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KryptonSite Interview: Holding the Wrench with Jordan Elsass

Interview with actor Jordan Elsass (Jonathan Kent) about the Superman & Lois TV series episode “Holding the Wrench”

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Prior to landing the role of Jonathan Kent, Jordan Elsass was seen on the critically acclaimed series Little Fires Everywhere, and now as Jonathan on Superman & Lois, he’s facing little fires at home as his TV brother is gaining superpowers and his family is faced with other challenges, super and otherwise. Tonight’s (June 1) episode of Superman & Lois is called “Holding the Wrench,” and in it, we learn quite a lot about Jonathan as well as his mother, Lois Lane… and we may see the two of them doing some investigating together! One can also expect some great dramatic material for both Jordan Elsass and Elizabeth Tulloch who plays Lois in tonight’s show.

KryptonSite was able to interview Jordan Elsass about “Holding the Wrench” to give us an idea on what to expect. Don’t worry; we’re not aiming for spoilers here, but if you want some insights into tonight’s fantastic show penned by Kristi Korzec and directed by Norma Bailey, you’ve come to the right place.

KRYPTONSITE’s CRAIG BYRNE: So Jonathan wants to tag along with Lois in Tuesday’s episode. Is he thinking of following in his mother’s footsteps?

JORDAN ELSASS: Definitely. I think he begins to understand that like, maybe as a kid he bonded more with Clark and he felt more of a connection to Clark, because of the fact that as a football kid, I think his dad was definitely coaching him growing up. Clark obviously likes football and knows a bit about it. He probably taught him how to throw the ball, and he taught him these fatherly lessons growing up. It’s a classic dad/son relationship, right?

But, that dynamic shifts when you find out that “okay, Jordan is the one with powers.” Now, Clark is devoting a lot of his time to Jordan, and their relationship, so Jonathan’s kind of left in the dust at home. I mean, I think Clark’s still there for him when he needs it, but it’s tough. Clark is trying to be there for [Jon] but he knows that, in some ways, he has to be there a little more for Jordan, just because of what Jordan is going through. He’s the only person that can relate to him and the only person that Jordan can be able to relate to, so therefore, Jonathan is left with Lois as his option for confiding in, and he starts to realize maybe she’s a good option for confiding in, because she is more relatable for him, because of the fact that we both don’t have powers in this family of Super-people. We’re the only ones left without powers.

 

Do you think that Jonathan could be tempted by the X-Kryptonite to put himself on the same level as his brother?

I think that that’s always something that could be could be explored down the road. There’s no question about it. But at the same time, I don’t think that Jonathan’s even close to that point yet. First of all, I think he’d be scared. There’s no question in my mind that Jonathan has thought about that, but I don’t think he’s ever actually considered it. Has it crossed his mind? Yes. Has he considered it? No. Will it happen? Who knows. It’s always a possibility. Or what if it wasn’t intentional, but he happened to be affected by it, and he got powers. There is so much they could explore there.

I remember watching Smallville as a kid, and Clark got hit with the Red Kryptonite and started going crazy and stuff. So you know. There’s always that option of exploring that side.

It’s kind of cool to see Jonathan struggling with the fact that he doesn’t have powers, so if he did get powers, it would be nice to see it like that, in a temporary way.

Beyond breaking his arm, is there a line that Jordan could cross that would be too far for Jonathan?

That’s a really good question. That’s something I haven’t really pondered. There are probably lines that he could cross. That was a big one. The thing is, he gets it. The thing that makes Jon who he is, is that he’s very empathetic. He feels for other people., and that allows him to be as kind as he is, because he understands what they’re going through. Even when he’s pissed off at Jordan, I think that he’s really just trying his best to move on and let it go, because he also cares about family above all else. He has some really good values and morals, so he’s able to focus on the positive when there are positives to focus on.

[Breaking his arm] was bad, but I don’t think it was too big of a line to cross. It was was pushing it, though. I think it’s definitely gonna leave a dent in their relationship for a while. But we’re gonna start to see that maybe the brothers are temporarily not quite as close as they as they were before, because that’s a rough one, for sure.

What has been your favorite part of being in this series so far?

I think my favorite part of being in this series is just watching it grow. Seeing how well it was received pretty early on, and then watching it become what it is now. It’s changed a lot even just since the pilot. So, watching the show evolve is something and hearing good feedback is always refreshing.

