Erica Durance starred alongside Superman for years in “Smallville.”
Now, she’s become the hero of holiday movies.
This definitely won’t be the last time we see Durance working on a Christmas movie either.
After all, if it’s a Christmas movie, it’s bound to be good.
Can you tell us what it is about?
Yeah, so this is finding our gal Gwen.
So she is trying to have, kind of, a reconnection with her grandmother.
And so she’s trying to find this special ingredient.
And so it’s a little bit rom com-y.
What was that like?
Actually, that was really quite fun.
So that was a little bit out there.
[Laughs]
Yeah, because you’re used to doing interviews all the time.
You get used to it.
I mean, you get used to Basically, you become a nerd to your own idiocy.
What did your day-to-day look like working on this movie?
Well, you know what was really nice?
So Rob Vaughn was producing the whole thing.
Do you hope to do more of that in the future?
Yeah, I did that on my show on “Saving Hope,” and I loved it.
It was really, really cool.
I’m interested in all aspects of film and television and the storytelling process.
And so I’m looking to do that.
I’m still trying to find ways to get in there and do some directing at some point.
And so maybe you and I will be getting to do an interview where I’m doing that.
You know what I mean?
I get called about a Christmas movie, and I skim the script, right?
Because I know, within reason, it’s going to be great.
It’s going to be fun.
And I still think that’s really important to put out there, and people love it.
We’ll see how that goes.
You were both also in “The Christmas Chalet” together.
Can you tell us some fun on-set memories that you have with him?
[Laughs] We are good partners in the working world.
We balance each other very, very well.
I’m, again, quite, quite How do I say it?
But it’s just a really comfortable space to be in with somebody.
[Laughs] There’s a lot of cookies.
Yeah, there always are tasty treats on a set because we are fed.
So there’s always food.
But the irony of that is that I’m really desperately lacking in the domestic department.
I’m a functional cook.
I don’t feel bad about that.
You played her on “Smallville” for so long.
What it was like to reprise that role eight years later in “Crisis on Infinite Earths”?
It was a surprise.
[Laughs] I never thought that was going to happen.
First of all, the location was neat because it was the old Kent Farm.
And so that felt very surreal and brought back a lot of memories.
It was really nice.
And it was just, it was very It was like we had not stopped working on the show.
So I found that they did a good job.
Because what are you going to do when you bring those characters back?
And they kept her sassy still.
She was still kind of tormenting him a bit, which I think is very important to her character.
[Laughs] So yeah.
Did you keep any of Lois Lane’s props from “Smallville”?
I was just going to see if I had anything here.
This is my office.
[Motions to her bookshelf] All sorts of books and stuff.
I kept almost all of her wardrobe.
Of course, I can’t wear it anymore because I had two kids.
But yeah, I’m pretty sentimental, so I kept loads of stuff, and I took pictures.
Do you keep them on your desk, or are they on your bookshelf right there?
[Laughs]
That’s fun to have all that stuff there to inspire you in your space.
Yeah, you know?
Let’s get at it."
Erica Durance reminisces about working in the superhero world
You also starred in “Supergirl.”
What was that experience like compared to being on the set of “Smallville”?
I found that everybody was really, really nice in bringing me into that.
I just had my son Liam, who’s 5 now, so that was a long time ago.
And they called me, and they’re like, “Erica, would you come play Alura?”
And I said, “Sure, it’s a 20-minute drive.”
And I went there andMelissa [Benoist, who plays Supergirl] was great.
And it all really hinges on what your lead is like, right?
They set the tone for the set, and she was a hard worker.
It was fun when I played Alura, and I got to do the heat vision.
And yeah, we had a couple of good laughs.
What is your favorite part about doing all these superhero series?
I can’t pin it down to one thing, and I think that’s why I like it.
Whether it’s romcom or sometimes they dip into a little bit more drama.
Then I’d be doing stunts.
And then you get to be part of a story that is fantastical.
All that kind of stuff, which just gets overwhelming and kind of oppressive.
[Laughs] And, you know, everybody wants to have superpowers.
So it was fun to be part of such a big, big machine.
What do her kids think of her roles?
Have your little ones seen the show?
Do they understand that it’s you?
And I was like, “Yeah.
Mommy was Hannah today.”
And then, of course, their thing is like, “Where are you on the leaderboard?”
Because they’re trying to figure out, because they just do everything from their little games they play.
[Laughs] And it was just so funny.
It just came out of nowhere.
I was like, “Wow, you’re already so competitive.”
That’s kids, though.
They’re like, “Oh, yeah.
Or they’ll be like, “Why?”
Oh, happy birthday!
Yeah, I’m going to say thank you because hey, it was a lot of work.
You look so pretty today.”
I’m like, “Wow, this is just concerning.”
He only compliments me when my hair looks nice?
How did this happen?
Who’s the coolest person that you’ve met there?
I’m sure there are a lot.
I have quite a few neat people I’ve met over the years.
There’s Patrick Stewart, that was a big deal for me.
Margot Kidder, so that’s kind of all in that world.
I metDavid Tennantone time.
That was very cool for me because I loved “Broadchurch.”
And then I met the cast from “Outlander,” which was awesome.
[Laughs] I was such a nerd.
Were you totally fangirling?
What’s that story?
Well, it was just I thought I did okay with it.
And I was like, “Well, yeah.
That seemed appropriate.”
And they’re like, “You should have just done it in the coffee room.”
And I went, “Well, I’m not cool like you.
I tried to follow the rules.”
So I am just as nerdy as everybody else.
I have my people I like to watch.
And then with “Saving Hope,” there’s a couple of different things.
I was much more caring.
The leadership role, I did directing on it, I did producing on it.
What if it’s not there anymore?
And then you realize actually you don’t need to be precious about it.
Whatever happens, however you might make it happen, you’re good.
And so people are like, “Aren’t you tired yet?”
And I was like, “No, no.
This isn’t tired.”
So yeah I, within reason, I look back on things, and I go, “Yeah.
I do babble in interviews.
[Laughs] You’ll have to trim it back.
I’m a mom, too, so I understand where you’re coming from.
It changes you, too.
And I have to go have a conversation and be like, “How is this possible?”
I thought the programming was this, and now this thing is happening.
And that’s the thing with kids, right?
[Laughs] You’re like, “He did what?
Why is he doing that?
He knows he’s not supposed to do that.”
So yeah, it’s the hardest job there is.
[Laughs] At least in my experience, in my world.
What’s next for Erica Durance?
You mentioned a Hallmark movie you’re working on.
What’s coming up next for you that you’re able to tell us about?
I just finished doing a Hallmark movie called Well, the working title was “Three Sisters.”
I’ll see what they end up calling it, but it’s on January 9th.
It’s coming out as well.
That one wasn’t Christmas.
That was just You know how all the networks are now packaging for basically every particular season?
So that was really fun.
“The Enchanted Christmas Cake” premieres Wednesday, December 15 at 8 p.m. EST/PST on Lifetime.
