Some Big Stars Were Ready For The Role Of SUPERMAN In Richard Donner’s Movie, But Here’s How Christopher Reeve Got It

Christopher ReeveSuperman is my all-time favorite portrayal of the character. He was so damn charming! He had an infectious smile and a twinkle in his eye. The boy was Superman! But when Richard Donner was tapped to direct the film, the studio had other ideas. They wanted a big star to play her and they tried to get it Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Burt ReynoldsAnd Sylvester Stallone on board!

Donner ended up meeting Stallone and, speaking of that experience, he said: “I met Sylvester Stallone thanks to them. I tried to be nice and say, ‘This is wrong.’ I liked Stallone; he turned out to be a good guy. He wanted to do it. I remember meeting him at his manager’s office and was as cordial as possible. He was a big star and I’m a punk kid.

The director went on to say that many actors wanted this role and the studio gave him a list of all these names, and he said to them, “Listen. Your flying stuff is shit, and I have to make a man who flies. Even if you’ve seen Paul Newman or Robert Redford in that costume, no one is going to believe it. So, he was determined to fight for an unknown actor!

Enter Christopher Reeve. Donner was initially not convinced that Reeve, 24, was right for the role. Talking about his first meeting with him, the director said: “Anyway, one of the actors comes in and it’s this guy, Chris Reeve. He enters; he’s got this big sweater on, blond hair. I said, ‘What’s under the sweater?’ And he’s like, ‘Well…’ he’s wearing this thick sweater and he’s a skinny kid. I said, “The problem is honestly, buster, is I have to get a guy who’s big, who looks like a zoo of muscles.” He said, “Listen, I was a jock in school and when I started acting I lost 50 pounds.” I said, “I don’t believe you, you’re an actor.” He says, ‘No, I did. I swear.'”

Later that evening Donner went to see Reeve in an off-Broadway show in which he played two roles, that of a son and that of a grandfather. These were Donner’s thoughts on Reeve after watching the show: “Oh boy! He had such a natural approach. I felt very comfortable watching him.” He liked what he saw and he went on to say that he “took it on faith.”

They then set up a costume audition, and Donner explained, “scenes with him as both Superman and Clark Kent. And when it was all over, I told them I had found my man.” When talking about the audition she said, “He was thin. We had his honey brown hair painted with black shoe polish. He was sweaty, sweat on his armpits, this black hair stuck together… I look at that picture now, and it’s amazing that it was really able to convince me that he was the one for the role. The moment the camera rolled, he became Clark Kent, he became Superman. It was pretty amazing.

You can watch these tryouts below!

Reeve promised he would bulk up for the role, telling Donner, “If I get the part, I’m going to build myself bigger than I was years ago.” Donner said, “You realize the risk I’m taking. Did you promise me?” And he said, “I do.” To help him in his efforts, Donner brought in bodybuilder David Prowse, fresh off the Star Wars filming, to train him. On a side note, Prowse actually lobbied for play Superman himself.

Speaking of Prowse, Donner said: “There was nobody better at bodybuilding in London at the time. He deserves so much credit for bringing Chris to life for me. That guy worked 24/7 to get in shape, and you could actually see it happen. Every day there was a little more clutter.”

The rest is history! Reeve was amazing in that role. Every time I watch that original Superman movie, his performance makes me smile. This is the kind of Superman we need today! What a crazy trip it must have been for Reeve and Donner!

Source: THR and Empire