1984: CHRISTOPHER REEVE on Life After SUPERMAN | Wogan | Classic Celebrity Interviews | BBC Archive

"If you have a big success, it's fun to not have to live up to it."
Christopher Reeve chats to Terry Wogan about how being cast in the role of Superman changed his life, making him a global household name overnight. He talks about growing up in a family, whose "academic pretensions" forbade him from having comic books, and about how he became a film actor largely by accident. Reeves has now returned to the stage - his first love - where he is currently working on The Aspern Papers with Vanessa Redgrave.
In spite of the films' extraordinary success, does he ever regret taking the part of Superman? Can you ever truly emerge from the shadow of such an iconic role?
Clip taken from Wogan, originally broadcast on BBC One, 4 February, 1984.
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[@andrewwilson1093]

And 40 years later, he is still the definitive Superman. Sorely missed. RIP

[@taxtell67]

Humble but also Intelligent. Shame we lost him.

[@lmusima3275]

😢😢😢

[@keithclark8030]

Yes, he was a great person.

[@dad_jokes_4ever226]

RIP Christopher Reeve and Terry Wogan

[@oscarwilde5473]

I remember watching this interview when I was 16 years old. I went to see Superman when I was 10 - he was my childhood hero.

[@lindairvine7679]

Yeah the same , heartbreaking what happened later to him

[@oscarwilde5473]

@@lindairvine7679 I remember Robin Williams was the first person other than family to visit him in hospital - he was godfather to Christopher's children - and how he had made him laugh for the first time since the accident ... on a side note, I wonder who are the role models for this generation? As mine are disappearing, they still continue to define me ...

[@Laura-sg6ss]

​@@oscarwilde5473 indeed, we have to ask the people before my gen why they didn't instil some 🥴 lol

[@oscarwilde5473]

@@Laura-sg6ss ... I'm not playing a blame game. Our culture has been set to sides through judgement, and it's getting worse. When I was born 56 years ago there were three and half billion people living on planet earth. Today as I write, we're well over eight billion. The UK population has risen by a third to near seventy million. Our whole infrastructure appears imperilled under the weight of so many people, too few resources, and a finite planet with a money supply printed out of thin air backed by nothing into infinity, as a never ending debt. I have no more answers than you do. All I can do is watch in dismay at this slowly unfolding horror, and wish you the best of luck Laura.

[@theman2017inc]

December 1978 was a glorious time seeing Superman The Movie for the very first time l!!!

[@Doctor180185]

Every time I see him pre-accident, I just want to yell DON'T GET ON THAT HORSE!!

[@soeffingwhat]

He'd actually been to Ireland a week or so previously to rent a house cos he was going to make a film here. He left before filming was due to commence so he could take part in that Showjumping event where he had his accident.......He should NEVER have left Ireland at that point, if only he'd stayed, done the film and taken part in another showjumping later, his accident may never have happened. So sad. Its all speculation though. Maybe it would have happened elsewhere, who knows......

[@Doctor180185]

@@soeffingwhat I know. It's easy to say isn't it. In the end none of us know what's going to happen. Always happens to the best people though. His first autobiography'Still Me' is incredibly told, particularly where he describes the accident. He actually voiced the audiobook! Highly recommended

[@XPRT10R]

How refreshing you hear an interviewer ask decent questions, allow the proper time for them to be answered without interrupting and for a guest to be eloquent, articulate, informed and well spoken. It's a lost art

[@mus139]

Terry Wogan was a good interviewer.

[@Rambo9700]

Wogan was the man. He would get all the A list celebrities or politicians etc.

[@michaelairley2015]

What a humble nice guy.

[@TheRollthedice]

32 here sadly dead at 52-wonderful fella

[@MattWiles]

This, is The Superman.

[@riseandshine75]

What a handsome humble man ❤❤

[@mus139]

They don't make them like this anymore?

[@hilaryepstein6013]

He made a film in 1980 called "Somewhere in Time" which I loved and always remembered him for. An intelligent, articulate, but ultimately tragic man.

[@cassisbrook]

I saw that film once, when it was shown on tv in the 80s. It was strange to my (then) young self to see Mr Reeve not playing Superman, but I got very immersed in it. I remember his character trying to get back to the past and painfully struggling with not with being able to. I need to watch it again.

[@hilaryepstein6013]

@@cassisbrook Yes it's one of those films that the critics disliked but has become a bit of a cult classic.

[@DaveyMulholland]

Remember enjoying it as a child but can't remember anything about it. Will have to search it out for another watch.