We’re stuck [in Canada] doing this, the COVID restriction is everything are very strict here, so there’s not really much we can do out here, which has been tough. It’s been tough time in that way, but there’s the sheer gratification that this show hopefully brings for a lot of people around the world, bringing light into people’s lives. We hope it’s a wholesome show in a very not cheesy way. I feel strongly about that, if nothing else.

So that’s really nice, seeing the way the show is received, and bringing this character to life. I’ve never grown with a character like this. I’ve never worked on a show for this long, and I’ve never spent this many hours on one set ever. It totally takes the cake for that already. And then, the fact that we just got renewed for Season 2 – I’ve never done the second season of a show! And then there’s the potential to work on the show for many years to come. It’s something that I’ve never experienced, and now, hopefully, I’ll get to experience.

Is there any actor from a previous Superman project that you would like to see on the show?

Tom Welling would be pretty cool. I don’t know who he would play, though, because I wouldn’t want it to be like a cheesy crossover. It would just be pretty cool to have Tom Welling pop in.

I loved Smallville. It’s funny, because it happens to be another Superman show, but it really was pretty much the only superhero show I had ever watched growing up. His character of Clark, of course, was always somewhat relatable for me, and the show brought me a lot of happiness, and so I it would be really nice just to meet him, honestly, but also having them show would be pretty cool. And as for other shows, obviously seeing another character from any of the other Arrowverse shows would be cool.

Is there any actor on Superman & Lois that you’d like to work with more than you have?

I love working with Dylan [Walsh]. He’s a very respectable guy, and he has quite an extensive resume, and he’s so talented. I would like to work with him more, and these upcoming episodes I have worked with him a lot more, and that’s really nice. Also Wolé Parks – I was blown away seeing him in 107 [“Man of Steel”]. And, man, in 108, too, like, dude. He’s got a lot coming up in these next three, four episodes. He’s so talented, and he just looks so good on screen. He is just so photogenic, and he pulls off the character so well. He’s so invested in it. It’s art watching him perform. I would love to work with him more. Both Dylan and him, I’ve been privileged enough to work with them a lot more as time has gone by, which is great, because it’s exactly what I was hoping for.

How would you sell “Holding the Wrench” to the audience?

It gives you a lot of answers. If you’ve had a lot of questions [of why people did some things]. You’re going to start to understand the characters a little more. You’re going to start to see like, “okay, this is Jonathan and this is how he behaves in this scenario. This is Lois and this is how she behaves in this scenario, and this is why they’re struggling.” And it’s beautiful. I think it’s a beautiful episode. Phenomenal writing. It’s one of my favorites.

It’s a phenomenal episode, just overall. It doesn’t lose the action, but it keeps it at a level where it’s very nice. It’s never too in your face, you know, they made the whole shows, I think is done that very beautifully. This episode’s special. It’s very focused on the drama without making you think like, Oh, it’s focusing on the drama, but it also keeps it very fresh and new and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s a really cool episode, and I’m very excited for people to see it.

Preview images from “Holding the Wrench” can be found here. The episode airs June 1 at 9PM ET/PT on The CW.

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Interviews

Superman & Lois: Full Interview with Inde Navarrette (Sarah)

Full interview with Inde Navarrette who plays Sarah Cortez on Superman & Lois

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Last week, we ran some preview questions for “Collision Course” with actress Inde Navarrette who plays Sarah Cortez. As a new episode airs tonight (June 6), it felt right to share our full interview with Inde. We’re starting with relationship talk since that’s where the previous piece seemed to leave off. Be aware some minor spoilers may be discussed within.

KRYPTONSITE’S CRAIG BYRNE: Sarah’s preference for herself with Jordan would be for them to just be good friends, right? 

INDE NAVARRETTE: For me as a viewer, I would love to see that friendship. You know what I mean? It’s definitely something that was there in the beginning, and then they went straight into a relationship. I think it’s important to see them as friends and good friends and being there for each other.

Was it fun to film that scene at the party in Metropolis earlier that the season where the two of them were working together as friends? 

Absolutely. Are you kidding me? Throwing a beer and saying ‘here’s your beer, bitch,’ and then going back and forth… that was one of the best days to film. Me and Alex had the time of our lives. I’m definitely wanting to do that again.

Am I imagining things and seeing some chemistry between Jonathan and Sarah? 

You shut your mouth! You be quiet! What are you saying that for? What’s wrong with you? Sarah would never do that!

