Brandon Routh Fan Q+A

As time permits, Brandon answers several questions from his fans. E-mail your questions for Brandon to Iris at irisbrc@gmail.com. Please note this is not his email address. Content (c) and exclusive to BrandonRouth.com.

2010 | 2007 | 2006

Session 5 - June 18, 2007 

1) What film directors or filmmakers would you like to work with in the future?
Randall Wallace, Danny Boyle, The Coen Bros., Wes Anderson, and Judd Apatow. (Robert Zemeckis, and Spielberg of course- childhood dreams.)

2) If you could have a conversation with someone (anyone, past or present)…who would it be and why? And can you name one (or more) question(s) you would like to ask him or her?
I’d like to talk to Chris Reeve because I never got the chance. I also think it would be pretty cool to have a round table discussion with many great people who made such huge positive impacts on the world. A mix of spiritual leaders, philosophers, and entertainers. All walks of life, all teachers in one way or another. Jesus, Gandhi, John Lennon. That would be amazing.

3) You're certainly a guy with a great sense of humor. Please tell us your best joke!
Thank you. Although the jokes aren’t really “jokes” per se, but rather just me being silly.

4) What was it like to work with this famed actress [Eva Marie Saint - Ma Kent] in some of your earliest scenes? Did you learn anything from this veteran performer that you used later in the filming of Superman Returns?
Eva’s fantastic. She told me to take my time, and not get frazzled by the hustle and bustle going on around me.  

Session 4 - May 10, 2007

1) Could you talk a little bit about whose decision it was to use the legendary Christopher Reeve "fly-by" at the end of Superman Returns, and what it was like to perform it on screen?
It was Bryan’s idea. I was very pleased that he chose to include it. It actually took a very long time to set up, and shoot, because it was very technical. We wanted to make sure we did it justice. I trust we did.

2) Are you a religious/spiritual person? If so, what kinds of experiences did you bring to Superman and the Brandon you are to the world?
I was raised Methodist, but I don’t feel the need to strictly define myself in that way. I believe that it is possible to be both religious and spiritual. I think that religion can be a foundation for a greater sense of spirituality, if you’re open to it. If you’re not open, the opposite can also be true. I believe that we are all one on the inside, despite our outward differences, and this is something I brought to the role. Superman should unite people. As far as the person I am in the world, I just intend on being positive, and ready to learn from the experiences that life brings me.

3) I would like to know how many languages do you speak? What language do you like the most? And what language would you like to learn?
I speak fluent pig latin. No, I speak English :) I’m open to learning other languages, and enjoyed picking up a few phrases here and there from the different countries we visited on the press tour. I did take a little French in high school, but I really enjoyed learning Italian when we visited Florence.

4) Do you have a favorite animal? Would you like to work with animals in a movie?
My favorite animal growing up was my dog, Doozer. I also had a cat named Otis who was pretty great. I did work with an animal in SR- Dan the dog. It’s actually a little hard to control animals in a scene, so I think I’d rather just stick to having a pet.

Session 3 - April 12, 2007

1) Have you and Courtney thought of opening up your own production company? And if so, what type of projects would you like to do?
We’ve talked a lot about it, and we plan to. As far as projects, I enjoy telling stories that are uplifting. There is enough focus on darkness and negativity right now. All genres are game, but we have one concept right now that we’re very excited about developing. We both have a deep love for the films of our childhood, i.e. The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, etc., and feel that many of the fantasy films of today lack a lot of that magic. We’d like to bring some of that back. There are a lot of wonderful books that could be adapted.

2) Do you keep in touch with the [Superman Returns] cast?
We hang out with Sam Huntington and his wife. They’re very cool people.

3) If you do check out the forum, do our crazy posts make you laugh or freak you out??
I spent more time checking it out before the movie came out, because I wanted to see what people were thinking about. Now I pretty much leave it alone, but my friends and family peek in every once in a while and tell me some things. I just have to trust now that no one is talking smack :)

4) What kind of music do you like to listen to?
I had an iTunes play list floating around somewhere. It’s pretty accurate. Maybe Iris can find it and post it somewhere for people that can’t get to it.
[Iris's note: Click here for the playlist.]

5) I simply want to know what shampoo/conditioner you wash your hair with and what styling products you use. Where can I get these? In other words, how can I achieve your hairstyle?
I change up my shampoo and conditioner, but I use the same products to style it. Dasi B. has been my regular hairdresser, and she gave me this great stuff that I’ve been using for a while now. She suggested Bumble and Bumble “Grooming Cream” mixed with a little Schwarzkopf Osis anti-frizz, shine stuff. It works really well, but then again, my hair is pretty thick so I’m not sure if it’ll work the same way on everyone. I don’t stress about my hair, so that might make a difference too.  

Session 2 - March 12, 2007

1) Thank you for your summer reading suggestion--"Atlas Shrugged." Do you have another book to recommend?
All I ‘ve been reading lately are scripts; I think I’ve read about thirty this past year. I was introduced to The Secret recently though. I didn’t have time to read the book, but I have it on DVD :) It’s pretty interesting.

2) I just wanted to know what you like to do in your spare time and in between filming movies.
I play basketball, but soccer is my favorite. I like to eat fried food, desserts, and my girl’s awesome pot roast with yams!! :) (Though that’s in between roles, and I’ve had to stop all that as of late). I like to play videogames with my friends, and go to lots of movies. I also enjoy watching The Amazing Race and Heroes.

3) I've seen "Denial" recently (finally! - Awesome short btw, so intense!) and it makes me wonder, since you and Courtney are a REAL couple, how did you concentrate and get into the role to render the loss and pain your character experiences? It came across pretty well, you see, every time I see it I hope it has a different ending! Also, were you two following a script or were you free to improvise some?
We were free to improvise in some parts. As far a rendering the loss, I just imagined that I had lost Courtney, and that in itself was pretty painful. We did laugh a lot though. During the on- screen fights, we would just burst out laughing because many of the fights were flashbacks and without sound, so what we were making up was just absurd! Joel would be yelling, “Cut!” because we were cracking up :)

4) What is your favorite quote or a few or your favorite quotes? A motto that you live by?
I don’t really have a favorite quote, but this one is helpful from time to time, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” – Theodor Seuss Geisel. “Mediocrity always attacks excellence” is also a good one. I wish I knew that one in school :) One motto that I live by is, “Thoughts are things”. I put my intentions, my thoughts and feelings on what I want, not what I don’t want.

5) What can you tell us about the Return to Krypton sequence that was cut from the theatrical version? Can you shed any light on the missing sequence, what was it like, when do you think we may be able to see it?
It may appear sometime on an extended cut of the movie. It was all about Kal- El returning to Krypton because he was tricked into believing that it still existed. This was all part of a sub-plot in the movie that was eventually cut.

6) Hi Brandon you were fabulous in Superman Returns. Please give us a wee hint as to what you will be doing next.
I’m currently filming a small role in Life is Hot in Cracktown, based on Buddy Giovinazzo's novel by the same name. This role allowed me the opportunity to stretch and play against type, while not carrying an entire film on my shoulders as such an extreme character. There’s also a great romantic comedy that I’m involved in right now; we’re just waiting for the greenlight. In addition to that, there’s a small independent drama that we’re in the process of finding the female lead for. I’m very excited about these projects coming together.
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Some links I think are cool:
http://climatecrisis.org
http://green.yahoo.com