Otra entrevista a ALFRED GOUGH

[Vassago]

While many genre shows have come and gone over the past six years, SMALLVILLE has proven to be the little show that could. Now in its sixth season, the series is as creatively strong as it has ever been. With original creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar still at the helm, the show has truly soared the last two years now that Clark Kent has left high school and more of Superman’s comic book legacy has been woven into the show’s mythology.


Last season saw the Phantom Zone make an appearance as part of the season ender, which has resulted in a stunning new season with the release of Zod and other prisoners from the Phantom Zone bringing the series and the movies even more full circle.


At the Winter TCA’s, Gough sat down with iF Magazine for an exclusive one-on-one two-part interview, to discuss the series' continued creative strength, SUPERMAN RETURNS and other projects he and Millar have on the horizon.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


iF MAGAZINE: Will SMALLVILLE be back for another season?


ALFRED GOUGH: Fingers crossed, we have a good feeling about it, but all the back room rumblings are very positive. Our plan is to be back.


iF: The last two seasons have felt more align with the original movies the more and more we get closer to Clark Kent’s true origin. Was that always the plan?

GOUGH: It’s rare I think for a show to have its second wind in the fifth season. The first four seasons were foundation building and we purposely didn’t play with a lot of the toys in the D.C. Comics toy box. We obviously had Perry White in an episode and Flash in an episode. We knew what the end of Season 4 was going to be, the crystal on the tundra, throwing it, so we had the Fortress of Solitude. Obviously we had Lois Lane. I think we felt we had to earn the right to bring these characters in. So what’s nice about it, unlike certain shows that flame out in two seasons, I think we’ve had more of a slow build with Clark out of high school. Now we have the benefit of sticking around by using these D.C. characters.


iF: It’s pretty rare to have a feature film [SUPERMAN RETURNS], while you’re still on TV. When you first started the show, you told me D.C. was nervous about you and Miles dipping into the comic book well too much because of the revisionist SUPERMAN movie in development. Did they get concerned when SUPERMAN RETURNS was finally greenlit since it is more in line with the original films, much like SMALLVILLE is?


GOUGH: The great thing ultimately, was our biggest savior was Bryan Singer. Bryan was a fan of the show. We had a gentleman’s agreement. Miles, myself, Bryan, [SUPERMAN RETURNS scribes] Dan [Harris] and Mike [Dougherty] the writers, we would keep each other in the loop. Bryan invited us down to Australia. We sort of pitched out Season Five. Bryan offered to let us read the script and we said “well, quite frankly we don’t want that responsibility. But you tell us if any of this is conflicting or things that are not going to jive and things you want us to stay away from.” For a television show, you have that flexibility. And it was a great working relationship. Before that, when it was the McG version of the movie and it was another origin story and Krypton didn’t blow up, and Lex Luthor was a Kryptonian -- there was a year there where it was very tough, in that weird kind of way. We were in the weird position of arguing 60 years of comics history to them, where they were willing to have a planet where Superman is on Earth but Krypton still existed. It was bizarre. Thankfully Bryan came in and said, I don’t want to do SMALLVILLE, I want to do a SUPERMAN movie, and he did SUPERMAN RETURNS.


iF: What did you think of the movie?


GOUGH: I enjoyed the movie a lot. I think that airplane sequence is great. I thought Brandon did a very good job. I like Kevin Spacey. Doing the show every week is a little weird and it’s a little weird to watch the movie, because to me Lex was a bit of a hybrid of [Michael] Rosenbaum and Gene Hackman. Some times he was really vicious and other times he was sort of goofy. All and all I enjoyed the movie, I think Bryan clearly has great affection for the character and I’m looking forward to the sequel, because in a weird way, he did another origin story. Now that’s all sort of been set up, I’m curious to see them bring in a villain that’s not Lex Luthor and curious to see where they take that “Superman has a son thing,” which was a huge thing and very daring. There are a lot of places to go with that story and I’m curious to see what they do.


iF:Did anything from the new SUPERMAN movie inform SMALLVILLE?


GOUGH: No. We’ve been saying that our character is pre-SUPERMAN 1 and that movie is post SUPERMAN II. So in a way it’s too far down the road. I think it was a really satisfying movie experience. It’s interesting to see how different they did things too. Our X-Ray vision looks more like X-Ray’s and his looks more like an MRI. I thought the flying is spectacular, but we can’t afford to do it. We did it once, which I thought looked great.


iF:What should we expect from the rest of the season?


GOUGH: What you’re going to see is a convergence of the JUSTICE LEAGUE, the 33.1 story and the Phantom Zone. All those sort of storylines will start to come together toward the end of the season.


iF: Any possibilities of spinning off any other characters from SMALLVILLE.


GOUGH: They seem to be content with SMALLVILLE, but if you’re going to do any spin-off, you would do Green Arrow. Justin is such a TV star.


iF: You always come up with these great season enders? Do you always know where you're going?


GOUGH: We always know where we’re heading, always, not necessary the season finale. We knew at the end of 4 he goes back and we knew at the end of 5, Zod gets out of the Phantom Zone, and we know what the end of Seasont 6 is, in a very rough form until we get to the end of the episode. There’s so many moving parts, there are certain changes as you go along. The rebound is, you don’t want to get too locked into things that you can’t change if they’re not working. There’s always a sort of fluidness to TV shows. We also tend to have the first half the season more fully formed in our heads than the second half, because you don’t know how the first half is going to play and you don’t know what surprises come to you. Certainly one of the great surprises of the season, was how well the Oliver Queen/Green Arrow character worked. You hope it works, you hope they have chemistry and blend seamlessly in the cast and Justin [Hartley] hit it out of the park. It’s good when you leave the audience wanting more.


iF: Will he be back?


GOUGH:He definitely will be back by Season’s end. Martian Manhunter will be back.


iF:And SMALLVILLE should be back for a Seventh Season as well.


GOUGH: We better be, otherwise it’s going to be one hell of a cliffhanger, that you never see paid off.


La segunda parte para la semana que viene.
PD: Quien pueda traducirlo, se lo agradecería, ya que es muy larga y bueno sé que toma mucho tiempo.

[dokie]

¿SMALLVILLE volverá para otra nueva temporada?

Estoy cruzando los dedos, tenemos buenas sensaciones al respecto, todo el espacio que nos rodea es muy positivo. Nuestro plan es de volver.

Las dos últimas temporadas se han acercado más a las películas originales y cada vez se acercan más al origen verdadero de Clark Kent. ¿Ese fue el plan siempre?

Pues yo pienso que la serie necesitaba un segundo aire en la quinta temporada. Las primeras cuatro temporadas era la construcción de un gran edificio y no jugamos con muchos de los juguetes de la caja de la D.C. Comics . Nosotros obviamente tuvimos a Perry White en un episodio y a Flash en otro episodio. Nosotros sabíamos lo que el final de la 4ta temporada iba a ser, ya que al lanzarse el cristal teníamos la Fortaleza de la Soledad. Obviamente nosotros teníamos a Lois Lane. Pienso que tuvimos que ganarnos el derecho de traer estos personajes a la serie. Todo esto es agradable, y pienso que hicimos lenta la construcción del destino de Clark durante sus estudios en el instituto. Ahora tenemos la ventaja de usar los personajes de la D.C. Comics.

Es bastante raro tener a la película Superman Returns, mientras tú estas todavía en la TV. Cuando comenzaste la serie, me dijiste que la D.C. Comics estaba nerviosa con respecto a ti y Miles debido a la influencia de la serie en el desarrollo de la película. ¿Se sintieron afectados cuándo Superman Returns fue finalmente estrenada, ya que mantiene la línea de las películas originales, al igual que SMALLVILLE?

En última instancia, nuestro gran salvador fue Bryan Singer. Bryan es fanático de la serie. Nosotros teníamos un acuerdo de caballeros. Miles, Bryan Singer, Dan Harris, Mike Dougherty y yo estrechamos un gran lazo. Bryan nos invitó a Australia. Nosotros estábamos pendientes de la 5ta temporada. Bryan ofreció dejarnos leer el guión y dijimos " bien, pero francamente no queremos aquella responsabilidad. Pero no hubieron mayores desacuerdos o cosas que afecten al desarrollo del la película y la serie. "Para nuestro programa de televisión, hubo mucha flexibilidad. Y esto era una gran relación de trabajado. Ellos estaban dispuestos a tener a Superman sobre la Tierra y que Kriptón todavía existiera. Era extraño. Y felizmente Bryan entró y dijo, no quiero hacer SMALLVILLE, quiero hacer una película de Superman y él hizo Superman Returns.

¿Qué piensas sobre la película?

Disfruté mucho con la película. Pienso que la secuencia de avión fue espectacular. Pienso que Brandon hizo un trabajo muy bueno. Me gusta Kevin Spacey. Haciendo la serie cada semana y mirar la película se me hace extraño, porque para mí Lex es un híbrido (mezcla de Michael Rosenbaum y Gene Hackman). Disfruté de la película, pienso que Bryan claramente tiene un gran afecto por el personaje de Superman y pensó con mucha ilusión otra historia de origen. Ahora estoy curioso por ver a que villano traen que no sea Lex Luthor y también siento curiosidad por ver la historia "del hijo de Superman" lo cual fue algo atrevido. Hay muchos cosas que hacer con aquella historia y estoy curioso por ver lo que ellos hacen.

