Margot Kidder. Teri Hatcher. Erica Durance. Amy Adams. Noel Neill. Phyllis Coates. Kate Bosworth. In no particular order, those are just a sampling of the talented actresses who have brought the iconic character of Lois Lane to live action. Now, after a handful of appearances in DC TV crossovers, Elizabeth Tulloch gets to shine with her take on the role for Superman & Lois, premiering February 23 on The CW.
“It’s been very humbling, honestly, to be playing a strong female character as iconic as Lois Lane,” Elizabeth Tulloch said at a press tour Q&A hosted by The CW earlier this week. “Since she was first introduced in 1938, along with Superman, she has really represented someone who’s incredibly dogged and determined and uncompromising, and I think at a time right now when the profession of journalism has been under siege, as we have seen it for the last few years, it’s especially important, and timely, and I take it very seriously.”
When it comes to dealing with her fictional family as a mother, Tulloch points to her own experience as the mother of a 2-year-old for inspiration. “I’m really careful about how about never raising my voice with her, and treating her, even though she’s tiny, with respect,” Elizabeth said, adding that Lois treats the boys with respect while still setting boundaries, because kids do need boundaries.
“One of the reasons [Clark and Lois] moved to Smallville is because they realize that they have been possibly prioritizing the wrong things – their careers. The kids are kind of getting a little out of control and they need help, and they think that that moving them to a small town with fewer distractions and [not in] Metropolis will be good for them, really putting the boys first, and the family first. And I think one of the cool things about the way Tyler and I play Lois and Clark is, is that our relationship too is one of mutual respect and admiration. We treat the boys the same way,” she explained.
And despite that move to Smallville, Lois Lane’s journalism career will certainly still be focus in the series, even with all of the other things that are going on in the Kents’ lives. “Lois’ sort of arch nemesis in in the season is a billionaire entrepreneur who is trying to destroy journalism. He would probably use a different word for it, but, you know, it’s very timely,” Tulloch explained, specifically referencing Lois and Clark’s personal superpowers. “Superman’s doing his stuff with his superpowers and she’s fighting against these injustices with words.”
Tulloch seems especially proud of the Friday Night Lights style realism that Superman & Lois will bring. “Part of what I’m hoping audiences respond to in our show is that this couple, even though she’s this dynamic journalist and even though he’s Superman, are incredibly relatable and they’re dealing with a lot of the same issues that normal people deal with. It should feel, and I think it does feel, really, really grounded like Superman and Lois Lane could be your next-door neighbors,” she hoped.
Elizabeth has seen the first two episodes of Superman & Lois and describes them as “extraordinary.”
“I’m very, very proud of the show that we have made,” she said, specifically praising the show’s DP Gavin Struthers and Director Lee Toland Krieger who did “an amazing job.”
“It looks like a movie. It’s very cinematic. It’s just beautifully shot. The lighting is extraordinary. The writing was wonderful. I’m so proud of this cast and our entire crew. I do feel like this is really giving this new CW-verse an entirely new spin from which they can kind of expand. I just think it’s really, really extraordinary,” she enthused.
Superman & Lois premieres February 23 on The CW.