The Superman PR Stunt Christopher Reeve Refused To Do
It's been decades since "Superman: The Movie" and the ensuing film franchise left its mark on moviegoers, and people still talk about Christopher Reeve as if he's their Hollywood Man of Steel. With four Superman flicks under his belt, the late acting legend has become synonymous with DC Comics' most famous superhero, especially since he's played him in more movies than anyone else, even Henry Cavill. But during all that time, there was something that secretly irked Reeve about playing the Last Son of Krypton, which a lot of people may not know.
You see, in order to promote "Superman: The Movie" and the other films, Reeve was tasked with having to do PR stunts and other promotional work related to the franchise. This often required him to show up in full costume to certain events. The New York native reportedly had numerous problems with the appearances, most of which made complete and total sense. In a 1994 interview, Reeve revealed what ultimately upset him about the PR stunts and which ones he simply refused to do.
Reeve hated appearing in front of large crowds while dressed as Superman
According to Christopher Reeve, the one PR stunt he refused to do while portraying Superman was to show up at large public events or gatherings — like the school assemblies and football games — dressed in the iconic suit. This was because it made his eventual exit from the venue extremely difficult, thus breaking the proverbial fourth wall for fans.
"Walk into a junior high school, dressed in the outfit. Go out to the middle of a football field at halftime, with the marching band," recalled Reeve, describing the PR stunts he hated most in the 1994 interview, which was posted on YouTube by Take2markTV. "The problem, and I explained this to them — the marketing guys, we'd sit down and have serious conversations — and I said, 'Here's the problem. If I come out at halftime at the Rose Bowl, and I come walking out there at the 50-yard line, I have no exit. You see? The next move would be to like tip my head and fly away. I can't do that, ok? So we got a problem.' And eventually, I could talk them out of it. But they were always like, 'Well sure, you just go out there...' I'd say, 'Yeah you get the crane, get the wires.' It's like an ad agency, they get creative thinking, 'What if?' It all boils down to what's possible."
Reeve, who passed away in 2004, may have been best known for playing Superman, but some of his greatest contributions to society came after his movie career was ended due to his 1995 horse-riding injury and paralysis. He became a huge inspiration and mentor in the handicapped community and served as a shining light for paraplegics, even going so far as to testify before a Senate subcommittee in favor of federally funded stem cell research (via ChristopherReeve.org).