Feature: Smallville

Fast Lane

Making a big splash in the fourth season, Erica Durance has quickly made the role of Lois Lane hers. We found out how she’s liking it so far…

Hurrah! Lois Lane has come to Smallville and actress Erica Durance is thrilled to bits. “I mean, what a welcome, huh? The first inhabitant I encounter is young Superman [Tom Welling] and he’s stark naked! That’s one heck of an introduction,” laughs the vibrant Ms Durance. Wisely declining to comment on whether or not the superhero was pleased to see her, the actress goes on, “Actually, Tom Welling was the first person I met on set and he did have his clothes on and he was the coolest, most down-to-earth, unaffected and welcoming Human being. I have to admit to feeling really nervous about coming to set for the first time. Not because I’d heard anything other than great things about the cast and crew, but it is fairly daunting when you join a group of people who have been like a family from day one. Fortunately for me, they welcomed me right in and my nerves dissolved straight away.”

When the bossy Ms Lane breezes into Smallville, you’d be hard–pushed to think she was anything other than a ‘Bright Lights, Big City’ gal, but in reality Ms Durance is your quintessential small town girl-next-door. “It’s true,” she swears, “I’m from a very small town in Alberta. Less than four thousand people live there. It’s actually smaller than Smallville so believe me, I know about small towns! I actually grew up on a turkey farm, so if Martha Kent [Annette O’Toole] needs a hand with any of the farmyard chores, I’m her girl.”

So how did this farm girl get from a small town not very many people know to one renowned the world over? “Oh, via the usual route,” smiles Durance. “I’ve always been interested in theatre and music and took singing lessons for about 12 years and did the whole local drama group and school productions thing. I came to Vancouver when I decided to go professional and was lucky enough to be offered guest appearances on lots of great shows like Tru Calling and Stargate SG-1. I was on Stargate working with Christopher Judge [Teal’c] in an episode called Affinity when I got the call inviting me to come stay in Smallville. That’s how I ended up back down on the farm.”

Developing a relationship with farm boy Clark Kent’s mum is sure to come in handy, seeing as mythology has it that Lois eventually marries the Teen of Steel, but Durance sees her relationship with Martha as more of a survival thing right now. “See, when Lois comes to Smallville she does appear quite tough and assertive and able to hold her own and she is like that most of the time. But what I love about Lois is that she is still a girl at this stage. She’s not the hard-bitten, seen-it-all investigative reporter. She does have a sensitive side and she is vulnerable and I think she’ll look to Martha Kent for friendship, seeing as they are both city girls who chose to live outside their natural environment. Plus Lois sees the amount of love and care Martha gives to Clark, and though she’s not jealous as such, seeing them together kind of reminds Lois of the mother she never had.”

by Thomasina Gibson

Get the full interview and much more in
Cult Times Special #32

Photo © Warner Bros
Feature © Visual Imagination 2004. Not for reproduction

Taken from

Cult Times Special #32
New Season 2004
ships from Dec 2 2004
News-stand Price
UK £4.99 / US $9.99

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