Yeah, it’s funny… me and Michael have definitely picked up on that. And we’re like, what is this? What is this? It’s definitely a question. I don’t know where it’s gonna go, but it’s definitely a question.

I love this Sarah and Jonathan combination. In Seasons 1 and 2, Jonathan and Sarah definitely had a relationship that was so chemistry-filled, I think, and it’s so specific to the characters. Michael [Bishop] did such a good job coming in, and picking up on that, and doing it in his own way. And it seems so beautiful, to where it still is there. You know what I mean? It’s something that’s been there since day one that we still carry. I think it’s definitely something, for sure. As Inde, I’m  screaming at them like “don’t do the brothers trope!” But then me as somebody who reads books, I’m like “maybe do the brother trope.”

Do you as a cast have theories on where Sophie disappears to when she’s not in an episode?

That is the biggest joke on set! We’re like “she’s in Guatemala!” We have this joke where she’s the villain and she’s secretly the mastermind behind everything, because she’s so angry at her family. We’ll joke around about the fact that it’s actually Bizarro Sophie. We don’t ever stop talking about it. And the fact that they even wrote it into the script… when we got that script [where Sophie was missing], I thought I was gonna die laughing, because it was a joke that we made on set, and the fact that it’s actually in the script…. you can only see so many comments before you go “yeah, we should definitely address that. Where is she?”

Didn’t you do an interview at one point where you just went “Who’s Sophie?” or did I imagine that? 

Yeah, that definitely happened. We talked about siblings, [and I was] like “I have a sister?”

Is there anything about Sarah that you wish the show had handled differently?

I think Season 1 a very big tell of who Sarah is. In Season 1, she’s extremely reserved, and really wanting to understand where everyone’s coming from. She’s still an angry child because of everything that she’s going through with her family and friends and everything, so there’s this understanding and connection between her and Jordan, because they have that understanding of feeling lost in a family and not knowing what to do, or having mental health issues. I think over the years, she’s kind of projected onto Jordan instead of taking care of her own things. I definitely love her arc this season, because she’s coming back to herself in the manner of who she was before, rather than solely focusing on on Jordan. I would say that we’re definitely getting there, for sure.

My personal head-canon is that Sarah is the coolest teenager in all of Smallville… so how did she not know who The Cure are?

I brought that up so many times! That is not a me question. That is a writer question. Call them, because I don’t know. Also, whenever they were talking about Alanis Morissette…. Are you kidding me? She doesn’t know who that is? Anyway…

Is there a particular storyline that you would like to see in the future for Sarah?

I would love to see her with the boys and Nat, and helping out…. maybe be the getaway driver.

She’s done a lot with her family. She’s done a lot with her parents. I would love to see her with the kids more, not being the emotional teenager or a kid.

There’s a scene, I think it’s in episode five, when they go to get Jon’s truck back… I remember watching the stunts and I remember watching it being performed and I just sat there like, “I so badly wish that Sarah was a part of this, because I think that she would be able to heighten that.” I think maybe that’s why her and Jonathan have such chemistry, because they’re the two in their families where they know that they’re capable of doing everything that they can, but the people around them kind of have a one up. Nat has her suit, and Jordan has his powers, but me and Jonathan can throw a punch. We can throw beer in people’s faces and can take care of something. I can be the getaway driver!

Do you think anybody’s going to let her be the getaway driver after last week’s episode, though?

That’s a good question. I would say her driving was phenomenal. It just was extracurricular activities that caused issues!

Earlier this season, you had a very charged scene with Emmanuelle [Chriqui] as Lana… you know which one I’m talking about. Was that hard to prepare for, working with somebody who’s your friend and getting in her face, and then her character slaps you?

That day was definitely something. Emmanuelle and I have such a good relationship. I just remember that time being so at peace with myself, and then we have to go film this scene. There’s a moment where I, as Inde, a 22 year old actress, have to really remove myself from Sarah because the things that Sarah says, as a teenager… my heart breaks. I hate those words, I hate them coming out of my mouth, and I hate saying them to Emmanuelle. That is, I would say, the most difficult part about being Sarah, saying those things. I, as an actor, have to make it to where I understand why she’s saying those things, so I could play it honestly, and during that day where I say stuff like “that’s why Dad cheated on you” I think the only way that could be is because she’s frustrated with everything that’s going on, and she’s trying to say everything that comes out. It doesn’t mean she’s saying it with anger, but sometimes you’ll say things when you genuinely don’t mean it, you’re just saying it, but it causes a reaction in the other person.

