Movies - TV
Part Of Margot Kidder's Charm As Superman's Lois Lane Came From Not Wearing Contacts
By MATTHEW BILODEAU
While Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando brought renowned star power to “Superman: The Movie,” audiences fell in love with newcomers like Christopher Reeve, who many still believe is the perfect embodiment of the superhero. As great as Reeve was in the role, it isn’t easy to imagine the movie without Margot Kidder as the Daily Planet reporter and love interest, Lois Lane.
Kidder remains one of the best screen interpretations of Lois Lane, though as talented as the actress was, director Richard Donner had another way to bring out the performance he wanted from her. When someone from Kidder’s makeup team informed Donner that her eye had been scratched while putting in her contact lenses, the director suggested she try working without them.
Donner shared, “That day she was wonderful, because she was wide-eyed, with no depth perception. She walked into a desk — and she was the girl I wanted her to be.” Working without her contacts helped give Lois a gentle aloofness when it came to Clark Kent’s disguise staring her in the face. Although Kidder sadly passed in 2018, her take on Lois will always be fondly remembered.