As the firm’s resident comic book/superhero movie/high-fantasy lore nerd, I took it upon myself to see James Gunn’s Superman this past Sunday evening. Box office performance was strong, making it the third biggest domestic weekend opening of 2025.
It’s a high-flying, action-packed comic book romp with a lot of great heart and a genuinely good time at the movies, which I very much enjoyed. (Side note: see it in IMAX if you can).
Two major standouts of the film are the casting of Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and hometown boy/avid Eagles fan (Go Birds) David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman.
Some of you may recall this from a previous version of the movie’s trailer, but early in the story, there is a pointed scene between the two characters. Lois, an impressive and doggedly professional journalist, gets Clark to agree to let her interview him – as Superman.
And let’s just say that for a guy who excels in flying and fighting, he could use some help when it comes to blocking and bridging (buh-doom-chh).
It appears that Superman needs media training.
And so, I took it upon myself to spend some time with one of our firm’s foremost experts on media training, EVP Matt Broscious (read: I stood in his office doorway and peppered him with questions until he demanded that I leave).
Over 15 years, Matt has conducted literally hundreds of media trainings for our roster clients – ranging from the C-Suite to frontline employees. Here are a few quick highlights of our conversation, and maybe a few tips and tricks for Big Blue…
John Strain: OK, so I’ve just shown you a few clips of the scene and described to you what I can remember – what stands out to you first?
Matt Broscious: Well, number one is know what “on” and “off” the record means and how it works. Clark stumbles over himself at a certain point in the discussion because he’s not clear on this. Not sure what that says about him as a reporter, but I digress.
“Off the record” is when both parties agree — in advance! — that the conversation cannot be quoted or attributed for a story. When used correctly and strategically, off-the-record conversations can be valuable tools for establishing context and color for a journalist. Typically, it’s used when a story is extremely sensitive and an expert opinion or insider insight would be highly valuable to the journalist. It may not be appropriate for you to be quoted, for any number of reasons, but an off-the-record conversation allows you to share key information with a journalist while helping to shape the story and providing important perspective. And it should be done with a journalist you know well and have a foundation of trust. As Lois — rightly! — insisted, “off the record” does not mean, “Please let me take back what I just said and don’t print it.” Anything said in a traditional interview is fair game.
At one point, Clark tries to slip in a soundbite he came up with himself – “Superman doesn’t have time for selfies.” What did you make of that?
Soundbites are great when informed by messaging. Otherwise, it’s just a pithy line that doesn’t really advance your agenda or position. Providing a “quotable quote” provides the reporter with something valuable and interesting.
A strategic key messaging document distills down the most critical information about your company or the situation. What do you want people to take away from the story? What about you, your company or the situation you’re discussing do they need to know?
The messages should be short and memorable, with proof points you can use to support them as needed. With this framework in hand, our clients are ready to respond to questions and make sure their key points are communicated naturally in the interview.
One thing I know we always stress with our clients is that preparation is key. What’d you think of Superman’s prep in this instance?
Even a guy with x-ray vision should never walk into an interview blind! I often tell clients, “The first time you hear a hard question should never be the first time you’ve answered it.”
If there’s a tough question you don’t want to hear — like, “Did you consult with the President [before illegally entering a country]?” — odds are high it will come up. And Superman’s big sigh wasn’t the most compelling response.
Because Clark had always been the one writing the Daily Planet’s Superman interviews, he was completely unprepared for Lois to ask him hard-hitting questions. It made for a great scene, but if he’d had some media training, he would have already anticipated those tough questions and been ready with a clear answer demonstrating his perspective.
Interestingly enough — and certainly by design — both Matt and I noticed that the scene kicks off with Clark saying: “Let’s do it, Cronkite.” A moment of levity, but also the filmmaker’s subtle way of imparting Lois’s level of credibility.
Now… were the two characters dating at the time and had Clark been getting front page stories for himself by “interviewing Superman” prior to the events of this scene? AND might that represent a slight violation of journalistic integrity?
Sure. Lois says as much.
But... It’s a comic book movie. And even if Superman didn’t ace his interview, journalism itself played a starring role in the film — reminding us all how important it is to hold truth to power. Good on Lois for holding even Superman accountable.