Emmanuelle Chriqui Reveals ‘Superman & Lois’ Is A ‘Real Departure’ From ‘Smallville’
Emmanuelle Chriqui is set to star as Lana Lang in the new ‘Superman & Lois’ series. She spoke EXCLUSIVELY with HL about entering this ‘brand-new world’ and how this show will be different from ‘Smallville.’
Superman & Lois is the new Superman series that will premiere in 2021 on The CW. Emmanuelle Chriqui will star as Lana Lang, a popular character from the DC Comics and Smallville. While Lana was a love interest for Clark Kent in the WB series Smallville, Emmanuelle revealed to HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that Superman & Lois is a fresh take on the characters we know and love.
“This version of Superman & Lois is really reimagined, so it really is like a family drama with the backdrop of Superman and the whole superhero world,” Emmanuelle told HollywoodLife while discussing the EMA Awards, which airs Aug. 21. “The characters are so grounded and real and nuanced, so Superman, Lois, and Lana Lang are all adults now with children. It is a real departure from when they were younger in Smallville, and I think like anything it will be really about finding the truth of the character in whatever they are going through. That is where I will always definitely start, and good writing informs the rest.”
Superman & Lois also stars Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent/Superman and Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane. The roles of Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Lana Lang were previously played by Tom Welling, Erica Durance, and Kristin Kreuk on Smallville, which ran from 2001 to 2011. Given the coronavirus pandemic, The CW’s new and returning shows have been pushed to 2021 premiere dates. Emmanuelle gave an update on Superman & Lois filming. “We are leaving and will travel to Vancouver in mid-September for a potential start date for early October,” she said.
November will mark the anniversary of the Netflix holiday film The Knight Before Christmas. Emmanuelle starred alongside Vanessa Hudgens and Josh Whitehouse in the film. HollywoodLife asked Emmanuelle if she’d be down to return for a sequel since the movie’s ending left it wide open for one.
“Yes, I totally would,” the actress told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “It was so fun. I had never done a Christmas movie before, and there is something really really nice about doing something that is light and cheerful and kind of sentimental. It was really sweet and a really great experience. I would absolutely be on board for that!”
Emmanuelle will appear during the EMA Awards, which will be going virtual for the first time ever on Aug. 21 at 8 p.m. ET on EMA’s YouTube and Facebook page. She opened up about the Environmental Media Awards and why the environment is so important to her.
“EMA prides itself on getting the message out on different environmental things we need to pay attention to, and the best way to do all of that is to celebrate people who are already doing that,” she said. “I think it is important to me personally because it is definitely a part of my lifestyle and something that I am passionate about and have been for a very long time. I think it’s one thing to talk about what you are passionate about, but it is another when you start to see actual environmental things happening in your own life. When you are affected by it, whether it be weather disasters or even stuff during the pandemic and noticing what the timeout did at the beginning of the lockdown, you notice that the air was better and suddenly the water was healthier. It was a really poignant moment on how we are consistently hurting our planet.”