Just picked up my copy of Smallville Magazine this morning and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.  I quickly typed up one of the interviews from the magazine (partial – you can read the full interview in Smallville Magazine) where they caught up with Aaron Ashmore to talk about his character, Jimmy Olsen, on Smallville. Check it out:

Aaron Ashmore

Jimmy Olsen is a character who’s been a part of the Superman story since 1938, so when he was introduced to Smallville in season six’s Zod, Aaron Ashmore became the latest in a long line of actors to play the role.

We caught up with Ashmore as filming got underway for the second half of season eight to find out more about where Jimmy’s relationship with Chloe is going, how much rivalry he feels with Sam Witwer’s Davis Bloome, and whether he’d like Jimmy to have superpowers of his own…

Smallville Magazine: How cool was it getting four generations of Jimmy Olsen together for the Smallville DVD last season, and what did you learn from sharing notes with them?
Aaron Ashmore:  It was really cool to get all those guys together. I had met them previously at a Superman Returns party. We were all on the red carpet, though, so it was nice to sit down and have a conversation with them [for the DVD]. I haven’t seen the featurette on the DVD yet, but it really sank in how long the character has been around and how many generations have been influenced. I’m obviously a fan of Superman and his world, which includes Jimmy Olsen. It really sunk in sitting there with Jack Larson [the first TV Jimmy Olsen], who’s been around a really long time.

Last season, there was a Jimmy/Chloe/Kara triangle. In what ways was being stuck in an elevator with a bomb a turning point for Jimmy and Chloe?
Ashmore:  There was a lot of secrets Chloe was keeping from Jimmy. Even though some people will disagree and say it was because she was super-hot, the only reason he went after Kara was because Jimmy felt he was being withheld from Chloe’s life [in regard to] the Clark situation. That was difficult for Jimmy to understand, and to some degree, is still a problem for him, but I think he’s gotten over it. At that point, he couldn’t understand why Chloe was lying to him, so this was an opportunity for them to be face to face in a situation where they might not make it, and for Chloe to be totally honest with him. Obviously, she didn’t tell Jimmy about Clark, but Chloe did reveal she had meteor powers. This was really the opportunity to come clean with him with no consequences, since they thought they were going to die. In that situation, Jimmy was fine with it.

What kind of reporting team did Jimmy and Lois make, and are you excited they are starting to establish that iconic friendship?
Ashmore:  Absolutely! I think they made a pretty good team. They got themselves in trouble, which is part of what they do. They got some good info and tracked down [lots of] stories. It’s cool that they’re at least having them interact, because for a long time, it was only Jimmy and Chloe. Jimmy and Lois together is a step toward what we know is going to be the future character. I don’t think they’re suddenly going to become best friends and the tag team that go after stories, but touching on it is a nice tease.

Beginning with capturing a photo of Lionel’s killer, did it feel to you like Jimmy was coming into his own journalistically?
Ashmore:  I think it’s a start. On the show, Jimmy has always had a good nose for the truth, whether it be journalistically or in [his personal life]. He may fumble around and not go after the story correctly, but he has great instincts when it comes to those around him. He picks up on the little things. There’s an episode when he says, “I know there’s something going on between Lois and Clark. They’re going to make a great couple.” Those pictures of Lionel were somewhat by accident, but nonetheless, he got the story.

After all, how many people have figured out that Clark is the Red/Blue/Blur?
Ashmore:  That really gave Jimmy a lot of credibility. All the characters that have been around Clark for so long haven’t put it together, except for those he’s told or who have caught him in the act. Again, he lucked out with the snapshot, but he put the rest of the pieces together.

With all Chloe’s pining over Clark, there were concerns that perhaps Jimmy wasn’t her true love. Did you have the similar doubts?
Ashmore:  In Jimmy’s mind, there have absolutely been doubts. It’s one of those situations where fans want it to be cut and dry; either Chloe is in love with him or not. That’s not really life, even if it’s what people want to see. To some degree, Chloe will always have a strong connection to Clark, whether or not she’s in love with him. People move on, but they can still have feelings. That’s how I see the situation. I think how they tackled it in Committed didn’t leave any doubts.

Kyle Schmid

Besides Smallville, you have the horror movies The Thaw and Deep Cove awaiting release.  Do you enjoy that genre?
Ashmore:  Yeah, I do.  I’d never done that type of film before, so it was a new experience for me.  A lot of people rip on that genre for being stupid, but it’s really hard to play those films where the energy is constantly up, having to keep it intriguing, and then keep the plot moving.  It’s actually a really difficult genre to make.  I had no idea!

Ironically, your co-star in both films is Kyle Schmid, who recently visited Smallville in the episode Identity.  What was he like to work with?
Ashmore:  Working with Kyle was awesome.  He’s a good actor and a super nice guy.  It was pretty sweet to do back-to-back movies with him.  He called me about a month-and-a-half after we wrapped the second movie to tell me he was coming to do an episode of Smallville.  We started joking that we were going to be a package deal, and every time we book a job the other guy had to come to be a part of it.  Unfortunately, I didn’t really get the chance to work with him on Smallville, but I thought he did an amazing job!

Read the full interview with Aaron Ashmore in the latest issue of Smallville Magazine, on newstands now.

SOURCE:  Smallville Magazine #32