Why did you choose this story to make and why had no one tackled this subject matter before?

[Allen Coulter] The short answer is because it's a riveting story and precisely because no one had done it before. I'm not sure why no one else tackled it; it's such a great subject. It's first and foremost a human story about two men both of whom struggle with the dilemma of feeling that their lives are not valuable unless they can attain a certain kind of celebrity, or fame in the case of George Reeves. In the case of Louis Simo: his goal was to be the best-known detective in Hollywood at that time. Both men suffer from this malady; believing that their lives are somehow unfulfilled until they obtain this. And of course every time you have an unsolved mystery it's endlessly fascinating.

Adrien [Brody], you doggedly search out for the truth in this movie, did you as a consequence of your role come to a conclusion as to what actually happened to George Reeves?

I think initially Simo's quest is much more superficial as this is a splashy case and would land him a lot of credibility if he was able to disprove the police (L.A.P.D.) findings. I think along the way he gains an understanding and empathy for Reeves as a human being rather than to solve the case. I often decline to weigh in with my personal opinion because the purpose of the film is to portray an objective view of what could have happened and, I think, more importantly it's not just about solving the mystery.

Ben [Affleck], at what point did you realise you had taken on a role that was going to get you the best reviews of your career so far?

Nice of you to say so! I chased this part, I thought it would be a real coup for me to get it. It seemed pretty clear to me that the part was rich and full. He was a very gregarious, generous, outgoing guy who became this icon of masculinity and 50's post-war American virility, and that beneath that there was this tragic, sad soul. That contrast was interesting. Also, getting the chance to play a supporting part meant that � not being the main protagonist � you don't have to do as much running around telling the story. Paradoxically, in a character part you get a chance to explore some of the nuance and more complicated aspects of the character. So it was clear to me that whoever played this part, it was going to be good for them.

There seems to be a real resemblance between you and George Reeves as Clark Kent, has anyone commented on that before?

I hope that spreads but I can't take a lot of credit for it. It's something we worked on with the wardrobe and production designer and Allen. There is a real onus on you to do this correctly when everyone in the United States knew what this guy really looked like as Clark Kent and as Superman.

Had you ever been approached to actually play Superman, as Brandon Routh did, in reality for the recent Superman Returns film?

I certainly heard about it but one of the nice things about playing a superhero is that you are not, later on, asked to play any more superheroes! So I suppose inoculated myself at that time from playing the role.

You snapped on the suit before in Daredevil so how did you approach playing Clark Kent/Superman from such a different angle in this film?

The approach to it in this movie was about how humiliating it was! He loathed the suit which was a constant reminder of his thwarted ambitions and what he hadn't achieved as a serious actor. The suit was very uncomfortable. They hadn't designed the fake muscles to look good yet so it was just a wool sweater basically and the lights were ten times hotter because of technical reasons back then.
So, it was a source of continuing humiliation for him [George Reeves].

Are film studios still as ruthless as they were in the 1940s, or are they now ruthless "in a nice way"?

[Bob Hoskins] Now? Are you kidding! I'd rather deal with Eddie Mannix than any of this lot today, I tell ya. They used to protect you in those days; in these days they just sling you to the wolves!

[Ben Affleck] The studios had an investment in their actors back then.
You literally had a 10-year contract and the studios wanted to protect their investment. And now I've seen a bit of a "walk the plank" phenomenon.
You've done a movie. It didn't work, for whatever reason and the studio says: "You took your money, now walk the plank, go talk to the people."
But, you know, that's the way it goes.

Were you a fan of the Superman series with George Reeves?

[Bob Hoskins] Oh yeah, I used to go to the Saturday morning pictures.  In the years before everybody had a television. There was Superman, Flash Gordon, Tarzan. Yeah, I thought George Reeves was the business. I never knew what happened to him until I got the script.