Impersonating a superhero for a living is a tough gig. Sure, you are idolised and in demand when you capture the imagination. But in Hollywood, a dream role can become a poisoned chalice in the flash of a cape. You become typecast and the inevitable descent begins. What then? Where to, next? How do waning attention and the whims of showbusiness impact how you see yourself – as an actor and a human being?
This was the tangent of Christopher Reeve’s remarkable story that I was most interested in. “There is something about America that is short on heroes,” he concedes in the opening few minutes. “We need as many as we can.” In the next breath, he insists, “I am not a hero. Never have been, never will be,” drawing a clear line between himself and the Man of Steel.
A vivacious, active guy who loved to ride horses, ski and play football among other things, he “went from participant to observer at 42” after a horrific fall in 1995 left him paralysed from the neck down. He flatlined twice and could not breathe on his own. His mother wanted to turn off life support.
Read more on my Substack, Bluejeans & Moonbeams.