¿Algo de la nueva película de Superman informa sobre SMALLVILLE?

No. hemos estado diciendo que nuestro personaje es el pre-Superman I y que la película es el post-Superman II. Están en caminos diferentes. Es interesante ver como ellos hicieron cosas distintas. Nuestra visión de Rayos X mira como Rayos X y la de ellos mira más bien como un MRI. Pienso que su vuelo de Superman es espectacular, pero nosotros no podemos permitirnos eso. Lo hicimos una vez, y pensé que fue algo grande.

¿Qué deberíamos esperar del resto de la temporada?

Lo que vas a ver es una mayor unión y solidez de la Liga de la Justicia, la historia del nivel 33.1 y la Zona Fantasma. Toda aquellas tramas se unirán hacia el final de la temporada.

Cualquier posibilidad de hacer alguna serie sobre algún personaje de SMALLVILLE.

Ellos parecen estar contentos con SMALLVILLE, pero si vas a hacer alguna otra serie, debería ser sobre Green Arrow. Justin es una estrella de TV.

Tú siempre tienes un gran final de temporada ¿Sabes siempre a dónde vas dirigido?

Siempre sabemos donde comenzaremos la siguiente estación, no necesariamente sobre el final de la temporada. Nosotros sabíamos que al final de 4ta temporada él volvería y que al final de la 5ta temporada, Zod saldría de la Zona Fantasma, y también sabemos cual será el final de la 6ta temporada, en una forma muy áspera, hasta que nosotros nos pongamos a trabajar en el episodio final. Hay tantas partes móviles, hay ciertos cambios a medida que uno avanza. También tendemos a tener la primera mitad de la temporada totalmente más formada en nuestras cabezas que la segunda mitad, porque tú no sabes como la primera mitad va a funcionar y tú no sabes que sorpresas pueden venir. Seguramente una de las grandes sorpresas de esta temporada, fue el trabajo del personaje Oliver Queen/GreenArrow. Tú esperas que ellos tengan la química y Justin lo hizo muy bien. Es bueno cuando la audiencia quiere más.

¿Green Arrow volverá?

Él definitivamente volverá para el final de la temporada. Martian Manhunter también volverá.

Y SMALLVILLE volverá para una 7ma temporada también.

Nosotros esperamos eso, ya que sino lo veríamos como un infierno ya que a uno nunca le gusta las despedidas.

[NiCk DeScOnOsIdO]

Thanks Bro!!!

Salu2

[NiSiLLa]

Lo mejor de todo es la ultima frase.. que agusto se queda una leyendola

[Vassago]

Segunda parte de la Entrevista

A lot of fans originally started watching Smallville because of the promotion of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor, and the much-talked-about friendship of legend. Epic stuff! Do you feel you have done justice to this friendship? Did you have the story mapped out from the beginning and then follow it to the letter? Or did your "Clex" plans adjust over time? Are there any Clex times you wish you had done differently? — OriginalClexFan

Gough: Thanks for your questions, OriginalClexFan. We've always known that the friendship between Clark Kent and Lex Luthor was destined to disintegrate, as the Superman mythology foretells. The interesting thing is how, like any relationship, there are ups and downs. We feel that as their friendship has taken a turn for the worse this season, there's a part of each of them that regrets the loss. No story, especially one that spans six seasons, is going to be mapped out to the letter, but in answer to your questions, no, there aren't any "Clex times" we wish we had done differently. As far as having done justice to this friendship, we'll let the fans be the judge.

Will any other cast members be attempting to direct the show in the future? And if you could get anybody to guest-star, who would it be? — Bluejay

Al Gough: Michael Rosenbaum actually directed "Freak," which airs Feb. 15. Tom [Welling] will definitely be doing another one next year, and we'd certainly love to have Michael take another one as well, but that'll be up to him. No other cast members have expressed an interest, but we are always open to the idea! In terms of guest stars, we've been very lucky to get a lot of our dream list, including Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Terence Stamp, Michael McKean and James Marsters, as well as the Justice League and Martian Manhunter. Alas, no Bruce Wayne. We would still love to have Dean Cain (Lois & Clark) on the show (who knows, maybe next season) and Wonder Woman. [For more on Dean Cain, keep reading.]

