‘And Then Things Got Real’ – Bitsie Tulloch and Tyler Hoechlin Exude Emotional Extremes in Season 3 of SUPERMAN & LOIS

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Feeling so much responsibility for the overall state of the world, not to mention the state of their own family, the lead characters in SUPERMAN & LOIS always have tons to worry about. So it seems a bit odd to say this, but at least at the very beginning of Season 3 – which begins Tuesday, Mar. 14 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV Sci-Fi Channel – Clark Kent and Lois Lane are as super serene and happy as they can possibly be, in their personal, professional, and planet-saving lives. “I was having so much fun on the first episode that multiple times, I actually asked our showrunner, Todd Helbing, ‘am I having too much fun?’,” said Tyler Hoechlin, who plays Clark/Superman, during a virtual interview. “Because it felt like I was having such a great time shooting the episode that I was just wanting to get a temperature check from him. And they were loving it. From everything I’ve heard, the first episode is one of the most fun episodes we’ve done. So I think it’s a really exciting way to kick off the season. It was a blast.” Bitsie Tulloch, who plays Lois, wholeheartedly agreed with that assessment, but added a warning. “We loved it – we loved coming to work and saying, ‘we just get to have fun together? Sure!’,” Tulloch recalled. “And then things got real.” SUPERMAN & LOIS, which reimagines the title characters as a married couple living in Smallville and raising teenage twin sons – one of whom is manifesting super powers, while the other is not – has always gracefully intertwined global threats from arch-villains with day-to-day parenting struggles. The fact that Clark and Lois can take a deep breath and relax for just a few moments at the beginning of Season 3 is a welcome respite for them, but as Tulloch suggested, it doesn’t last long. In fact, the emotional extremes that Hoechlin and Tulloch have to tackle early in the new season would be intensely challenging for any actor. The highs and lows are dizzying through the first two episodes, and beyond. “Yes, I would say that this season, and maybe more than anything we’ve ever done, has tested that range on a day-to-day basis, and really from a scene-to-scene basis,” Hoechlin said. “This has nothing to do with the first two episodes, but actually in Episode 12, I might have had the greatest range of things that we’ve ever played, from the start of the day to the end. The day started with a very, very intimate and personal family scene – I think it might have been a scene that we (gesturing toward Tulloch) had together. And then it went to the most outrageous comic-book, and beyond that, kind of thing you could do. I can’t wait for people to see it. It was really fun.” Tulloch added, “for me, I haven’t myself been through anything like (what Lois goes through). So I sort of tackled it by speaking to as many people as I could who’ve been through similar situations, and trying to glean and gain from their experiences. And it is incredibly intense. Especially, you know, the women who’ve been through this who were mothers. So yeah, I don’t know how much I can say about it right now. But it was probably, as far as the acting is concerned, the most challenging season we’ve done on this show.” One good thing that’s going to stick for Clark and Lois is that there’s less pretending and concealing with regard to Clark being Superman. Due to the way Season 2 of SUPERMAN & LOIS played out, more people in Smallville know who Clark really is. Lana Lang, played by Emmanuelle Chriqui, knows. Lana’s daughter Sarah, played by Inde Navarrette, knows. Chrissy Beppo, played by Sofia Hasmik, knows. “It’s definitely less of a headache,” Hoechlin said with a smile. “It’s fun to have other people in on it. I will say, it’s convenient not to come up with an excuse every single time you have to fly out of the room.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv