highly intelligent, and had a sassy, no-bullshit approach to everything she did. I think that came through in most of her roles, Superman being no exception.

Judy Landers would have been the perfect Lois Lane.

Nanette Newman would have been THE Lois Lane!

If they seriously considered Stockard Channing....why not Bonnie Franklin?

Damn it, Karl-El!!

Kal-El!

Damn it, Autocorrect!!!

[quote]If they seriously considered Stockard Channing....why not Bonnie Franklin?

You know, Linda Lavin would have had possibilities

Looking back now, you can't imagine a better choice than Kidder. For what it's worth, I believe Anne Archer was the runner-up. (LA Warren would have been my second choice).

I do love these screen tests. I wonder how the other actresses feel about them. Do they have to get their approval?

I believe on the Star Wars DVD there were screen tests for Princess Leia. Teri Nunn from the band Berlin was one of the finalists. She was pretty good.

Cindy Williams also auditioned for Princess Leia she played it exactly like she played Shirley.

One of the lovely thing about Kidder was how she seemed completely secure in her position on the top of the Daily Planet reporters' pecking order. Not many actresses are willing to do that, they think that giving the character insecurities makes them more vulnerable and relatable, but not Kidder! Her Lois was Top Dog in the newsroom, and knew that she damn well deserved to be!

And I always thought that was what drew Superman/Clark to her. She was the one human who seemed bright and brave enough to be his equal in some respects, in fact, the early incident with the mugger showed that Lois could be called braver than he was, because he was in no danger. I also think that in a way, she represented Metropolis to Clark/Superman, she was his Queen of the City, the one who belonged everywhere and knew everything and everyone. He was new in town and wanted to belong, and belonging with her meant belonging in Metropolis.

I love the gritty 70s NYC vibe to the first Superman film. It really complimented the story and provided a lot of atmosphere.

Margot Kidder's Lois smoked cigs throughout the film. Can you even imagine that today?

It's a shame how they basically discarded Kidder in the third and fourth Superman films. I mean, Annette O'Toole was lovely but I missed Kidder. Of course 3 and 4 are not good films but still...

4 is unwatchable. I don't know WTF they were thinking when they made that one.

I've never made it through Superman IV. Superman III was painful enough. Richard Pryor was a funny guy but he's not what I want to see in a Superman movie

[quote]Fun fact: the casting director wanted to lure Joan Crawford out of retirement for the role of Ma Kent. They sent a script to Joan’s former agent, turns out she had already been dead for a year!

Nope. Wrong.

The producers were having a terrible time casting Ma Kent, and they thought they had hit paydirt seeing if Joan was available. Joan died that WEEK, in 1977, not the year before. Joan would have been excellent, of course.

WHAT'S GREEN KRYPTONITE DOING IN THIS CLOSET WHEN I TOLD YOU NO GREEN KRYPTONITE EVER!!!!!!

You live in the most beautiful farmhouse in Smallville and you don't care if your powers are ruined by green kryptonite. And your room looks like some $2/week furnished room in some two-bit back street villain lair in Gotham City!

Don't fuck with me, Luthors!

Love “Vanishing Act”, R64, and Kidder was delightful! And the perfect Lois Lane, as those screen tests indicate!

Who should play Lois next? Florence Pugh?

[Quote] Who should play Lois next? Florence Pugh?

That's going to be a no from me.

Five years ago, I would have said Emma Stone.

I don't know enough about young actresses today. But, Selena Gomez wouldn't be bad, as far as these things go. I'm sure that won't be a popular suggestion, but, if you don't like it, suggest someone better.

(I don't think Pugh would be a good fit, and I like her)

Saoirse Ronan could sell it, but she would be beyond that now I guess.

No more actors from the British aisles playing our comic book icons.

Not even Gillian Anderson?

Can I get an isle seat?

Yes.

[Quote] But, Selena Gomez wouldn't be bad

Lol yes she would.

The next Lois Lane? Persons of Color demand Leslie Jones. Lois Lane's beauty, charm, intelligence, and grit all on a single petite package.

[Quote] Who should play Lois next?

Someone already said Rachel McAdams. But i'll add Rose Byrne, Sophia Bush and Shelley Hennig.

[quote]Leslie Jones

Superman couldn't fly her to the top of a parking meter.

“You got me? Who got YOU?!”

I think Margot and the whole lot was terrible. People in the seventies were not the most attractive. Standards were in the toilet. Must have been all the blow they were snorting.

And that is why R107 you are not a successful Hollywood producer.

If it had been made a decade earlier, a good Lois could have been essayed by Suzanne Pleshette.

I think Jane Fonda circa Barefoot in the Park would have been a good choice as well.

Go ahead. @ me.

Paula Prentiss!

Who was better, Coates or Neil?

[quote]Judy Landers would have been the perfect Lois Lane.

Eat kryptonite and die.

Paula Prentiss was too old by then to play Lois Lane.

I think they meant a younger Paula. And I agree that younger Paula or Suzanne could each have been fabulous!

They should have hired America's sweetheart from the 70s... Joyce DeWitt as Lois Lane!

She would have been adorable in the role!

Think of her perky acting and nose twitches during the big "Is Superman really Clark Kent?" misunderstanding. Hilarity would ensue!

During the Clark and Lois flying sequence, the camera could have panned down to Joyce's fabulous legs and we can have done product placement for L'Egg's pantyhose! Which Joyce did commercials for.

That liar Suzanne Somers could have been cast to.... As Lois' OLD mom in the train sequence

Just shoot Suzanne without her makeup and she suddenly looked 50 and that was in 1978!

A decade earlier?

Mary Tyler Moore would have been a wonderful Lois in 1968!

Sarah Bernhardt would've been a wonderful Lois in 1868!

There's a certain beloved coffee shop waitress that you're all overlooking, gays.

Mary Tyler Moore wasn't spunky enough to portray Lois Lane

Did they see Sally Field for the part?

R120 Dead at Superpussycat 🤣