Sarah Douglas Discusses Superman

In the 70s and 80s the Superman franchise was massive. Everyone rushed to the cinema to watch the late Christopher Reeve in his landmark role as the world’s greatest hero.Superman II, saw three super-powered Kryptonian criminals – General Zod, Ursa and Non- unwittingly released from Phantom Zone imprisonment. The evil trio quickly set up a plan to enslave Earth and challenge the man of steel for supremacy just as he decided to show a more romantic side to Lois Lane. FemaleFirst were able to have a chat with the British born actress Sarah Douglas. She appeared in the big blockbuster sequel as the leather clad, cold and cruel Ursa, who hated all mankind. Here she talks about her memories of starring in one of the most celebrated movies of all time. What was it like working with such a prestigious cast for Superman Two? You shared the screen with the likes of Marlon Brando, Terence Stamp, Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman to name but a few. Well, first of all working with Brando when you’re a young actress, as I was in my twenties, was just the most exciting thing you can imagine. I mean I was completely, totally in awe of him, as indeed was just about everybody on the set. Even people such as one Trevor Howard, who had worked with him before, I think on Mutiny on the Bounty, he didn’t speak to him for quite some time. Trevor sort of sat in the dark along with me watching Brando. Then Brando finally saw him and came on over and said hello. Trevor said to me afterwards. “You’re so in awe of the man.” He was a very regular guy, he was really sweet and friendly, and very, very witty. But there was an aura around him. I mean he really was like a super star. It was quite extraordinary - a magnetism and an aura.And to compare him to Gene Hackman, who was my favourite of all. But Gene was a really regular guy. Anybody could approach him. We sort of did stuff together and we went out together in a group. He’s much more of a down to earth regular guy. That’s not to say that Brando wasn’t, he just had an aura about him that made you wait to be spoken to. It’s kind of like being in the presence of royalty – it’s brilliant.Christopher was Christopher. I mean I worked with him on the very first day that he shot the first piece of footage and he was a young, slightly innocent actor in those days. By the time we had finished Superman Two, which was a long time later he’d definitely become Christopher “Superman” Reeves. To me he was kind of like Clark Kent. I found him to be rather very polite, very serious and quite studious. There was a lot of shrieking on the set and all of fun and games and laughter. Christopher was always very serious and very much in character, but much more in character as Clark Kent, I think, than Superman. But they were all great, great guys. Hackman in fact was given a lovely basket, a big hamper, full of goodies and he very sweetly didn’t want it. So he sent it to my old Mum in Stratford on Avon. So I have a particularly soft spot for him. It was sweet.

Tell us about playing such a fabulous outlaw – Ursa - from Krypton. Were the flying sequences particularly fun to carry out?

It was amazing initially, but the novelty wears off pretty quickly. As a woman, obviously there are times of the month were the last thing you want to be doing is hanging upside with a wire, with a harness on your tummy. There were lots of moments were I just didn’t want to be up there. The linguistics of it – for instance super villains don’t carry tissues and we were filming through all weathers for many months and I got a cold and then I got bronchitis and the flu. To be hanging there when your nose is streaming and you’ve got nowhere to have a tissue and you’ve got a bloke who has a 40ft pole with a tissue on the end so that he can come in and he can wipe your nose and then go away again. I mean the whole thing was quite ludicrous really.

So the good bits yes. The good bits of having a good fly on the “Bomb” stage, which in those days was the largest stage. We used to go from one end to the other at great speed and that was great fun. But most of the time you’re hanging upside down and you’d rather be… I mean for me, the minute I got up there I wanted the loo. There’s always that. It was the ridiculous, mundane things. My false nails kept falling off because you’re up so high and the lights of the studio were so hot that they’d melt the glue that stuck the false nails on. So they’d just come fluttering through the sky. So lots of silly, sort of technical, very tiny technical things that made the flying really quite difficult and quite tedious to say the least.

Everybody remembers the epic battle between your character and Superman. Did you ever seriously hurt yourself then when filming some of the scenes for the sequel?

Yes I had quite a few different injuries culminating in sort of one big one because you just go on working. You get one little injury and there’s no time to really recoup from that and so you carry on, and then there’s something else and something else. I think the largest count was nine separate injuries to my back and physio on the set, doctors and x-rays – there was always something going on. Also I got my job and I went to work. In the 70s, none of us were that keen about going to the gym. So I was fit because I was in my mid twenties and I was relatively fit. But I didn’t, by any means, go to a gym or work out. So my body didn’t half take the consequences. But I survived to tell the tale although when I’m out in the garden, my lower back is still an absolute devil and that’s old “Superman” problems. But the producers were kind enough to compensate me for the injuries that I incurred – how’s that.

