When asked whether or not there were reservations on his part on playing the role of Superman, reeve admitted that he was "skeptical" about the idea, wondering if the project could actualy be real. Reading the script, however, convinced him that it was the opportunity of a lifetime.
When asked about his approach to the character of Superman, he admitted, "I wasn’t quite sure what I would do as Superman, so I decided that I would simply let the costume do most of the work. The technology was developed to make me look incredible, but that made it easier in that I could underplay the part. So I thought, the thing to do is not do too much. Don’t pose or overact. Just be Superman. [With Clark Kent,], I knew he was bumbling, well meaning but insecure. So I stole some of him from Cary Grant and also tried to work on a stutter for a little bit. I also adopted a different body position to create some difference between the two characters."