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From TV Zone #152 July, 2002. Reprinted without permission.

BLONDE AMBITION

It's not easy being in love with someone who doesn't feel the same way. Actress Allison Mack told Steven Eramo what it is that attracts Chloe Sullivan to the young Clark Kent...

Those of us who watched the old black and white TV series The Adventures of Superman will undoubtedly remember Lois Lane. Independent, determined, self-motivated and caring, she was the top reporter for the Metropolis newspaper The Daily Planet. Lois had a friendly rivalry going with fellow reporter Clark Kent alias Superman, whom she greatly admired. The character was one of the first women on the small screen to prove she could hold her own in what was back in the 50s a man's world.

Flash forward to the new millennium. Lois Lane has passed the torch—both in reporting and unrequited love for the Man of Steel—on to the new kid on the block, Chloe Sullivan of Smallville. The writer's of the hit show have imbued the character with some very Lois Lane-like qualities, while still allowing her to be her own person. Chloe is editor of and reporter for the Smallville High School newspaper The Smallville Torch. Her main interest is investigating the strange goings on in the town since a meteor shower 12 years ago, which coincidentally, heralded the arrival of an infant Clark Kent. Her research and clippings make up what she calls 'The Wall of Weird'. Relentless in her quest not only for the latest scoop but also the truth, Chloe is brought to life each week by the beautiful and ebullient Allison Mack.

"I honestly love my character," enthuses the actress. "Chloe is a feisty, intelligent, witty young lady who is ambitious and determined. She knows what she wants and short of hurting anyone, doesn't really let anything get in her way. I think the show's writers have done a great job of developing her. She's grown into more of a woman, meaning Chloe wasn't quite as in touch with her feminine side when Smallville first began as she is nowadays. As she gets older Chloe is definitely getting much more in tune with her sexuality, you know? She's also becoming more headstrong, if you can believe it," jokes Mack. "Chloe has her eyes on the prize insofar as what she wants to do with her life, and that's cool. The fact that she's a three-dimensional individual as opposed to a comic book cut-out is what makes playing her so enjoyable."

Chloe's dream is to one day return to the big city of Metropolis where she was born and get a job with The Daily Planet. Her drive to become a professional reporter mirrors that of Mack's desire to pursue an acting career. Mack was born on 29th of July in Preez, Germany, and when she was two years old moved with her family to Long Beach in Southern California. The actress made her debut at the age of four in a series of print ads and television commercials.

"My very first job was a commercial for German chocolate and it was all in German," she recalls. "The thing that still sticks out in my mind most about it was I wasn't allowed to swallow the chocolate. I would take a bite and then at the end of every take I'd have to spit it out. That was very frustrating especially for a kid," laughs Mack.

"Although I began acting when I was a child I didn't really think about it as a profession until I was around 15. When I was younger I was definitely afraid of kissing boys, so I didn't want to become an actress because I didn't want to have to do those types of scenes. Instead, I was interested in becoming a veterinarian, a marine biologist, a dolphin trainer and then a director. However, the older I got, the more I realized that I had a real passion for acting. I thought if I had the opportunity to do what I loved most and make a living doing it, then why not? So I decided to go for it and I'm so happy that I did."

A versatile and talented actress, Mack has worked on a wide range of projects over the years ranging from comedy to drama. Her big screen credits include Police Academy 6: City Under Siege, Night Eyes Three and Camp Nowhere. On TV, she has appeared in several made-for-TV movies opposite such stars as Sissy Spacek, Dolly Parton, Roddy McDowell and Peter Coyote. The actress was a regular on two short-lived series, Hiller and Diller and The Opposite Sex, and has guest-starred on such programmes as Kate Brasher, Providence and 7th Heaven.

"Probably one of the most draining and difficult parts I've ever had to play was that of a pregnant teenager who ultimately committed suicide," muses Mack. "It was such an emotional part. Not only was it hard to find hope for the character but also a scene where I didn't have to sob. When I did have to cry, though, I'd focus on my breathing as well as the other actors around me and the tears just started flowing. I've been making myself cry in front of a camera since I was nine years old. Again, I work off other actors a lot and, luckily for me, I've been blessed to act opposite some very gifted people. That helps made it much easier."

According to Mack, her audition for the role of Chloe on Smallville was a straightforward and relatively painless process. "I knew the casting director, so I was pretty comfortable going in," she says. "Actually, when I got to the audition I realized I might be the wrong ethnicity as I was the only Caucasian actress there. Originally, the producers wanted to go ethnic. However, they had a difficult time finding someone that fit their image of Chloe. Because of this I ended up getting a call-back. I read a second time and they hired me. Before I knew it I was on a plane for Vancouver and on the set shooting the pilot.