[@robinvanags912]

I always appreciate him in 'Switching Channels' (1988) - it's The Front Page updated to the satellite tv age and it reveals how good Christoper Reeve and Burt Reynolds could be in light comedy.

[@cassisbrook]

​@@hilaryepstein6013 I will be getting it on bluray and look forward to immersing myself in it again.

[@michellejames4493]

Christopher Reeve was so mesmerisingly beautiful ...such a handsome man😌 - so lovely to hear Wogan again too - this was a wonderful interview - miss them both😌🙏

[@user-jr2vy2el6f]

At his most handsome when he's not smiling he had a lopsided smile

[@ynothump2566]

Will always be Superman ❤

[@luizfelipe_27]

Eternal Superman ❤

[@nicholasfawcett3319]

What an articulate, engaging lovely bloke he seems . Loved this interview. Wogan is fantastic as well. Only ever knew him as superman, which everyone of a certain age loved as a kid .

[@Degjoy]

He was so incredibly good-looking

[@roninhood1027]

He was truly super. 😢

[@mus139]

Christopher Reeve, The best Superman ever.

[@DrumsTheWord]

What a wonderful man. So humble, intelligent and giving. He must have known how good looking he was as well, but his ego was never shown. Just a splendid actor and kind human being.

[@billbrock8740]

I met Chris Reeve on two separate occasions back in the summers of 1984 and ‘85. He was the kindest and most generous celebrity I’d ever met. RIP Chris and Dana.

[@jamesb7168]

Extremely intelligent talent. The greatest Superman ever. Rip Christopher Reeve. So humble and well spoken.

[@dinshawpocha4882]

The best Superman ever!!

[@alexpang5054]

Not only a great actor, highly articulate and intelligent with a great sense of humour. He was lost so tragically and his wife not long after. His great friend Robin Williams who has now joined him in the great beyond said that Reeves was the only man who humbled him in every way that no other human could. Amen to that

[@lmusima3275]

Oh my goodness I miss this man. I had a crush on him when I was kid. I hoped to meet a man like him ❤❤

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

I forget which Supeman film it is where he fights Clark Kent, but that really showed his acting chops. I think people overlook how good he is in that scene.

[@oneworldfamily]

Superman III - the scene in the junk yard.

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

@@oneworldfamily That's the first time Superman felt dark to me.

[@stewmott3763]

Damn straight. As a kid, I honestly thought it was a different actor playing Superman while Christopher Reeve was only playing Clark Kent. Okay, it's possible I hadn't factored in the magic of special effects at that tender age, but still! 🙂

[@oneworldfamily]

Yes, it was quite something! Do you remember the scene which preceded the junk yard, when he was getting drunk in the bar? That scared me as a child because Superman's goodness was always reliable.@@TheKitchenerLeslie

[@oneworldfamily]

Christopher Reeve seemed to be able to change his shape between Clark Kent and Superman. There's a nice interview with Richard Donner somewhere where he talks about how impressed he was witnessing CR do that@@stewmott3763

[@tomthomas5793]

“And over the last few years we have heard a lot about something called ‘family values’. And like many of you, I have struggled to figure out what that means. And since my accident, I've found a definition that seems to make sense. I think it means that we're all family. And that we all have value.” Christopher Reeve, speaking at the Democratic National Convention in 1996. What a Super Man.

[@tristandunn4628]

Top guy. Feel bad that I only really know him for Superman. This interview clearly shows that that was something that kinda got in the way of who he was and what he was about. Regardless, he was still the best Superman ever - even if the franchise was botched as soon as Richard Donner was given the elbow.

[@susantaulli6580]

Just gorgeous, very unfortunate tragedy in his life. I hope he’s whole again in the afterlife.

[@gruphenio6787]

Poor Christopher Reeve, what happened to that guy is simply heartbreaking 😞

[@Onegoodman68]

A wonderful actor, and a great great man

[@felix_five]

Great man

[@Thepalpatineboys77]

Lovely guy, it was a real shame what happened to him ❤

[@JestersDeadUK]

2 absolute LEGENDS, can't help thinking they'd both look a LOT cooler with stubble :)

[@pete9469]

Rare you’ll see an interview conducted like this on Uk tv these days.Good stuff!.

[@oneworldfamily]

You mean with dignity, respect and good humour?

