Cult Times Special #30
A Lang Journey

What a difference a year makes. Kristin Kreuk’s portrayal of Smallville’s Lana Lang has gone from little girl lost to strong young woman in less time than it takes a superhero to save the day, and the delightful Ms Kreuk is savouring every minute of it. In contrast to her character’s often tortured demeanour on the popular teen drama, the actress is sitting relaxed and buoyant on the Smallville set and talks with evident fondness for the character pivotal to Clark Kent’s (Tom Welling) quest for happiness.

“I think Lana is wonderful this year,” affirms Kreuk. “I think she’s come so far and she is only going to get stronger.” Small wonder: this year Lana has had to deal wit school (every week), work (every week), trouble with mates (Delete), gaining boyfriends (Magnetic/Asylum), losing them again (Crisis) and retrieving one gone off the rails (Exile). Kreuk throws her head back and laughs at this description, and acknowledges, “Throughout Season Three the various trials and tribulations Lana’s had to deal with means she’s come to the realization and understanding that she can’t always be saved by Clark or anyone else. She’s learned she has to be her own saviour and her own family and that she has to be there for herself before she can really be in a meaningful relationship, whether it be a romance or friendship or whatever.”

Of the on/off maybe it’s on but possibly not romance with the very beautiful Kent junior, the equally stunning actress quotes, “Lana loves Clark. She does now and I think she always will, but she also knows there is no way she can be with anybody just yet. She still has a bit more growing to do before she finds the true strength that lies within that will give her the confidence and the freedom to fully participate in a relationship.” Oh dear. And they both look so good together.

Kreuk suggests finding confidence was what her character’s relationship with Adam Knight (Ian Somerhalder) was all about. “The situation that developed with Adam was what sent her headed down the path she’s now on. Adam saw a strength in Lana that no one else has.” Pausing, she muses, “I think Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) is the only other person who has seen that strength in her, but Lex babies Lana. Well, not babies her exactly, but doesn’t yet see her as a young woman. He still has a soft spot for the girl she was and in my opinion is a bit too gentle with her.
“Starting a relationship with Adam was Lana’s own doing. She made her own choices and as it turned out her own mistakes. She felt responsibility for them and ended up dragging other people into a not so great situation.” Cutting the character some slack, Kreuk volunteers, “Actually, Adam dragged other people in, but Lana felt that she did.” Good thing he was spirited away when he was then, eh?
One person thankfully not likely to be spirited too far from Smallville is Kreuk’s friend on and off set Allison Mack (Chloe Sullivan). Amid much merriment, Kreuk recalls the scene in Delete where Lana and Chloe get into a spectacularly dirty girl-fight. “Oh, that was fun. Allison and I had a really good time. We’re really good friends so it was a blast getting to physically beat each other up. We trained with our stunt co-ordinator and though it was a little rough at times – we both ended up a little bruised – yeah, it was great fun to do.”

‘Fun’ seems to be the operative word on the Smallville set. The camaraderie between the cast members and crew is evident from the affectionate way they greet each other with warm smiles (and the odd cheeky comment) and treat one another to big hugs and kisses throughout the day (and that’s just the boys). Only kidding, honest. Kreuk concurs, “This year has been so easy work-wise. You’ve been hanging on the set, so you know that we have a great rapport as a cast and that we enjoy each other. The crew is also pretty awesome. We all know what we’re doing so we can afford to relax a bit and enjoy ourselves.”
The cast member most likely to help everyone enjoy themselves is the very affectionately nicknamed ‘Rosenclown’ (Michael Rosenbaum to you and me). “He’s crazeeee!” chuckles Kreuk. “He has the most tremendous energy and really cares about his performance and is totally generous as a performer. Which means his passion for each scene works for him and the other actors. It’s a treat sharing scenes with him.”
Rumour has it Kreuk is going to be spending a lot more time with the delectable Mr Rosenbaum, but she refuses to be drawn on the subject. Torn between telling the truth - Clark Kent take note - and keeping spoilers to a minimum, she squirms a bit in her seat then finally allows, “Well, there are some new relationships brewing in Smallville and some shifts in current relationships that will really be interesting to see.”

Squeaks from the interviewer about how much we love this show and that we can’t wait’ till the final episode of this season garners a shout of delighted laughter. “I can’t tell you more about it, even though I know you really want to know.” Wish we hadn’t asked now...Just before she trots off to rehearse a Lana/Lex scene in the coffee shop, a giggling Ms Kreuk lets slip that, “There are some pretty big changes coming in Smallville at the end of this season. From what you’re going to see on set you’ll know that Lana makes a big decision that affects things in Smallville quite a bit. “Tease! Does this decision have to do with school, work, friends, boyfriends, or a combination of all of the above? Cheeky Ms Kreuk say’s we’ll just have to watch and see.