Twenty years after beloved Superman star Christopher Reeve's death, a new documentary reveals details of the actor's life before and after his paralyzing accident.
In 1995, Reeve fell from a horse at an equestrian competition and was paralyzed from the neck down. Nine years later, in 2004, he suffered a heart attack caused by an infection and died at the age of 52.
“2024 marks the 20th anniversary of my father's death and we felt it was the perfect time to reintroduce him and his heroic story to the world,” his youngest son Will Reeve told Deadline. .
Will credited the team that produced the documentary, titled Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, including directors Ian Bonhote and Peter Etedgui, saying, “As a family, we found ourselves open, honest and vulnerable.'' “It all came together the way we did it,” he added. “And let's hand it all over to them and see what they come back with. And that trust has paid off in a way that we're so excited about so the world can do the same.” I can't wait to experience it.”
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Christopher Reeve's children, Matthew, Alexandra, and Will, are heavily involved in a new documentary about his life, “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.'' (Getty Images)
“Superman: The Christopher Reeve Story” premiered at Sundance last weekend and is being sought for distribution.
All three of Reeve's children, Matthew, Alexandra and Gaye Exton, and Will and his wife Dana Reeve, participate in the documentary, which reveals incredible new details and behind-the-scenes footage of Reeve's life. ing.
“One of the joys is that they've unearthed so much archival footage, so we've got outtakes from the original auditions for 'Superman' and our dad's movies from the '70s and '80s when we were all very young. There will also be interviews and things like that,” Alexandra told The Wrap. .
She added: “Seeing him at the height of his fame, watching old home movies that he hadn't spent much time with, and all of a sudden we're unearthing these moments and seeing them on the big screen.'' All of that was woven together and it was really beautiful and wonderful.'' It's powerful. ”
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Reeve's children are looking forward to sharing more about their father through this documentary. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
One of the most surprising things revealed in the documentary is how Reeve's relationship with her children changed after the accident.
According to Variety, in the documentary, Matthew shows how his father loves his children by competing with them, such as leaving to ski in France the day after he was born, taking them skiing, and racing first. He recalls that he was showing this.
“Our love language used to be active,” Alexandra told Variety. “All of a sudden, you're spending two hours just hanging out in your dad's office, looking into each other's eyes and talking for two hours.”
According to the Guardian, Reeve acknowledged the change, saying: “I had to break my neck to learn this.”
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Reeve is pictured with ex-partner Gaye Exton, Alexandra and Matthew in 1984. Reeve's children revealed that her relationship with her father changed for the better after his father's accident. (Parker/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
The film also touches on Reeve's difficult relationship with his own father.
“It was difficult for me to breathe easily when he was around,” Reeve said of her father, according to the Guardian.
The newspaper also reported that Reeve's children mistakenly believed that Reeve's father had won a role in George Bernard Shaw's play “Man and Superman” when his son won the role of Superman, and were given champagne. He noted that he was recalling stories of unidentified family members who said they had ordered . Reportedly, after Reeve's father discovered the mix-up, he disapproved of it.
Reeve himself struggled with being known as “Superman” and the concept of being a hero.
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Reeve's relationship with his most iconic role was complicated. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
According to the Guardian, Alexandra, who focused on acting before taking on the role, said in the documentary that she was a refugee after a “very turbulent” childhood when her parents divorced when she was three years old. said.
Jeff Daniels, who co-starred with Reeve on stage, recalled co-star William Hurt advising him not to take on superhero roles: “Don't go, you'll sell out.”
The experience of shooting a film with the iconic Marlon Brando was not at all what Reeve had hoped for, with the Guardian describing Brando as “calling back” and “taking $2 million from him”. I ran away,” he said.
“For my father, Superman had to be art,” Alexandra said.
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Reeve was reportedly reluctant to appear in the Superman sequel. (Keystone/Getty Images)
The Guardian reports that Reeve was not thrilled about appearing in the sequel, calling Superman IV “a disaster from start to finish.”
“I'm not a hero, never have been and never will be,” he was quoted as saying.
Will is best known for the title role in Superman, but it was a bit role in the Oscar-nominated film The Remains of the Day, which co-starred Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. He explained to Variety that he was proud of it.
“He was very proud of his role in that movie. It's not a big role. It's an important role in the movie,” he told the magazine. “He had to show a completely different side of himself. I knew how proud he was of that. It's not like he wasn't proud of 'Superman'…but what if… If he were here, he wouldn't choose “Superman.'''' d Choose “The Remains of the Day.'' I don't think much about the Superman movies, but how he's changed beyond this larger-than-life role. ”
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Reeve's son Will told Variety that he is most proud of his father's work on The Remains of the Day, for which he co-starred with Anthony Hopkins and received an Oscar nomination. (Mickey Anshin/Getty Images)
The documentary also delves into his journey to advocacy after his accident.
When he was first admitted to hospital, Reeve was “unable to avoid his darkest thoughts” and told his wife, Dana, “Maybe I should leave the hospital,” the Guardian reported.
He eventually got through those difficult moments, but every day remained a struggle.
“Every morning we woke up and thought something might happen, but he woke up and was reminded again that he couldn't move,” Will told Variety.
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Immediately after the accident, Reeve suffered from dark thoughts. (Michael Stevens/PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
According to the Guardian, Lieve underwent rehabilitation with support from celebrities including Robert De Niro, Katharine Hepburn and Paul McCartney. The newspaper also reported that Glenn Close recalled in an interview in the film that he was “so scared that he could have died at any moment.''
His famous friendship with Robin Williams is featured prominently in the documentary. The two met at Juilliard when they were young, became roommates, and remained close friends throughout their lives.
“I always thought that if Chris was still alive, Robin would still be alive,” Close said in the documentary, according to the Guardian.
As Reeve adjusted to her new life, she became deeply involved in disability advocacy and fundraising for spinal cord injury research.
Paul Reubens, David Hasselhoff, Christopher Reeve and Robin Williams are among the celebrity roommates before fame.
Robin Williams and Reeve have been friends for years, dating back to their days at Juilliard, before their rise to fame. (Richard Corkery/New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
“Things came easily to him early in life,” Ian Bonhote, one of the film's directors, told Variety. “And, as Christopher said, 'The only minority that anyone can instantly become a part of is disability.'” “I think there were real doors opening in the world around him on another level. It would be easy to say, 'Oh, this is a story of triumph over adversity,' but we're turning adversity into opportunity.”
“I think he was very conscious of the irony and the legacy of 'Superman' when people looked at his story and thought about him after the accident,” Alexandra told the magazine. Ta. “He talked about redefining what it means to be a hero. A hero is an ordinary person who survives despite overwhelming obstacles.”
Reeve's wife, Dana, who died of cancer in 2006 shortly after Reeve, will also appear in the documentary.
Reeve's wife, Dana, was by his side until his death, but sadly she herself passed away from a battle with cancer in 2006. (Theo Wargo/Wire Image)
“What I'm so incredibly proud of, beyond being touched, is the way the filmmakers told my mother's story and the way my mother, Dana, is featured in this documentary. Because it’s as big a feature in our lives as you would expect,” their son Will told The Wrap.
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He continued, “While it is a great honor to be Christopher Reeve's son, I am also Dana Reeve's son. I will always tell her story and tell her what a special power she gave me.” “We can share what we have learned with the world.” I am proud. “
Will and his brother serve on the board of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, according to their website. The foundation is “dedicated to curing spinal cord injuries by advancing innovative research and improving the quality of life for individuals and families affected by paralysis.”