So to play it that way, and then to have Emmanuelle’s reaction, it was really tough. I let her actually slap me five or six times. Greg, the director was like, “okay, we’re not gonna do it on this one… we’re gonna do on this one…” There’s one time where Emmanuelle did it, and I was like “you’ve got to slap me harder. I love you, but you’ve got to slap me harder.” Then another time she fully clapped my ear, and as I was walking away, I was like, “I hear a symphony. There are bells ringing in my brain!” I didn’t say anything, because they would have been like “you’re done” and I was like, “no, we’ve got to get this.” Watch now me talking about it, they’re going to be like “you don’t do your own stuff anymore.”

We will see more friendship between Sarah and Nat?

I think so.

How good do you feel about the possibility of still getting a fourth season?

We’re really looking forward to it. We haven’t heard anything back. If I get to work with them again, I’m happy. We all keep in touch, and it was such a beautiful set to be on. So hopefully, hopefully, hopefully. If not, I had a phenomenal time.

How excited were you when you heard the show was going to be getting Michael Cudlitz as Lex Luthor?

It’s been a lifelong joke between me and Todd Helbing, the showrunner, about shaving my head. I’ll joke like “Sarah’s gonna shave her head in this episode!”

It’s a lifelong dream of mine to shave my head, and not only to do that, but to do it for something that I love, like my job. So I get on set, and I [met him], and I said, “what did you do today?” And he was like, “Well, you know, we did the scene where we shaved his head.” And… I couldn’t stop it from coming out of my mouth… I was like, “you m$#%$^$&#$%@$.” It was the first time I ever met him, so I think we got off to a really good start of getting to really know each other. It was amazing.

Do you think she could be his bald minion?

I hope so! Sarah needs to just be taken under his wing, and fully become his protege.

Regardless of if there’s a fourth season or not, are there certain friendships and relationships that you will take with you?

Everybody. This entire set… it’s one of those things where it’s so specific. We went through something like COVID together. We became a family. We got to know each other, snd it’s such a beautiful thing to be able to experience. I’m really close with Erik who plays my dad, and I’m close with his family. I’m really close to Emmanuelle and Wolé and Sofia and Tayler and Michael and Alex… it was such a beautiful experience, and I’ll hold it very near and dear to my heart.

Superman & Lois has a new episode titled “Complications” airing TONIGHT at 8PM ET/PT on The CW.

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Superman & Lois: Inde Navarrette on Tonight’s “Collision Course”

Inde Navarrette offers some previews of the May 30 episode of Superman & Lois titled “Collision Course”

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Sarah Cortez gets herself into some trouble in tonight’s episode of Superman & Lois… and when we asked the actress who plays her, Inde Navarrette, about this when we spoke to her this afternoon, she asked us “When does Sarah not get in trouble?”

Without going into specifics as to what happens in the May 30 episode, Inde tells us that it’s an “important learning lesson” for Sarah to realize that “everything is fun, until it’s not.”

“Even if you don’t think that something is as serious as it is, it is serious. Growing up, you learn that your actions have consequences. That’s really important for people to learn, especially Sarah,” she says.

And going into tonight’s episode, we also asked how much, on a scale of 1 to 10, Jordan (Alex Garfin) has been on Sarah’s nerves.

“I would say that it’s a solid 7, maybe 8 and a half,” Inde says about the lovesick teen character. “She’s really trying to work with him, and I think that tonight you’re going to see them come at a crossroads, and either figure out how it works, or go completely the opposite direction. But we definitely see a new dynamic of their relationship,” she teases.

Superman & Lois “Collision Course” airs tonight (May 30) on The CW.

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Interviews

Superman & Lois Interview: Talking to Wolé Parks Before “The Dress”

Interview with actor Wolé Parks about Season 3 of The CW television series Superman & Lois

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Tonight’s (May 23) episode of Superman & Lois is called “The Dress” and it is an emotion-filled hour with great moments for many of the show’s characters. One of those characters is John Henry Irons as played by Wolé Parks. We spoke with the actor earlier today in anticipation of tonight’s big episode, especially about issues involving John Henry and the father of his daughter Nat’s new boyfriend Matteo. You can read the interview below, and you can look forward to more from Wolé on KryptonSite in the near future!