[@pete9469]

@@oneworldfamily All the above 👆

[@dominiccrimmings6925]

Brilliant. I'm 53 and was brought up on movies like Superman etc and TV like Wogan and Parkinson. Loved this and hard to comprehend they're both now departed. TV today etc, is just not the same. I wish this kind of interview would come back. The closest I've seen is Tommy Tiernan on RTE in Ireland - he has 2 or 3 guests on *one at a time) but he isn't actually told who the guest is so has to interview them "on the fly" - makes for a great watch.

[@lincarrey]

This guy is the real deal! The one and only. There will be always new actors portraying SM, but Reeve would be the GOAT.

[@jessieeyy908]

Love this man

[@michaeljohn1978]

The thumbnail makes it look like Reeve is giving Wogan flowers. I clicked on the video to make sure he didn't

[@gregorybarton-qs9qs]

Fascinating interview, Christopher Reeves was definitely unique, Thank you for sharing

[@juanpallicer7031]

What a handsome, elegant and well educated man. He could have been a big one in the cinema industry, destiny was terribly unfair with him😢

[@adamhughes4442]

Such a tragic end for this great man! Rip Christopher Reave.

[@pipoo1]

Both these men are sadly no linger with us. Reeves the definitive Superman, Wogan a true master of television and radio.

[@bandsivefilmedlive]

Legend

[@boymoontube]

A great actor and a true gentleman.

[@1002l]

wogan is spot on he does have an english face, never noticed that before

[@mtns7036]

Wow what a guy. This day an age could really learn alot from him. It's not about being masculine and staring at yourself in the mirror all day. Yet he's a real man with real values. For christ sake he's blody superman.

[@Shivam782]

The only person whom i always felt the superman. Rip CHRISTOPHER REEVE

[@danielwilliamson6180]

RIP Christopher Reeve and Terry Wogan. Sad what happened to Christopher Reeve.

[@ChrisPollitt]

7:34 David Prowse was Darth Vader! The film in Tunisia was Star Wars!

[@IamBatman.1939]

Yeah!

[@MichaelBosley]

He shot three movies in a row with a moustache, so as he had already mentioned he'd finished The Aviator, he must've been growing this one out for The Bostonians or Anna Karenina.

[@user-kl4bh4lq6r]

Loved his his superman films Good interview 👍

[@harveysingsforyou4640]

Chris was so well casted, he could not have been better. RIP.

[@50mileninja]

What a fantastic classy guy - superman oh man my childhood ❤😢😂😊🎉 thank you for this brilliant interview

[@Michael-rs8fr]

The best superman

[@salqureshi7807]

This guy would be perfect playing a superhero

[@theeggtimertictic1136]

Sad to think what was ahead of him 😢

[@Laura-sg6ss]

Right?!?!?!!

[@andrewjohnston2850]

yes i know,Superman 4 what a travesty

[@sailingsam3815]

He gave me an autograph in 1980😊

[@jeshkam]

I like his mid-atlantic accent here.

[@gruphenio6787]

You can tell he’s got English ancestry, a thread of the accent is still there

[@esclad]

Wow. Didn't know Dave Prowse trained him in the gym. I can imagine Darth Vadar and Superman doing a workout together :)

[@KpxUrz5745]

Yes, very humble and polite. I met and worked with him briefly in a private studio setting. We shared the same Alma Mater!

[@LFOVCF]

I watched him doing the RAF pilot 3 times, just brilliant!

[@Ingens_Scherz]

A blazing, refined intellect. He would have been one of the best ever. Not to be. In every sense, what a loss.

[@thetr00per30]

This dude was the real deal. What a shame what happened.

[@qtrust]

Superman breaking down people’s ideas of masculinity. 👏👏👏

[@ronnyrobinson79]

So quick!!

[@ahmadbinfadzil8258]

Although Christopher Reeves was not a bodybuilder, had massive muscles but I really admire his body shape since I was a Teenager. Very nice as Superman.

[@TinLeadHammer]

What a clean 40-year old picture.

[@startracker5895]

Why do bad things happen to good people? You can just tell he was a lovely bloke from watching this interview. Then he becomes paralysed from the neck down. Life is just so unfair and horrible sometimes! 😒

[@DavidYorkshire]

7:58 "...and then he took another job and went off to Tunisia." Little insider joke there. The other job that Prowse took (although it was late shoots for a job he already had) that Reeve understates was Star Wars.

[@user-kl4bh4lq6r]

Sir Tezza RIP📺📼👍

[@76ToneCrome]

I wish I was 6ft4 and handsome.😢

[@unscentednapalm8547]

Yeah, but being short and able to walk is better.

[@Laura-sg6ss]

​@@unscentednapalm8547 walk better?? Oo why?