"Working on the pilot was a terrific experience," continues the actress. "It took about a month to film and because I had a limited number of scenes I only worked for seven days. So I spent the rest of the time exploring Vancouver and getting used to it. It's a beautiful city and it makes for a nice change of pace not to be working in Los Angeles. It actually helps you focus more on your work. I'll admit though, that I do miss my family and friends and, of course, my boyfriend. Being away from them so much is by far the hardest part of this job. I'm grateful, though, to be working with so many wonderful people on Smallville. The show's cast and crew gets along so well. It's such a pleasure to come to work every day and be with them."

Mack spends most of her on-screen time with fellow castmembers Sam Jones III, who plays Pete Ross, and the show's leading man, Tom Welling aka Clark Kent. Clark and Pete are Chloe's best friends, and all three work together on The Smallville Torch. Nicknamed 'The Three Musketeers' by some fans, they care about each other a great deal and watch out for one another. It's obvious, though, that Chloe's feelings for one of these handsome young men goes beyond just friendship.

"Pete is like a brother to Chloe," she explains. "They're good friends and very close but in a platonic way, at least in Chloe's eyes. They enjoy teasing one another as siblings do and are very comfortable in each other's company. When it comes to Clark, Chloe has some very strong feelings for him and would really like to be more to him than just a friend. However, Clark's love for Lana [Kristen Kruek] tends to get in the way of that," jokes the actress. "So there's a little bit of frustration and jealousy going on there along with some unrequited love. Good thing she has her reporting to take her mind off things."

Like all good journalists, Chloe has a nose for news. Not surprisingly, her instincts and natural curiosity sometimes lead her into danger. In the episode Hothead, she and Principal Kwan [Hiro Kanagawa] are almost killed by Coach Walt [Dan Lauria], who sets fire to The Smallville Torch office when Chloe threatens to expose the fact that he supplied star football players with answers to a math test. Chloe is badly hurt when a trio of thieves who can move through solid objects rob Lex Luthor's [Michael Rosenbaum] manor in Kinetic, while in Crush, the former cartoonist for The Smallville Torch returns to school with a deadly secret and ends up turning on his friend Chloe.

"Chloe does seem to get beat up a lot, doesn't she?" chuckles Mack. "Thank goodness we have a fantastic stunt co-ordinator on Smallville. He comes in before we start shooting each episode and asks us what we would and would not be comfortable doing and then plans the stunts around that. I've gotten to do some pretty neat things. I had to do a lot of work with fire in Hothead. Surprisingly, that scared me more afterwards than when I was actually doing it, if that makes any sense. Again, I trust the stunt co-ordinator so much and know he wouldn't do anything to hurt me.

"I've done a high fall, and I just recently floated on wires, which was great fun. I do as much as I can but I don't throw myself into walls and things like that. I leave that to the professionals. I remember there was a scene in one story where Kristen, Tom and I had to ride horses. I'd never been on one before, so it was a new experience for me. We were learning how to tell them to stop, go, speed up, slow down, etc. Tom and I were riding our horses back to where we were supposed to start filming. All of a sudden, he looked at me and [jokingly] challenged me. His horse began to go faster and I thought, 'Right,' so my horse sped up. Tom's horse sped up a bit more and then mine decided to start galloping. I nearly fell off my horse. Fortunately we got it all under control and I quickly learnt how to make a horse stop. There's never a dull moment for me or Chloe on Smallville."

Prior to the start of filming Smallville's first season, the actress guest-starred with Sam Jones III in Camp Nowhere, a two-part episode of the Saturday morning WB kids programme The Nightmare Room. She played Charlotte, one of four friends chosen to stay overnight in a 'haunted' cabin. "My character was a lot like Chloe in that she was strong-willed, smart and a good friend, but also very maternal in her behaviour," says Mack. "She was fun to play and I had a great time working with Sam."

Is there anything specific about her character that Mack would like to see the writers explore next season? "I'd like to learn more about Chloe's past and her family," answers the actress. "We know that her father [Gabe] runs the Luthor family local fertilizer plant but that's about all. It would also be cool to see her in Metropolis. That's where she's from and I think where she feels most comfortable. I'd like to see her have more of a relationship with Lana Lang too. That could make for some interesting scenes. Those are the main areas that I'd like to see further embellished. Other than that I'm just looking forward to getting back to doing what I love to do most, which is acting."