KRYPTONSITE’S CRAIG BYRNE: Considering John Henry himself has lost his wife, does he have any sympathy at all for Bruno Mannheim, especially knowing Pia’s situation?

WOLÉ PARKS: I think he would have more sympathy if we didn’t have Bruno try to kill him at the end of episode 8. [Laughs] That’s the whole thing! That’s the interesting thing, to me, about this season and the way it’s going. I think the writers have done a brilliant job of making Bruno and Pia sympathetic in some ways, so people understand them. But with John, he’s like, “hey, guys, you remember this guy? You know what he did? He killed me in this world. And remember how he strapped a bomb to my sister? Yeah, that’s still him.” I understand he’s going through a rough time. Clark and Lois are going through rough time, but we don’t see them killing people. That’s the interesting thing about what’s going on with John, and how he perceives everything.

Did John know Bruno at all in his own world?

That’s a great question. I think not. It’s never answered, but I don’t think so, because I think he dealt with Lex Luthor, and in that world, Lex Luthor was still in power. Therefore, that means Bruno Mannheim didn’t take him out, so, I don’t think they interacted.

Speaking of that other world, how is John Henry process processing Lois’ cancer knowing that she could die, just like her counterpart had?

I think that was really hard for him. That was the whole idea of the episode with the watch and seeing John Henry dealing with it with Natalie. I think John as a person, maybe because he’s a former soldier, he’s one of those people who “acts now, feels later.” I don’t think he’s the best at processing emotions, and with Lois, it’s interesting, because this is not something you can fight. It’s interesting because you also see Clark deal with this, as well. This is not something that Superman can save her from.

So, the people in Lois’ life have to figure out how they can process, and realize they’re kind of powerless to help in this situation, and for someone like John Henry… he’s a selfless person, he always wants to be able to help, and he can’t. I think it’s taken him a while to learn and to come to accept that.

Cn you talk about having a scene partner as great as Tayler Buck?

Oh, I love me some Tayler. Tayler can do no wrong. She’s so fun. She’s cast so perfectly. I love that she brings such a strength to that character, and self-awareness that I 100% believe that [John and Nat] are related. It’s great, because she doesn’t cower to him. I love that she’s so strong in her point of view. It’s great.

Now that he knows who Matteo’s father is, is John going to be even more protective?

100%. Anything that Bruno touches is radioactive, so therefore, that includes his kids. For John, it’s like “I get you’re in love. I get you feel like you’re happy. You’re 16. You’ll grow out of it. I’m trying to keep you alive.

Can you talk about what it’s like to work with Chad Coleman as Bruno?

Chad’s the man. Chad and I play around all day long. Chad’s crazy, but in a good away. I’m crazy too, so that’s the fun of it.

I love an actor who’s willing to take risks. You know, you come up with an idea, but then you play ping pong with each other, and a scene goes in a completely different way. I only wish that people could see the multiple different versions that we have of the scenes we take together. It’s really all over the place because we get to play. I love that kind of acting. It was so much fun. And for me, that flip of seeing the version of Bruno in the restaurant, and everything’s happy, then is like “is this John Henry? I’ve gotta kill you!” He turns that quickly, and I love it.

Can you talk about working with Emmanuelle Chriqui so much recently?

It’s so cool. I just love Em. She’s so sweet, and I think that comes out through the character. Em’s just a joy; one of the most pleasant and also emotionally available people I’ve ever met. She’s just a genuinely good and kind, giving person, and it’s fun to see that, because I feel like Lana is bringing out a little bit of that lighter side of John. It just that he has to juggle that with the whole “oh, this guy’s trying to kill me” thing. It’s an interesting juggle.

Would you say that John and Clark are on very opposite sides of the Mannheim issue?

100%. I think they both personalize it, but in different ways. I think Clark has personalized it because he’s seen the cancer struggle up close. He’s seen Lois’ bond with Pia, which has clouded Clark’s judgment. But for John, he’s on the other end, where he’s like, “guys, this guy’s a killer. He strapped a bomb to my sister! He beat me up and was about to shoot me in his restaurant!” I’ll say this: I think they’re both doing the best they can; they just have different experiences with Bruno that are clouding their judgment.

Come back soon for more of our interview with Wolé Parks! Keep up with @SupermanLoisTV on Twitter for updates on when we will be posting more. “The Dress” airs May 23 on The CW.

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