MONDO EXTRAS

OG: There's been a lot of discussion of this on our message boards from nearly all of our readers. On a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the most, exactly how homoerotic is the relationship between Lex Luthor and Clark Kent?

AG: You're talking to two guys who made their careers on buddy movies. Buddy cop movies are love stories with two guys who carry guns. It's really not supposed to be homoerotic at all. [Laughs.] I sometimes read your site and I think we're doing Kiss of the Spider Woman. [Laughs.] It's a little freaky. Lex is obviously older than Clark and lives by himself in this castle. It is genuine friendship. It's not supposed to be gay. It has taken on a life of its own. We don't sit down and try to find the Gayest Scene of the Episodes.

OG: Yet, it comes out. How hard is it to find a balance between tongue-in-cheek humor (like Bo hearing the Dukes of Hazzard theme on the radio) and sticking to the seriousness of the mythos?

AG: That's the chemistry experiment in each episode. Our theory is play it straight and then you can do a couple of winks. They always have to be playing it straight. We're not as tongue-in-cheek as other shows. It's a balance. The Dukes theme song, I was back and forth on it. I said we could do it if you played it as a throwaway. That's probably right on the line, though.

OG: One complaint we've had on the boards about the show is that actors like Annette O'Toole and Sam Jones III aren't used enough. Will they have their own storylines in future episodes?

AG: Both characters are going to have bigger storylines next season. They're both fantastic actors. We're working with the mix of shows, and it's a balancing act, getting people into episodes. Unfortunately, Sam has gotten the least screen time. He's definitely going to have a bigger role next season. They're both really terrific.

OG: There's been talk of having Bruce Wayne as a character on the show. Is that any closer to happening?

AG: Not in the near future. I think that's something that we could potentially see a little further down the road. That all has to do with issues, financial and rights control. It's an ongoing dream. [Laughs.] It's just hard when you cross those two worlds. It's difficult. You deal with Warner features and DC comics and other entities. If anyone doesn't like the idea, it's dead. It's just finding the right way to approach that.