Interview: Eric Martsolf Talks All About "Booster!"

Interview by Craig Byrne

DC Comics fan favorite Geoff Johns wites and Tom Welling directs the new episode of Smallville airing on Friday, April 22, which brings DC's Booster Gold and Blue Beetle into the show's mythology.

Titled "Booster," the episode largely centers on the Booster Gold character, who is portrayed by Days Of Our Lives actor Eric Martsolf. We've seen the episode (read the review) and Martsolf embodies the character *perfectly.* Earlier this week, Martsolf spoke with KryptonSite's Craig Byrne about playing the character and what we should expect from tonight's episode.

KryptonSite's questions to Mr. Martsolf are printed it bold; his answers are not. Please do not repost this interview on other websites; instead just link directly to it (brief excerpts with a link are fine, though). Thanks!

Most heroes have a secret origin. What was your secret origin as far as landing the role of Booster Gold?

I basically got involved the way every stereotypical actor does. I auditioned for the role. I went in there with the glasses and with the attitude, and eventually sold myself, much in the way Booster Gold would do, actually.

Was playing a comic book hero always on your list of things to someday do?

Honestly, isn't it on every guy's list of things to do? I think it's definitely something that I have always thought about doing ever since I became an actor.

When my buddy Justin Hartley became the Green Arrow a couple of years ago, he was always giving me slack. "Hey, man! I've got an action figure! I've got this, and I've got this leather suit," and I'm like "well, I'm going to have my day," and sure enough, I slipped one in there right under the radar and became Booster Gold, and honestly, I couldn't have thought of a better character to portray.

Did you check out any of the animated Booster Gold appearances or the comic books, or were you already familiar with the character?

I had heard of him, but my knowledge of him was very minimal. He kind of left the canvas for a while, so I let my fingers do the walking and I did my homework when I was offered the role. I put in hours and hours of looking at old footage, and I saw the old cartoons. His history is so rich, and this guy had such a problematic childhood. The ways he achieved his superhero status is unreal. Having the degenerate gambling father, having turned to gambling himself to take care of his mother's ailing condition... it's actually a heart-wrenching story. I'm very privileged to play a role that has such depth in it.

For this episode, what is Booster Gold doing in our time period, anyway?

As you know, he has futuristic capabilities thanks to the lovely suit that he stole, and in the 21st century he knows everything that's happening, thanks to his trusty Skeets.

But he's there to take over to take over Superman's role. He wants Metropolis to have a Man of Gold, and not the Man of Steel, and he knows that getting Lois on his side is one of the more important aspects of getting the love of Metropolis. That's what he's out to do. In the initial stages of the episode, he doesn't come across as the greatest guy in the world, so he definitely has some making up to do.

Why is Booster so set on getting to Lois for attention rather than Cat, who seems to be aggressively pursuing him?

In his estimation, and I'm sure may would agree, Lois is defined as the hero maker. It's her interview that literally was the vehicle for Clark Kent's transformation from good to great; that heroic interview where Metropolis started falling in love with the Man of Steel. Booster believes that if he can be first to get that interview, that he will, in fact, be deemed Metropolis' man of the town.

When you were filming the material with Skeets, was there someone off-camera reading the lines?

Interesting question. There actually was somebody who was the voice of Skeets, and during some of the more action-filled sequences, it was hard to get Skeets to be audible for myself. I had a hard time hearing him. So Skeets was screaming most of the time. That actually was a challenge, absolutely.

How does Booster react to Jaime?

Intially, he pretty much blows him off like he's any other fan. This episode takes place in a time where Booster is at his origin. He's very wrapped up with himself and extremely conceited. And Jaime serves as this wonderful boy with this gigantic issue and problem that becomes forefront in the story, and he serves as Booster's transformation from a man of style to a man of substance. It's actually a really beautiful friendship that these two end up having. Friendships always surface through strange circumstances, and I don't think anything is more foreign than this.

What kind of interaction does Booster have with Ted Kord in the "Booster" episode?

In this particular episode, the friendship between Ted Kord and Booster Gold isn't examined as much as Jaime's and Booster's is. Ted Kord basically serves as a vehicle for Booster to gain more fame in Metropolis. He makes a deal with Ted to retrieve the Scarab that's been causing all kinds of problems. So right now, Ted Kord is not the comic friend that he later becomes wrapped up as in the traditional comics hereafter.

Are there things that Booster and Clark could learn from one another?

Absolutely. I think you nailed it on the head. This episode basically investigates Clark Kent's transition from the Blur to the iconic Superman. Booster is a man of style, and Clark right now is a man of substance, and the real question is, what is the superhero? Is it the suit, or the hero inside? And I think what the episode does a wonderful job of doing, is saying "you know, he can be both." Because let's face it - Superman's costume was never meant to be gray, or white, or black. It's bright, and it's flashy, and this is everything that Booster Gold believes a hero is supposed to be. So they learn from one another, that everything is best in moderation. It's okay to wear the tights and the spandex and have a sense of heroism. You can combine both of them, and it works. So they basically learn from one another.

What was Tom Welling like as a director?

Tom was absolutely terrific. We had a multitude of discussions concerning the character of Booster, and his integrity, and his misunderstood nature. It was clear to me that Tom did not believe that Booster Gold was a villain, or that he was someone to be shunned. He made it very clear to me that "I want people to like this guy. I think he's likable, and I think his intentions are golden." No pun intended on that one. He didn't want Booster to be construed as a bad guy, but more of a misguided man with heroic potential, and we saw eye-to-eye on that. It was very clear that we set out to create the same character.

How did Smallville work around your Days Of Our Lives schedule?

It worked out very well, actually. I only had one episode that was a conflict, but Days Of Our Lives was actually nice enough to move my schedule around to accomodate my trip to Vancouver to play Booster.

I wasn't going to take no for an answer. I was like "I have to wear this suit. I have to portray this guy." I think they saw it. They've been a wonderful family to me, too.

Why should people tune in on Friday night?

It's a pivotal episode. If you're a fan of Smallville and of the character that Clark is, and who Superman is, this is a giant transitional episode. It basically serves as Clark Kent's way of embracing the flashiness and the style of Superman. There are so many iconic moments as well. We're going to see that phone booth for the first time. We're going to see the glasses coming off just right. We all had chills throughout the whole shoot, like "this is finally happening. This is it." It's definitely one not to miss.

Booster Gold comes to Smallville TONIGHT (April 22) at 8PM on The CW! It's a can't-miss episodes and one of the best of the entire series. Here are some extras relating to the episode that you can find here on KryptonSite:

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