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KryptonSite Interview: Todd Helbing Previews Superman & Lois Season 2

Showrunner Todd Helbing previews Superman & Lois Season 2 in a new KryptonSite interview.

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The second season of Superman & Lois premieres TONIGHT (January 11) at 8PM ET/PT on The CW (note an hour earlier than last season), and to continue with the hype, KryptonSite was able to speak with Executive Producer and Showrunner Todd Helbing for some ideas on what it is we can expect. We also threw in some burning questions we had over here. Of course, there are a few things that have to wait until a few surprises are revealed in tonight’s season opener, so come back after it’s aired and we’ll have a little bit more to share.

Even with that said… do be aware there may be some spoilers within. Enjoy! Photos from the season premiere “What Lies Beneath” can be found here.

KRYPTONSITE’S CRAIG BYRNE: What is something that you wanted to be sure to bring the audience for Season 2 of Superman & Lois?

TODD HELBING: A little movie every week. No. We wanted to bring them a better understanding of all the families in our show all three families.

Since Natalie Irons isn’t necessarily the Natasha Irons that we know from the comics, does that mean that she might not necessarily have the same character traits or love interests that Natasha has in the comics?

We obviously are all huge comic book fans, and we use them quite often for inspiration, but ultimately, we just want to tell the best character story. So, sometimes we use little personality traits or storylines, but for the most part, we stay true to who the character is in our show.

Does Natalie know that her mother is married to Superman in this world?

She knows that. Yes.

Does this cause some conflict with her dad?

Oh, yeah. Yes, it does.

Can you talk about Lt. Anderson and what he brings to the show?

Last season when Lane made that choice to retire, we knew that whoever was going to replace him had (A) huge shoes to fill but (B) was at quite a disadvantage, because Lane obviously knew Superman’s secret, he was married to his daughter, he was the father to his grandchildren. That inherently creates some leeway that Superman enjoys, and there’s a lot of questions that are never asked of him, because Lane knows what the answer is. But you get somebody new in there, and I think two things happen: This new guy, Anderson, is quickly becoming frustrated at the perceived slights that Superman is giving towards him, and Superman is simultaneously getting a new appreciation for Sam Lane.

Can you talk about the Kyle and Sarah interactions in the series season premiere and how the Cushing family dynamic is changing?

The Cushings have a really juicy storyline this year. For Kyle and Sarah… look, I don’t think Kyle is ever been a huge fan of his daughter dating Jordan. Any dad with a daughter is pretty protective, and probably nobody’s going to be good enough. It’s probably less Jordan’s fault than it is that just nobody’s good enough. But, you know, Kyle has come a long way from the beginning of last season. I think he’s really doubling down on being a good dad. He wants to be a good dad and a good husband. He was kind of lost for a few years, and he’s found his way back, and we’re gonna see if that sticks or not this season.

Can you talk about Lana’s new job?

Lana is kind of the brains behind operations for the new mayoral candidate. Even though it’s a small town, George Dean showed us his true colors, and I think his sort of sliminess is going to make politics in Smallville more interesting than you would imagine. And Lana is dead center in the middle of it.

This is probably just a yes or no question, but will the villain of Superman & Lois Season 2 be somebody that Superman fans will recognize?

Yes.

Season 1 had a number of milestone episodes that changed the narrative throughout the season and really just turned things on their ears. Can we should we expect something similar from Season 2?

Yes, definitely. We have a couple of those.

Can you talk about Jordan and Jonathan’s respective lead love interests in the season premiere, and how there’s trouble coming from all sides, it seems?

On the Jordan side, you know, he’s like a lot of teenagers… first girlfriend, or boyfriend, fall in love with them pretty quickly and you think you’re gonna marry that person… and then as the relationship and time goes on, things get a little bit more complicated. I think Jordan is going to be dealing with some issues with Sarah that he didn’t think he necessarily was going to run into in the first couple months of being with her.

On the Jonathan side, he has a new girlfriend, Candice, and Candice is is going to have an influence over Jonathan that we have not seen before, and it causes a lot of contention between Jonathan and his parents.

Is Teagan gone for good?

Well, I don’t know she’s gone for good. But you know, when you’re a teenager… I think my first girlfriend lasted for six weeks, and right around week three, I would have told you I was in love with her and I was going to marry her, and then three weeks later, she dumped me for somebody else. That’s kind of what happens in high school. They’re sophomores, over the summer… three months is a long time.

They broke up. He met Candice. And Bob’s your uncle.

What can you say about Lucy Lane showing up?

This year we really wanted to dive into the Lane family dynamics… explaining why Lane’s relationship with Lois is the way it is, and why Lois is who she is, and then out of that, explain who her sister is, and why she’s so different from Lois. And then with three of them, why their dynamic is the way that it is. It’s a really important part of the season, and we’re really excited about it from a writing standpoint.

You have a number of genre actors directing episodes of the series soon, including Amy Jo Johnson and Elizabeth Henstridge. Can you talk about having them around?

Generally speaking it’s not a prerequisite that somebody is a genre director or actor, but there is something nice about having people that are a part of that world. because there’s a shorthand that you can develop with them pretty quickly. With Elizabeth and Amy Jo, it just makes things great. I don’t know how to explain it.

It’s like when David Ramsey comes over, and he is so intimately knowledgeable about the Arrowverse that it’s a two second conversation sometimes. It’s just an added element that we all love, and I think for the fans, it’s fun for them too.

Tom Welling recently was on Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast, and he finally has an openness to putting on the cape in a multiverse story. Is there any chance we could see Tom or any other former Superman on the series at some point?

I mean, there’s always a chance. I didn’t know that he said that. That’s cool.

I’m obviously a huge fan of Tom. I never met him when I wrote that one episode of Smallville with my brother. I don’t know. It’s certainly a possibility. There are no plans right now, but yeah. Tom Welling is awesome.

As far as plans, are there any plans for us to see Tal-Rho again anytime soon?

Oh, yeah. We love Adam Rayner, and we just really dig the dynamic between Superman and his brother. So yes, you’ll see him a few times this season.

Do you have any final words you’d like to say to the fans will be reading this?

Just “thank you for all support and the response to the show last season.” It brought us a lot of joy in a very difficult time to be making this show. The cast, crew, writers…. we’re all very grateful.

Are you hyped? See a gallery of season premiere photos here, and if those aren’t enough, a trailer for the season premiere can be found below. Superman & Lois airs Tuesdays at 8PM 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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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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