A FRIEND gave Dean Cain a glimpse into his future two days after he was hired for 1990s hit television show Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
“We were on a ski lift in Utah, it was quiet and snowing and I remember him saying ‘For the rest of your life, people will call you Superman’,” Cain said from his LA home.
“I wasn’t concerned or felt the gravity of stepping in to those boots. I felt comfortable and confident and liked the character as it was written on paper.
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READ NOW“I understood what that fame was like but I just wanted people to like me and accept me as the character. I believe they did to some degree and I’m very happy about that.”
Son of director Christopher Cain, Cain grew up in Malibu with Sean Penn, Rob Lowe, Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez and dated Brooke Shields while they both attended Princeton University.
But Cain had his sights set on a football career rather than acting, signing to the Buffalo Bills after graduation until a knee injury forced him to change focus during his rookie season.
“I don’t have to wonder ‘What if?’ because I was there and playing,” Cain said.
“I got to see the speed and feel the hits. There’s zero question in my mind that I could have played in the NFL and done well. The part that’s tough is that if I’d been able to play for five seasons, I would have seen four Super Bowls.
“But I’ve certainly affected more lives playing Superman and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
The single father to 17-year-old son Christopher, named after Cain’s father, will be in Perth for Supanova Comic Con and Gaming on June 24 to 25 following his recent role as Jeremiah Danvers on Supergirl.
The unrelenting nature of working on Lois and Clark for four seasons made Cain vow he would not take a lead role on a show or do a film shoot longer than three weeks while raising his son.
“You don’t do anything but the show for the years you’re on it, it never ceases” he said.
“I was characters two and three, Clark and Superman, I’d get six days off a year. That is a tough trip and you can see how it eats people up and they mess around with drugs and alcohol.
“You can’t have any life outside; your love life is going to suffer and your family will suffer. I was 27 and single, so it didn’t matter to me then.
“By having done that and being a single father, I know I wouldn’t do that now; I wouldn’t take that on for the last 17 years. When he goes to college, I might need something to do, so perhaps I’ll jump back in there.”
THE ESSENTIALS
What: Supanova Comic Con and Gaming
Where: Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
When: June 24-25
Tickets: www.supanova.com.au
