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Good Intentions

Lionel Luthor actor John Glover has faced fresh challenges on the latest season of Smallville. Has he really taken a turn for the good...?

dreamwatch Issue 129, June 2005
Words: Abbie Bernstein


Attendees at a recent party thrown by The WB for its stars, producers and the press had the chance to have their pictures taken. Thanks to the wonders of computer graphics, it was possible for mere mortals to have their faces peer out from atop -- among others -- the body of Tom Welling's "S"- branded Clark Kent.

John Glover, who plays Lionel Luthor, took advantage of this party favor and had a composite shot of his face with Clark's torso. Rather appropriate, considering that in this season's episode Transference, Glover's character Lionel Luthor and Smallville hero Clark Kent actually swapped bodies. Once Clark and Lion swapped back, Lionel was not only mysteriously cured of his illness, but apparently renounced his selfish ways...or did he? "I'm just so excited to see my Smallville picture!" Glover laughs, showing off his unusual photo.

dreamwatch: Before this year, did you ever imagine you would get the chance to effectively 'play' Superman?

No! Wasn't that great? When they told me that was the episode, I thought, "Holy shit!" I mean, "Oh, my golly!"

When you know you would be playing Clark in Lionel's body, did you at that point start watching what Tom Welling was doing as Clark?

Well, I'd been watching what he's been doing. [Tom was] on the set as much as he could be for me. Because I'm not as busy as him, I was on the set for him all the time. We got together a day or two before and read each other's scenes and talked about where we were in our heads. It was difficult for me. What was hard was being simple, strong and pure. I wanted to complicate everything. They kept going, "No, no. No, no. Tom is a superhero -- you don't understand..." Because I've played neurotics and psychopaths -- that's where I get off. I didn't know how to be simple and pure and strong! It was so amazing. I figured it out, but the first day, I thought, "Oh, my God, what am I going to do? I don't know how to do this!"

Was your new haircut specifically for Smallville?

Well, I did a play in Philadelphia -- The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee -- on hiatus and I kept [the haircut] very short for the play. I'm going to keep it like this for a long time. It's very good, I think, and it'll be very strong for Lionel.

Clark-in-Lionel seemed a little scared in prison...

There's danger there -- there are life-threatening dangers coming upon you. So what do you do? What do you do? When he realizes that he's got no strength and no powers, it's "What do I do?"

After that experience, Lionel is...

Good. And pure. Philanthropic. Isn't that beautiful? Are you bored?

Well, I think we're just waiting to see if...

...Something happens? [laughs diabolically, then, seriously] You know, I don't know what's going to happen yet. I played a scene with Jane Seymour where I thought we were going to jump each other at any minute, so I don't know if something's going to happen with that. I've played a scene with Martha Kent (Annette O'Toole) where I try to get her to come and work for me, again. I don't know where they're going to take anything.

Is it difficult to play Lionel being good without knowing if Lionel means it? Or do they tell you whether he's sincere?

I believe that I have become a good person. That's what I did when [Lionel pretended to be] blind. I was blind, as far as I was concerned.

Are you playing your scenes with Michael Rosenbaum's Lex any differently now that Lionel is being good?

Well, there's always going to be tension between that father and son. Always. Lionel is a survivor above all. Also, at the same time, he's trying to make everything better for Lex, but Lionel is Number One. That's not hard to understand, is it? [laughs]

Are they putting Lionel through more changes this season than in previous years?

Well, the changes are in the nature of his character. Instead of taking and taking just for him, he's realizing that it's about giving back, somehow. This journey I'm on, trying to find out how to be good, is quite wonderful. I'm not trying to just make it happen. I'm trying to ease into it, give him his problems about transitioning. I'm having a great time.

Are you playing his awareness that people have difficulty trusting him?

Oh, yeah. Lionel's aware of everything. He's the smartest man in the world. Just because he's good now doesn't mean he's dumb! A lot of people have asked me, "What's it like to play such a despicable [man] -- how can you find good things in Lionel?" I find a lot of positive things in Lionel. I know that's what I have to do when I play a part, believe in [the character]. He was written as a villain, but I think that's one of the reasons that people get so excited by Lionel, because the writers and i have figured out how to give both sides of him. There was this guy on the street in New York, and he got so excited. He said, "Are you a good guy or a bad guy?" That was so thrilling when he asked me that question, I thought, "Right, it's working!"

Had you worked with Jane Seymour as Geneivere before she came onto the show this year?

No. I only met Jane Seymour on this show. Our paths never crossed [before] -- we sort of brushed. We had a great scene, we had a great time played together. The sparks were flying.

As a regular, do you feel any responsibility to make guest actors welcome?

Oh, always. The whole feeling on the set is like that. I've never done a series as long as this before, but I'm told by people who have that our situation is one of uniqueness, that the spirit and the warmth of the [cast and crew] is amazing.

Do you have any feelings about the upcoming Superman movie -- or about Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor?

Kevin's wonderful. I did a movie with Kevin early on in his career, called Rocket Gibraltar. I played Burt Lancaster's son -- Kevin played my brother-in-law. It was Macaulay Culkin's first movie. Francs Conroy, Sinead Cusack, Kevin Spacey, Bill Pullman. Burt Lancaster -- it was a good cast. I worship Gene Hackman [who played Lex Luthor opposite Christopher Reeve's Superman in the 1970s/1980s films]. He's one of the greatest actors we have.

What's next for Lionel?

I'm looking forward to finding out what's going to happen to Lionel! What's so nice is, so many bad things have been happening to Lionel, but he always figures out a way to conquer them. That's what's so much fun.


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