Attention Deficit Delirium

Illustration by Matthew Hollings.

In May 2003 I interviewed Christopher Reeve for a story about celebrity philanthropy. I needed a couple of quotes. We chatted for nearly an hour over the phone about politics, religion and political advocacy, particularly in terms of celebrities. He passed away in October 2004.

Prior to the fifth anniversary of his death last October, I pitched MovieMaker magazine on running my unused interview. They liked the idea, and ultimately it made it into the new issue, which was distributed at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The story (on page 82) is called “Truth, Justice and the Christopher Reeve Way.”

This is one of the best interviews I’ve ever done, and with one of my major childhood heroes. I’m immensely proud of it. I am not sure if it will be reprinted online, but I encourage you to pick up a copy of the latest issue, which features Ethan Hawke on the cover.


As a way to whet your appetite, I am
including the opening two paragraphs.

“Prior to interviewing the late Christopher Reeve on May 27, 2003, I studied a Psychology Today profile on the former silver screen superhero. The main photograph framed the wheelchair-bound actor before a blown-up image of himself from the original Superman movie, juxtaposing his super-powered celluloid persona with the real-life hero who was battling a confining condition and serving as an inspiration to others in a new, more profoundly human way. My interview with him would take me beyond the pure, godlike character he portrayed on film to a more complicated, politically aware individual who was just as valiant and as patriotic, but even more intense.

When he was originally paralyzed during an equestrian accident eight years earlier, doctors had not expected Reeve to live. But he did, and he continued showing progress that had not been thought possible. As Reeve noted, ‘Doctors need to be very careful before they
declare absolute certainty about anything.’”