Do the writers start the season with a blank slate and just write the episodes as they go? Or are certain events you'd like to have happen spaced throughout the year, and are episodes written to work up to those events? — Scooby Doobey

Gough: [Cocreator] Miles [Millar] and I sit down at the beginning of each season and come up with "signposts" for the season in terms of significant events and where we'd like the characters to be after 22 episodes. We then sit with the writers for the first week and vet these ideas. Nothing is set in stone, and a lot of times things change or get moved around, and new (and often better) ideas emerge. We are blessed to have a tremendous writing staff, and together we all build the season. That is the wonderful thing about TV as opposed to writing features: the interaction with so many talented writers and producers. Miles and I feel like we coach the ultimate all-star team!

A while back, Dean Cain was rumored to be possibly guest-starring on Smallville. Any chance we'll see him? Also, are there any other Superman actors (from any of the series) you would like to have on the show (like Noel Neill, Jack Larson, etc)? — Jasonmajor32

Gough: We'd love to have Dean on the show. Like I said above, maybe Season 7 will be the season when that happens. Fingers crossed! Noel and Jack are possibilities as well!

I was wondering if we were going to get a glimpse of the last days of Krypton soon. — LOSTville24

Gough: If you look at those past episodes closely, you'll see a glimpse of the last days of Krypton. Yeah, I know, it's brief, but we can tell you one thing: If we ever do an episode about the last days of Krypton, it's sure to be the biggest-budget episode ever. If we can't make it look absolutely mind-blowing and stunning on a TV budget, there's no use in going there, don't you agree?

Will Michael McKean return as Perry White next season? I would love for his character to team up with Martha Kent (Annette O'Toole, Michael's real-life better half) against the Luthors. Also, I think he should be her love interest. Martha deserves somebody better than Lionel. The McKeans would be hot together on screen! — Kaye2

Gough: We'd love to see Michael McKean return again as Perry White. He was wonderful in that role. Michael has had a hot streak on Broadway over the last few years, appearing in a string of hit plays, and those theater commitments make scheduling tough. But if a great story comes along and the timing is right, you never know.

Do you have a long-term plan for Lionel? Because in seasons 4 through 6, it has been really confusing. Would you be able to clarify whether Lionel was actually good in seasons 4 and 5, or faking it? Lex recently claimed that Lionel was deluding himself. So he was faking? It would be nice to get confirmation. — LexAndLana

Gough: Of course we have a long-term plan for Lionel! He's a character who's always going to keep those around him guessing, and that's the point. Above all, John Glover's brilliant portrayal of the character shows that Lionel Luthor is human, just like the rest of us. And no human is totally good, nor totally evil.

Is Lana ever going to find out Clark's secret? I love Tom and Kristin [Kreuk]'s chemistry. — Faraway17

Gough: We agree that Tom and Kristin do have great chemistry as actors, but you'll have to keep watching to see how much Lana will find out.

Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to answer our questions. Do you have any more spotlight episodes planned for the Martian Manhunter, as you did when the Green Arrow had his arc? Also, is there a finite number of Zoners in the world, or are more out there than we've been led to believe? And could you give a quick "yes," "no" or "maybe" to the possibilities of the following: Mon-El, the return of Brainiac, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Bizarro Clark, and a true alternate-universe episode. — Derfel85

Gough: Martian Manhunter will be an ongoing presence this season and perhaps into next. There are a finite number of Zoners, or so we are led to believe. But who knows, there may be more! And to answer your last question: yes, no, no, yes, B, D, maybe.... Oh, heck, I was never very good with standardized tests!!

Hi, Mr. Gough, you are super! Will Chloe die or go crazy? — Yogurtyoda

Gough: Why do you assume she's got to do one or the other? Maybe she'll buy a little house in the suburbs. Did you ever think of that?

I have read that the comic book Warrior Angel, mentioned in "Reunion," has many speculating that Lionel will die in Episode 16 ("Promise"). Is the Warrior Angel mention a clue to what happens to Lionel? My second question is in regards to the favorite Triple-LLs (Lex, Lana and Lionel): I have noticed there has yet to be a scene with just the three of them. Is there a reason why this hasn't been done, and will it happen this season? — Kpjmm

Gough: Lionel plays a key factor in Episode 16, but of course, this is a no-spoiler zone. Interesting that you noticed that there are no scenes with just the three LLs. Maybe we planned it that way, or maybe it was just happenstance....

[cristina f.r]

k alguien traduzca please, pone algo de dean cain,ojala salga en algun capitulo

[Susan]

gracias por la 1ªentrev.muy buena,haber la 2ª.

[Maverickale]

Si algún alma caritativa la tradujera...

[lane-kent]

k alguien traduzca please, pone algo de dean cain,ojala salga en algun capitulo

O si Dean, Dean, Dean, YO los amo!!!! con él y con Teri me hice cloista y fan de super!!! Ojala salga!!!

[Seba]

Que alguien traduzca la 2 parte de la entrevista k no me entero de na saludos a todos !