[@Laura-sg6ss]

@@algrant5293 I know what happened but that's got to do with him though not in general, the comment seemed general that's why I asked loooll

[@TruDis01]

You can always identify as that if you want. According to 2024 logic.

[@Hakspheenom]

🤔 Somewhere in Time, with Jane Seymour was a masterpiece and a total contrast to his Superman role, making it somewhat, even more unique at the time...

[@syedalamgir5838]

I had a poster of Reeve.

[@LFOVCF]

Just a super guy

[@paulf2898]

He plays a good part in Death Trap with sir Michael Caine

[@KyleVoices]

7:10 If he only knew how much his body would actually fall apart. At least he got to do Superman IV.

[@ChezBerry]

♥

[@Firkinnel]

I would have thought David Prowse was more well known as Darth Vader.

[@gruphenio6787]

The Bristolian accent in the Star Wars pre-production takes - that’s what I remember lol

[@nkt1]

Not necessarily, particularly since you don't see his face, or hear his voice, in the films. Whereas he was a household name in the UK as the Green Cross Man, appearing on television and visiting schools for many years. He visited my school, too, probably the same year as this interview, although of course we all knew he played Vader.

[@gruphenio6787]

@@nkt1 thanks, but I‘ve known this for about 25 yrs already 👍🏼 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYKpmaJmlKxkjKssi=5gbtFrXSv0Fs5q3-

[@TheRidgeChannel]

Had poster of Superman crushing the villain Nicoteen in an anti smoking campaign poster

[@WAYNESWAYS-ib3cm]

An amazing driven hard working guy However through all his hardwork drive and determination it couldn’t get him over becoming a paraplegic Despite stem cem and working his arse off it took him down Respect to the only real superman

[@thecolonel1982]

Great guy. Best mate was Robin Williams

[@yuplusjin]

Him with facial hair looks good 😊

[@WillScarlet1991]

Er, no it doesn't 🤢

[@darrylm79]

I believe he was filming "The Aviator" around this time, for a 1985 release.

[@funkymonkey1198]

After the 80s, IQof celebrities seems to have gone right down

[@basilbrush9075]

Richard Madeley does a fantastic American accent

[@GDI-disc-accepted]

I dont remember this...i was 3yrs old at the time

[@Traveller69]

The guy with all the gifts for whom the universe deemed fit to punish so terribly. 😢 When exactly did intelligence drop off a cliff? Interviews today are insufferable, shallow affairs with constant butting in. More about the interviewer than the interviewee. Very interesting and poignant. Whilst not the lady he was with when this was filmed, his wife died of cancer not long after he did at 52, herself aged just 44.

[@vinnyvincent2862]

TRIVIA : The movie Superman alledgedly had a Curse attached to it ! One of the first actors to play the role on tv George Reeve ! died from Suicide from a self inflicted gunshot wound ( although some believed he was murdered) ! Then Christopher reeves co-star Margot Kidder Commited Suicide in her home ! r.i.p. all 😢❤🙏

[@positivelynegative9149]

🙂👍

[@READYTEDDYBEAR]

I'm watching 'Masters Of The Air' on AppleTV and if it was made in the 1980’s I can see Christopher as the pilot of a B17 bomber.

[@mistofoles]

Well, Chris DID return as Superman one more time in 1987 ( After they bribed him with a hefty salary ). He slated the film afterwards, though.

[@Cjbx11]

For years I had heard what a bad film Superman IV was but ended up seeing it for the first time a few years ago. While it certainly wasn’t a great film I don’t think it was quite as bad as people said. I’ve seen worse anyway.

[@Doctor180185]

He did it for Street Smarts

[@DaveyMulholland]

Poor fella

[@keithrobertson8101]

The one true Superman

[@michaeljohnson5365]

He was 32 here

[@TruDis01]

Ok

[@steveothehulk]

such a shame what happened to him

[@therealmovieman]

#oliverharper

[@benlachenal771]

Intereting openness about his tax affairs 😂🤔

[@user-jr2vy2el6f]

For once Reeve looked actually taller than 6 ft 4 consider Wogan was 6 ft in shoes!

[@AD-kv9kj]

Chris Reeve WAS Superman, that was the difference, he was born to play that role and no amount of repetition can ever have quite the same ineffable quality of lightning-in-a-bottle. Everyone else has only been another actor trying to be Superman and writers desperate to try and reinvent the wheel and failing.

[@CalCapital92]

It’s a real shame that I can’t help but associate him with Eminem lyrics

[@ka5269]

Is that moustache?