Stepping into Lois Lane’s shoes is super hard— good thing they’re flat
Unlike earlier adaptations, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane in the upcoming “Superman” film is no damsel in distress.
Over the decades, Lois has undergone one of the most remarkable transformations of any character in DC Comics history. Sometimes, the lens through which she is viewed focuses on her professional drive; other times, on her relationship with Clark Kent. So before auditions began, the first thing Brosnahan asked director James Gunn was this: Where does she fit into the canon of this iconic character?
He laid out a roadmap she couldn’t walk away from.
This Lois doesn’t need rescuing; she can handle herself just fine. She’s not a mere bystander—she’s an active player in high-stakes situations, an intrepid journalist who uncovers evil schemes and propels the story forward. Crucially, she’s more than just a romantic foil or a prop for Clark’s growth. She’s a fully realized person with her own arc, her relentless skepticism serving as a sharp counterpoint to Clark’s idealist outlook.
“I was really attracted to this version of the character because the different facets to her feel equally weighted,” Brosnahan said at the recent Manila stop of the “Superman” world tour, where she was joined by David Corenswet (Clark/Superman), Gunn, and producer Peter Safran. The film opens in local cinemas on July 9.
“Here, you have a superhero with actual superpowers. But in Lois, you also have a character who’s a superhero in her own right,” she pointed out. “She doesn’t get knocked off balance easily. She can logic her way around just about anything. She’s ten steps ahead of everyone else.
And then something comes along that she couldn’t have seen coming. Something that she can’t logic her way out of and it totally knocks her off her feet.”
Complex dynamic
But even as the plot leans into the romance, it never gets lovey-dovey. This iteration starts off with Lois and Clark already a couple, allowing the film to skip the well-trodden getting-to-know-you phase. Instead, it dives straight into showing the couple’s mature, complex dynamic—one that allows Lois to hold Clark accountable for his actions without hesitation.
In a press screening of early footage, Lois is shown conducting a hard-hitting interview with Clark—as Superman (she’s known his secret identity from the start)—grilling him about his decision to intervene in a conflict on the border between the nations of Boravia and Jarhanpur. Here, Lois’s integrity as an uncompromising truth seeker shines through, as she sets aside any emotional attachment to challenge Clark’s rashness and ethics.
And these qualities are reflected not only in her words—the details of her surroundings say just as much. For instance, her Metropolis apartment is functional and lived-in, with bookshelves for walls and tables cluttered with notebooks and files. Open her cupboards and you’ll see packs of instant noodles and cereal bars—girl diet, as the young ones put it. But there behind Clark, you’ll see a framed photo of Lois’s name written in clouds—a small loving reminder amid all the disarray.
“What it means to show up professionally looks a little different now than what it did 10 years ago. As far as modernizing Lois is concerned, we talked about how she should look as someone who’s always putting in the work, chasing a story to the ends of the Earth,” Brosnahan said.
Safe to say, you’d probably rarely catch her in flowy dresses or anything loud and bold. Think dark-toned ensembles, crisp blouses, tailored blazers, and fitted trousers. The best part of slipping into Lois’s literal and proverbial shoes? “That they’re flat!” Brosnahan quipped.
“We meet her, kind of first and foremost, in her life,” she said. “What does her apartment look like? What does she look like? How does she express herself? Through her clothes? And that meant a lot of flat shoes.”
No complaints there. And certainly none from Corenswet. In fact, he insisted that she wears flats—lest she ends up taller than the Man of Steel. “I remember, there was a pair of boots that had heels this high,” she said, gesturing with her fingers apart to indicate the height. “David was like, ‘I really don’t like the boots.’”
Brosnahan, best known for her role as Midge in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”—a part that earned her a Primetime Emmy and two Golden Globe awards for Best Actress—added: “So I ended up in shoes that had absolutely no heels at all. I spent the entire film quite literally looking up to David.”
No wonder one of the movie taglines reads, “Look up.”
Quick-witted
And perhaps it’s for this very reason that Brosnahan was so witty—so quick on her feet. When the event host explained to them the concept of “love team” in the Philippines—two actors being romantically linked on- and offscreen—Brosnahan playfully extended her hand to an oblivious Corenswet, egging him on to hold it.
Her hand left hanging, the audience burst into laughter. Only then did Corenswet realize what was happening.
Brosnahan’s familiar humor and charm were also on full display when her journalistic skills were put to the test and was pressed to come up with a headline that best described her recent visit to Manila. Furrowing her brows and scanning the room, she blurted out—with just a touch of self-deprecation—“This is why I only play one in the movie.”
Before everyone knew it, she had turned the tables on the crowd: “Okay, who’s gonna pitch me the strongest head?” Now, she was our editor.
But jokes aside, playing Lois, a character “many young women see themselves and their ambitions in”—herself included—was a great honor. “To step into her shoes and stand on the shoulders of so many incredible actors and comic book artists who created the many versions of her was the privilege of a lifetime,” she said.
