lYou look very handsome and dapper with a bald head.

Well, I was bald before. When I did Se7en I was bald. But it?s funny, you can?t stop touching it and other people can?t stop touching it.

lYou made Lex Luthor look human...

Did I? Well, probably the best way to answer that question is to say that I don?t look at any character that I play, and I don?t genre-fy them. I just play them and let the audience decide if the character is a good one or a bad one.

I know Superman is a cartoon and it?s a comic-book, and it?s iconic and all that, but from the perspective of what you?re trying to do in a performance is you are trying to humanisse a character so that it isn?t just that. So, I?m always trying to avoid the stereotype. And if that comes through, well then, part of that?s me, but I?ll bet an even bigger part of it is (director) Bryan (Singer) and (music composer) Jon Ottman.

lTalk about the scene with Brandon Routh. He needed help?

No, no, no. I think Bryan shaped him incredibly well. I think he?s about as prepared as one can be, with two feet on the ground for what?s about to happen, just in terms of being known. But I mean, in terms of the wise old actor giving the young newbie some advice, he?s gonna do fine.

lWhat do you recall from seeing the original film in 1978?

Well, I was in theatre then and I remember all of us were very excited about Marlon Brando being in that movie. We just loved it.

I think one of the things that I knew going into this project with Bryan, was that he and the writers really have an almost respect for the genre, for the fan base, for the Donner films.