Christopher Reeve’s Children Want to Honor His Honesty in 'Super/Man' Film

Christopher Reeve and wife Dana pose at The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation 13th Annual "A Magical Evening" Gala in New York in this photo taken on November 24, 2003. (Reuters)
Christopher Reeve and wife Dana pose at The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation 13th Annual "A Magical Evening" Gala in New York in this photo taken on November 24, 2003. (Reuters)
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Christopher Reeve’s Children Want to Honor His Honesty in 'Super/Man' Film

Christopher Reeve and wife Dana pose at The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation 13th Annual "A Magical Evening" Gala in New York in this photo taken on November 24, 2003. (Reuters)
Christopher Reeve and wife Dana pose at The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation 13th Annual "A Magical Evening" Gala in New York in this photo taken on November 24, 2003. (Reuters)

What makes a hero? "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story" seeks to address that question by looking at the life of the late actor who once played the Man of Steel but was paralyzed following a horse-riding accident.

The documentary, released in UK cinemas on Friday, charts Reeve's rise to stardom thanks to the 1978 film "Superman" as well as his activism and quest to find a cure for spinal cord injury after becoming a quadriplegic.

It features interviews with his three children, Matthew, Alexandra and William, and a rich archive of home footage before and after the avid sportsman's 1995 accident, showing both tender moments as well as more challenging times.

Reeve, who starred in four "Superman" films and other movies, died in 2004 of heart failure, aged 52. His wife Dana died 17 months later of lung cancer. She was 44.

"It was a huge leap of faith, we decided to sit for interviews and hand over our films and trust that (the directors) would do justice to our dad and Dana’s story, which they did," Alexandra Reeve told Reuters.

"But it’s also a total gift. We sat there in the screening room (after first seeing the film)... and I remember the lights coming up at the end and... one of the first things I said was: ‘You just gave us two hours with our parents again.’"

Reeve's children and co-directors Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui said the film seeks to strike a balance, showing both Reeve's strengths and weaknesses. He is heard talking about his struggles with fame and life after his accident.

"He was always honest and he was always very open and candid ... after the accident, he was very forthright about... any medical setbacks, about his hopes for research in the future," Matthew Reeve said, adding the film wanted to "honor that aspect of his honesty".

Christopher and Dana Reeve campaigned heavily to advocate for people living with paralysis and their carers, raise awareness and fund research.

“My father and mother placed very little, if any, weight on fame or public success. They cared most about the health and love within a family," Will Reeve said.

"They didn’t see themselves as anything more than two human beings just trying get through life as best they could."



AARP to Honor Glenn Close with Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Award

Glenn Close attends the premiere of the Apple TV+ series "The New Look" on Feb. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP)
Glenn Close attends the premiere of the Apple TV+ series "The New Look" on Feb. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP)
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AARP to Honor Glenn Close with Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Award

Glenn Close attends the premiere of the Apple TV+ series "The New Look" on Feb. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP)
Glenn Close attends the premiere of the Apple TV+ series "The New Look" on Feb. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP)

Glenn Close will be the next recipient of AARP The Magazine’s Movies for Grownups Awards career achievement honor.

The 77-year-old actor is known for films including "Fatal Attraction,101 Dalmatians" and "The Wife" over a career spanning nearly 50 years. She will receive the honor at the AARP’s annual Movies for Grownups Awards ceremony in January, the group announced Tuesday.

"I am so honored to receive the AARP Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Award even though I feel like I’m still 35, if not younger," Close said in a statement. "I love making movies for grownups and everyone else, and I deeply appreciate the inspiration and support of the people I have worked with over 50 years. Thank you, AARP, for this great honor."

The AARP launched the Movies for Grownups initiative in 2002 to advocate for audiences over 50 years old and to fight ageism in Hollywood. The awards ceremony that celebrates movies "for grownups, by grownups" will be held in Beverly Hills, California, on Jan. 11, with Alan Cumming to host. The ceremony will be broadcast by "Great Performances" on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. Eastern on PBS.

Martha Boudreau, AARP's executive vice president and chief communications and marketing officer, said Close has made her mark in the industry with memorable performances and her consistent work as a septuagenarian.

"Glenn Close starred in ‘The Big Chill,’ the first blockbuster hit film about the Baby Boomer generation facing aging, and since then her career has shattered Hollywood’s outmoded, ageist stereotypes. Her steady successes exemplify what AARP’s Movies for Grownups program is all about," Boudreau said in a statement.

Close joins the company of several revered actors who have received the honor in past years, including Jamie Lee Curtis, George Clooney and Lily Tomlin.