"They don't call 'em tights for nothin'!"

K Callan came across her role on Lois & Clark much like many actors get new roles -- she had to audition. "There was an audition process," she said. "The part of Martha was just supposed to be in the pilot but when they tested the pilot, Martha & John got such a nice response that they added us to 7 out of 13 episodes."

Of her memories of shooting the Lois & Clark pilot, "Shooting the pilot was lovely. I can't really recall my first day on the set, I'll just say that Dean and I bonded immediately. I particularly remember us shooting the scene where I made the 'Superman' suit."

Did K realize when shooting the pilot that she was you doing something that would be so well-loved ten years later? "There is no way you ever know anything like that," K says. "I did know when I read the pilot that the writing was exceptional....that's what makes a great show: Deborah Joy LeVine."

One of the show's producers stated in an early interview that K Callan added a special something to her performance. When asked about her different take on the role, K said this: "I just had a very special 'feel' for Martha, from the beginning. We are very much alike. At the audition, all the other women had on little skirts and print blouses, but I wore grey sweat pants and a red turtleneck T-shirt. Although we ran out of time before we could shoot the scene, Martha was originally seen for the first time welding. I even learned to weld for the scene. Then shooting the pilot went over budget and we had lots of rain and they lost that scene. But just reading that Martha welded made me want to dress the way I did."

When asked about a particular episode or scene that stood out as a favorite, K responded "the pilot, hands down."

"It was also fun working with Roger Daltrey," she added. Daltrey appeared in the show's third season finale, "Big Girls Don't Fly."

Would she have liked for the show to have continued beyond Year Four? "I think all of the supporting players wanted the show to go on forever, but then we didn't have the responsibility to 'carry' the show like Dean and Teri did. That's a very heavy burden with mostly 18+ hour shooting days and they were both there every day. We weren't," she said.

K still keeps in contact with a few folks from her L&C days. "The only person I'm in close contact with is Ellie Kanner, who cast the show. We became good friends. Dean's assistant Anita and I e-mail from time to time. I went to see Teri when she did Cabaret and I see Deborah Joy occasionally and guested on her show - - as did Dean."

"Every once in a while I'll be flipping along and catch a little of the show. That always brings back some very nice memories," she shares, referring to the show's daily morning repeats on cable, which stopped airing in August 2003.

When asked if she's seen the WB's current take on the Superman legend, Smallville, K shares "I really like the show. I'm always disappointed that Annette has so little to do." When asked if she'd consider a guest appearance, K replies "Sure, that would be fun."

K tells us that she appears in the pilot and a few other episodes of the new HBO series Carnivale that debuts September 14. "I think the show is going to be a huge hit. Again, great writing," she says. She also tells KryptonSite she would do another weekly series again "in a heartbeat."

K Callan still writes several "how-to" books about the industry which one can find details on her website at http://www.kcallan.com.

"One of the most interesting parts of the L&C experience was interacting with the fans," K tells us. "I did that a lot until one fan put me in an untenable position with management and then I pretty much withdrew. I used to love to visit the FOLCS and chat after the shows. I met a lot of very nice people. I particularly enjoyed meeting L&C fans from outside the U. S., it was also so gratifying to know how the show touched people." We, too, were thankful for K's great performances as "Superman's mom" and thank her for the years of entertainment.

Bio and interview written by Craig Byrne
Special thanks to K Callan - Visit her website


Lois & Clark and its characters are copyright ©2005 Warner Bros. & DC Comics. This is a fan site and not authorized by the WB or DC. Page copyright ©2005 KryptonSite, unless the material is noted as coming from someplace else or being by an individual author. Lois & Clark starred Dean Cain, Teri Hatcher, Lane Smith, Michael Landes, Justin Whalin, Tracy Scoggins, Eddie Jones, K Callan, John Shea and many more through its 4-year run.

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