‘Superman’ Actor Sara Sampaio Defends Eve Teschmacher’s Ditzy Depiction: “Smart People Can Enjoy Pink And Bedazzled Clothes. Humans Are Complex.”
Far from just a byproduct of bringing the DCU into the modern age, Superman actor Sara Sampaio says that the vapidity seen in James Gunn’s take on Eve Teschmacher was not only an intentional creative decision, but one ultimately meant to serve the film’s exploration of ‘what it means to be human’.
The actor-slash-Victoria’s Secret Angel spoke to the subtle intricacies of her selfie-obsessed socialite during a recent post-release interview given to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Brian Davids.
Asked whether or not her character’s incessant need to catalog her life regardless of circumstance always felt “believable” to her, Sampaio proudly declared, “A hundred percent.”
“She’s obviously a comedic character in the movie, but James kept saying to me that she has to feel grounded,” the actor explained. “She has to feel like a real person. And what you said is true [about how influencers will take selfies at the most inappropriate moments, such as during protests]. So Eve is also not aware of what is inappropriate. For her, it’s just a great photo that would get so many likes. Her mind is more focused on what will do well on social media. She has that kind of self-obsessed thinking. But at the same time, she’s not dumb, and she uses that to her own advantage.”
Further pressed as to whether she felt less inclined to take her own selfies for fear of comparisons to her character, Sampaio laughed, “I really don’t take many selfies in the wild, and after this movie, I don’t know if I want to take a selfie anytime soon.”
“Since they started that Instagram, ‘Influencers in the Wild,’ I’m scared of showing up on it; Eve would a hundred percent be on it,” she said. “But if anyone wants to take a selfie with me, I’ll happily do that. It’s part of the character, and I’m so happy people are embracing her and her selfies.”
Continuing, Sampaio then asserted, “I also hope people take from this character that she’s more than an influencer and some vapid person.”
“Smart people can enjoy pink and bedazzled clothes,” she argued. “Humans are complex. If you look at Lex, his reasons [for being scared of Superman] are valid in a way, but the way he goes about it is completely wrong. And to somehow end up feeling a bit of empathy for the biggest villain of all, that’s all James [Gunn’s] incredible writing.”
“Everyone underestimated Eve [from the start],” Sampaio recalled. “‘What is she even doing in the movie? Why is she taking selfies? This is so stupid.’ And now everyone is like, ‘Oh!’ She saves the day at the end, and it’s a brilliant way of showing how humans and characters are not just one thing.”
As the interview wound down, the actor was asked for her thoughts on the movie’s “treatment” of her character, particularly as to whether she felt that Eve was a well-rounded character or simply a punching bag for both Lex Luthor and Jimmy Olsen.
“I keep joking that everyone yells at Eve the whole time, and while she does do stupid things that make no sense in the moment, it was all to show the duality of people,” Sampaio ultimately opined. “Eve was taking selfies when she shouldn’t be, but she was wisely taking care of herself at the same time. And by taking care of herself, she ended up saving the day for everyone. She used her tools and what people think of her to her own advantage. That’s kind of genius. She’s still an intense character who loves attention, and it was too much for someone like Jimmy.”
(Oh, and because there’s really no other place to put this fun fact: For those wondering, Sampaio herself does not actually have ‘mutant toes’.
“I asked James [Gunn], ‘What do you mean by ‘Mutant Toes’?,” the actress recalled of Jimmy Olsen’s less-than-affectionate pet name for her. “And he was like, ‘Oh, he’s just being an a–hole to her. He’s trying to find any excuse to not like her. He doesn’t like her.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, that makes sense because I have pretty feet.’ (Laughs.) And he was like, ‘He is just being a jerk.’ So Jimmy is sick of Eve, and he’s creating defects that don’t exist just to make himself feel better about not liking her.”)
