ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; DC/YouTube; Colin Bentley/CW/courtesy Everett Collection It takes a strong woman to stand up to the Man of Steel. Through the years, dozens of actresses have portrayedSuperman's love interest and confidante Lois Lane, an award-winning reporter both perplexed and entranced by the man also (secretly) known as Clark Kent. In the latest iteration of the Superman story, in theaters July 11,Rachel Brosnahansteps into Lois' pumps. And to show just how badly she wanted the role, Brosnahan recently shared that she answered a call from the director before she was able to leave the bathroom. "I was in SoHo, in a public bathroom. I had my phone in my hand and picked it up. It said, 'Maybe James Gunn,' " Brosnahan toldJenna Bush Hagerand guest co-hostDwyane Wadeon theTODAYshow. "I was like, 'I gotta get this. What do I do?' and just prayed that a toilet didn't flush behind me. And he said, 'How'd you like to be Lois Lane?'" (Cue the toilet flush.) WithSupermanflying into the theaters this weekend, look back at the Loises throughout history. Although her turn as Lois Lane never made it to the small (or big) screen, Alexander did have the honor of playing Clark Kent's leading lady on the radio serialThe Adventures of Superman,which aired from 1940 to 1951. Courtesy Everett Collection Neill became the first actress to portray the intrepid reporter reporter onscreen, playing Lane in a 15-chapter film serial in 1948 and again inAtom Man vs. Superman.The actress also starred in the 1950s TV seriesAdventures of Superman. Mary Evans/LIPPERT PICTURES/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection Coates starred in the first TV show adaptation of Superman from 1952 to 1953, shortly following her big film debut as Lois Lane in 1951'sSuperman and the Mole-Men. Kidder began acting in the late 1960s, but became a household name in 1978 forher role as Lois Lane inSuperman: The Movieopposite Christopher Reeve. The Canadian-born actress went on to reprise the part in the movie's three sequels. Despite the fame that came with the role, Kidder's career stalled somewhat, and she experienced homelessness while having mental health issues in the 1990s. She became a mental health advocate and began working again the 2000s,before her death in 2018. ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Years before starring inDesperate Housewives, Hatcher played the dogged journalist opposite Dean Cain's Superman in the '90s TV showLois & Clark. In April 2018, Hatcher spoke of being down for a reboot of the show,tellingEntertainment Weekly: "I know I have a lot of fans that would like to see the whole show rebooted, so maybe that'll happen. Dean [Cain, who played Clark Kent] and I both still have really warm feelings about our whole experience on the show. So who knows!" Michael Courtney/Warner Brothers Television/Courtesy Everett Collection Durance, who played Lois inSmallville— about the early days of Clark Kent —told PEOPLE about an interact she had with Margot Kidder. "The first thing Margot ever said to me was, 'You really hit it out of the park, kid,' referring to my performance as Lois Lane onSmallville, a compliment I cherish to this day," Durance shared. "She's definitely the type of woman that — she doesn't think she needs to be saved, ever," Bosworth said in an interview, recalling the time she portrayed the reporter in 2006'sSuperman Returnsopposite Brandon Routh. "She'll just take care of things on her own. She's very independent, very driven, very strong-willed — which can be slightly frustrating for the men in her life." Jessica Miglio/Relativity Media/Courtesy Everett Collection In one of her lesser known roles, Thurman played "Fake Lois Lane" during a "Super Hero Speed Dating" scene in 2013's raunchy, infamousMovie 43. Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection Amy Adams played Lois Lane in 2013'sMan of Steelalongside Henry Cavill'sSuperman, and reprised the role in several Justice League films includingBatman vs. Superman. Shetold reporters about her favorite moment from the latter film in 2016, recalling a bathtub scene in which Cavill's Superman lowers himself into a tub in which his girlfriend is relaxing. "Trying to protect my modesty while this demigod stood above me. I had this low self-esteem for two weeks after that," she joked. "It's true. I was like, 'I am hideous.' " Colin Bentley/CW/Courtesy Everett Collection Elizabeth Tulloch stepped in to play the beloved reporter when she snagged the role for The CW'sSuperman & Lois.The show premiered in February 2021 withTyler Hoechlinplaying the Man of Steel and ran for four seasons until its conclusion in 2024. Jessica Miglio/ Warner Bros. Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois alongsideDavid Corenswet's Superman in the film, out now. She expressed admiration for the character and her predecessors and explained whys he's so drawn to the part. "Lois is someone who prides herself on being 10 steps ahead of everyone else,"she told theWashington Post."When something like the deep love that she has for Superman comes in and knocks her off her feet, she can't figure out how to logic her way around it ... The scariest part about this project is that she feels the closest to myself I've ever played." Read the original article onPeople