Chucking the bus in the film was a good one – I did damage to my shoulder – I ripped it. Nowadays I go and I have a bit of a problem and they say, “well how did you do this” and I have to say “well, throwing a bus across the street.” But there you go.

Do you have any other favourite superheroes apart from Superman?

Oh God! No, because I’m such a Superman fan you see. I’ve never really got with the any of the others. I’ve tried – and I’ve never been a Batman fan or a Spiderman fan. I’m afraid I’m going to be very boring and have to say Superman because I guess Superman is so straight and proper and then he turns into such a fabulous role model for everybody – I’m afraid I’ll have to stick with Superman.

What about Wonder woman?

Well I just think she looks daft. It’s the costume – if they could just update Wonder woman a bit. I always feel a bit sorry – with that thing around her forehead. Put Wonder woman in Superman’s costume.

You seem to have played a lot of arch-villains in your career, including for the popular American TV series Falcon Crest in the eighties. What attracts you to such roles?

Yes, I seemed to have got locked in quite a bit to villainess’ and certainly in the sci- fi sort of genre. I seemed to have played a lot of bad girls – I think that’s a lot down to the Englishness. Certainly the Americans have the feeling that the English do the baddies very well. After Superman I went to Hollywood and I slipped into that mould, which, initially I tried to break. But then after a while you just decide to embrace it and just go with it. Plus, it always gets me the good parking spaces – I have no trouble you see, across the street looking evil and wicked as a villain, people move for you. It’s what we like. (Laughs)

You also played Queen Taramis in Conan the Destroyer. What was your working relationship with Arnie Schwarzenegger like?

It was back when he was engaged to Maria Shriver, who he later married. At the weekends she would come down from America cos we were in Mexico. But during the week, the man was a lot of fun. He’s a man’s man. He’s a cigar chomping, you know, a real, quite a …I wouldn’t say a womaniser, that’s probably not the correct terminology, but I mean he certainly enjoys the company of ladies. He also has a group of guys that he goes around with, all of whom are old, old, old friends of his from his body building days. So there was always a lot of fun and laughter with old Arnie. Then his fiancée would come down and he would behave himself for the weekend. She’d go back and we’d go off again. He is and he remains – he’s a great practical joker and everything and he was a lot of fun to work with.

Grace Jones has of course become one of my closest friends. So we spend a great deal of time together still. Oh yes… we’ve been up just staying with her last week for a couple of nights and we’re going off next weekend away abroad. We all bonded down there in Mexico, whilst charging around on Conan the Destroyer. It was great.

What are your arrangements for the festive season this year?

Well my plans for Christmas now are – my family come from Stratford on Avon, which happens to be a really delightful place to spend Christmas. We have marvellous Christmas lights there and its all very, very Christmassy and lovely. So I’ll be going home to Stratford and I shall do all the traditional things. I’m very big on all of that. We’re a big family – so Big Boxing Day, lots of eating and drinking and walking and positively being merry.

Have you had a chance to see the new Superman film – “Superman Returns” and compare it to your film from the franchise?

Not only did I manage to catch it I actually managed to spend some time with Brandon Routh in LA a couple of weeks ago. He’s a big favourite of mine. He’s such a nice guy – he’s delightful. But you know what I still prefer Superman Two to anything and I liked Kevin Spacey’s Lex Luther, but I much prefer Gene Hackham. It felt like a different film to me. I found it a little bit darker than ours and I thought our version seemed to have a little bit more humour in it. But I thought the special effects in it were phenomenal. I’ve seen the new Superman twice- it stood up both times, but I found it a bit long.

However I thought the whole thing was great. I’m just completely prejudiced – I loved Margot Kidder’s Louis Lane and the sort of quirkiness of it all. It is difficult to judge when you’re in the other one, but it was certainly a bloody good night at the cinema.

I had a conversation with Spacey about it – and he said that he was trying to bring another dimension to Lex Luther. To my way of thinking he certainly did, but it was all a bit serious and a bit dark. I like our quirky Mr Hackman quite honestly.

Would you have changed anything about your character Ursa, in Superman Two, if you could have done?

Having just watched this all again recently, I really think that I was extremely happy with everything. I probably would have kicked a bit more butt if I’d had half the chance. How’s that?