Superman & Lois Season 3 has been the show's most complex and emotional yet. Superman has a new villainous threat to battle in the form of Bruno Mannheim and Intergang, which has provided The CW's viewers with all the action they've come to expect. However, the more poignant storylines have come back in Smallville -- and they've affected more than just the title characters.
Sofia Hasmik portrays Chrissy Beppo, Lois's business partner at the Smallville Gazette and close friend. While Lois and Chrissy's friendship has always been an entertaining part of Superman & Lois, it's been taken to another level after Lois' devastating cancer diagnosis, with Chrissy helping Lois continue to investigate Mannheim. Season 3 has also given Chrissy a new love interest: Kyle Cushing, the ex-husband of Smallville's mayor Lana Lang! CBR spoke to Sofia about the developments for her character and how Chrissy has evolved far beyond the comic sidekick role other shows would have pigeonholed her into.
CBR: Superman & Lois is your first series regular role, and on top of that, the writers haven't wasted any time throwing Chrissy into some very challenging situations, whether it was Season 2 with Ally Allston and the Inverse Method or now Season 3 investigating Intergang. What has Chrissy meant to you personally?
Sofia Hasmik: Chrissy means so much to me. Getting to play her and [watching] her growth over these past few years has been really incredible.
In the middle of these professional challenges, the Season 3 premiere "Closer" revealed that Chrissy had slept with Kyle. Some fans were surprised by that pairing. What was your reaction? Do you think that they work together as a couple?
I have to say the first time I heard about it, [there] definitely was that moment like, "What? Oh my God." [laughs] And then getting to set, getting to work with Erik [Valdez], and seeing everyone else's reaction to it made me feel like, "Oh, okay, I totally get this." I think they work in that they balance each other out and get each other on a deeper level. Who knew [this connection] was there? But I always think back to that scene that they have in the kitchen during the barbecue and that brief moment of interaction. Something happened where they were like, "I see you."
It's also another example of how Superman & Lois is giving Chrissy Beppo her own life and part in storylines, rather than treating her as Lois' fun friend or sidekick at the office. How would you characterize her?
The most fun that I'm having is seeing her progression and her growth as a person. With each episode and each season rolling out, you get to learn more and more about her, and I get to learn more about her. I think it's pretty incredible that she takes every challenge head-on, whether that's in her personal life [or] in her professional life. This season, her having this work-life balance -- in a strange way -- is really interesting.
Are there moments that stand out to you as particularly formative for her? Or that were important to you being able to get her to where she is today?
I love a good bookend. In Season 1, I love the initial meeting of Lois Lane and Chrissy, and I love the last episode. They're such great characters together. When Lois decided to join in on the Gazette as partner, those were absolutely my favorites because [that] cemented the start of their professional relationship. In Season 2, I loved Episode 8 ["Into Oblivion"] because I got to pretend to fly but backward. [laughs] That was a lot of fun on the day. I remember being really, really excited that I got to do that. I'm looking forward to all the episodes, but I am proud of Episode 3 ["In Cold Blood"]. That was a really incredible episode just because again, it was a very Lois and Chrissy dynamic and we got to see that shift.
Speaking of Lois, Superman & Lois viewers are as invested in her health as they are in anything Superman is doing, and Chrissy has a big part in that. What has that arc been like to play, given that Lois' cancer storyline is so different from what audiences expect in a superhero-driven series?
I think it's very telling [about] the approach of the show. It's very grounded, and it tackles things that families deal with, that people deal with. Being rooted like that and having this storyline with Lois especially, it's interesting to see everyone's dynamic and how everyone steps up in a different way toward her support -- toward her treatment.
Are episodes more interesting for you, not playing a canon character with any established backstory to follow, or is there any sort of challenge since Chrissy doesn't have the same history Lois and Clark have?
It's so much fun to play somebody from the ground up, come up with all that backstory, and get to be part of that journey. I can't imagine what it's like to play Superman. That character means so much to so many people. But getting to play Chrissy and jumping into that world and being welcomed into that community [has] been so much fun. I feel like everyone is a hero in their own way on this show, whether it's in their personal life, in the community, [or] whatever it is. Being strapped in that harness, when I was almost sucked in during that [storyline] with Ally Allston, was a good amount of adventure for me!
But you have one canon tie: Chrissy's last name Beppo is a Legion of Super-Pets reference. When did you figure out she had an obscure Superman connection?
Before the audition. I got something, and it said Superman & Lois, and I saw Lana Lang's name, and I was like, "I have to see if there is anything tethering Chrissy into this world." And lo and behold, the Super-Pets.
Getting to be a part of this, seeing what that community is like, and seeing how much it means to so many people really energizes me. I find myself getting really excited as episodes drop, and we're constantly texting each other. "Did you see that? Did you read that?"So I have become an absolute fan of it, and it's an overwhelming feeling to be a part of that world.
Superman & Lois airs Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. on The CW.
Featured image credit: Noah Asianas/Courtesy of Persona PR.