'Superman Returns' co-star talks about dangling from wires and loving a Man of Steel

Fans are sure to come into Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns" with high expectations and one of the film's stars, Kate Bosworth, knows how they feel.

"I think every little girl loves Lois Lane," Bosworth explains. "But, for me, it was really from the film ... from Richard Donner's film. I saw that when I was about six or seven, and it had already come about because I hadn't been born when it was originally released. But I remember watching it and it's a magical film and Superman is magical."

In "Superman Returns," Bosworth steps into Margot Kidder's shoes as intrepid reporter Lois Lane. When the film opens, audiences meet a different kind of Lois, a serious young woman -- with a Pulitzer Prize, no less -- still trying to understand why Superman (Brandon Routh) abandoned her (and the rest of the world) five years earlier.

When discussing the evolution of her Lois compared to previous incarnation of the character, Bosworth tiptoes around a key plot point, one that involves Lois' young son, a major departure from the core Superman mythology.

"Obviously, the element of her having a son is a complete um ... you know ... it would change a woman completely ..." she says with hesitation. "I think in terms of her being ... so chaotic or bubbly or frantic, it was my choice because I couldn't imagine someone being so unfocused when -- although I don't have children -- I would imagine that your focus is constantly on that other person. So I think it forced her to mature."

After breaking out with roles in "Remember the Titans" and "Blue Crush," Bosworth probably could have moved on to bigger films, but the 23-year-old actress went another way, opting mostly for supporting roles in indies like "Wonderland" and "Beyond the Sea." Even her biggest studio role -- in the romantic comedy "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!" -- wasn't nearly on the "Superman" scale.

"I haven't been on a film this big and I loved it, but I love the independent films because it is such a, sort of, it's an amazing experience because it's so fast and you're sort of in the jungle with everybody else and just trying to figure it out," she says. "And with this, there will be three weeks where I'd just be kind of hanging from the wires."

And although "hanging from" sounds like such a passive term, the flying scenes produced whole new experiences and levels of unease.

"It's not the most comfortable contraption that I've ever been in. You're in a harness, and over the harness is like a bodysuit kind of thing, and then over that is the dress-and I get claustrophobic really easily, so I remember just thinking I just can't even think about this because even I couldn't get this thing off if I wanted to, and that always freaks me out."

Of course, while this franchise picture is sure to boost her profile, Bosworth had the advantage of knowing that the movie -- and the Warner Bros. bottom line -- aren't riding on her.

"And I just remember sitting there thinking -- and I'm usually the one who is getting poked and prodded so much because I'm the girl -- you know I'm sitting there thinking oh, thank god, it's all on Brandon this time," she says.

"Superman Returns" flies into theaters everywhere on Wednesday, June 28.