Erica Durance (Lois) is featured in the Nov. 2004 issue of Starlog magazine (#328). Here are some highlights of Erica’s interview with Starlog’s Ian Spelling (thanks to Nadia for the transcript):

On getting the role of Lois:

"It has been a whirlwind. Basically, I auditioned up here in Vancouver, put it on tape and about four days later my manager called to say they wanted to test me. I went in and met with Greg Beeman, their executive producer [in Vancouver], and tested on Tuesday. Then on Thursday, I was at the network, and they weren’t sure what was going to happen. I flew home on Friday, got off the plane and there was a message saying that everything was indeed a go."

"Lois is much younger than you’ve seen her before," Erica said. "She’s a freshman in college. Fans will recognize some of the personality traits that we’ve seen when she’s older, which enhance her ability to be a journalist. Lois is someone who can asses any situation and read people very well. She always knows her dates, places, and how to get things out of people. She knows how to be charming and cater to individuals. The challenge for me is finding a balance."

"Lois is fairly... I hate to say gruff. Her personality comes from a point of strength. Yet, on the other hand, she has her vulnerabilities; you just don’t see them much. They come out here and there, when she feels safe, but for the most part she’s tough and sassy, which is fun. Lois also has a great sense of humor and is very quick and witty. And she’s aggressive. She’s a joy to play, because I look for the different places to put in that vulnerability, aggressiveness and humor."

"I haven’t had a chance to really research [the history of my character]," Erica told the magazine. "I was basically thrown into this part, and I’m trying my best to be as honorable to the character as I can, because I know she’s beloved and has been portrayed by some very good actresses. I guess we’re very luck because we’re starting Lois Lane at a younger age. I’m kind of growing with her and she’s kind of growing with me, so we have a chance to put a different creative spin on the character. I’ve seen all the other [iterations of Lois], so I have an idea on who she is, and the writers have been great. They know everything backward and forward [about her], and have an outline of where they want Lois to go, yet they’re still paying respect to how she ends up when she’s older."

On relationships:

"Each relationship is so different. Lois’ relationship with Clark is very interesting because they’re two totally different people. They have strong personalities and come from vastly diverse upbringings. We’re having lots of fun with them. There’s a bit of a banter that goes on, a quick and witty repartee between the two. I’m not sure where they’re headed in the future, but there’s isn’t a going to be a romance right of the bat. That isn’t realistic. But it’s fun when they banter and bash heads a bit because they’re coming at the same things from different angles."

"So far as Lex goes, I’m not sure what they’re doing there or what the rules are from the comic book - in terms of whether or not they can have scenes together. Concerning Chloe, Lois has come to investigate her death. The way I’m looking at [the situation], I see Chloe as the only constant thing that Lois had in her life, the only person she ever really let in. Lois has a relationship with her dad [Michael Ironside as General Sam Lane], but that’s a strained at times. Lois kind of grew up with Chloe, and Chloe was like a sister to her. They had many similar personality traits and a great energy going on between the two. So it’s devastating to Lois when she arrives to investigate Chloe’s death, but it will also show the audience that Lois is already becoming a journalist and developing that aggressive, get-in-there-and-find-the-answers attitude. Her feeling is, ‘If other people aren’t going to solve this, I’ll do it myself.’"

"I’ve had a brief scene with Martha," Durance said in the magazine. "It will be interesting to see where that’s going to go because Lois’ mother died when she was very young. I think that they’ll be able to play [with that issue] in the future because Lois doesn’t really understand the mother-daughter thing. I’ve also had a brief bit with Lionel on a different, more cerebral level. It’s a mind game between the two that’s very intellectual and controlled. Working with John was amazing, and I think people want to see huge catfight between Lois and Lana. I can’t say where the writers want to go, but I know that Lana is a changing, growing character herself, and she has a love interest of her own right now, Jason Teague [Jensen Ackles]. But the way that Lois comes into the situation is rather non-threatening. There isn’t any immediate romance between Lois and Clark, so I don’t see any catfights in the future.

“I’ve had a few scenes with Michael [Ironside], who’s great to work with. Lois has a completely different relationship with him than she does with anybody else. He’s a general, and Lois has grown up with this whole military background. Lois loves her father, and perhaps she’s a younger, female version of him. He brought her up, and they have a lot in common personality-wise. There is a very direct relationship. There isn’t much manipulation going on. They both say what they’re thinking, and that’s pretty fun to play.”

The article also mentions that the current plan is for Erica to appear in 13 episodes, spread throughout the season. The article does, however, say that if everything clicks, they could possibly secure Erica for additional episodes, as they did with John Glover after Season 1.

You can buy the November issue of Starlog at U.S. newsstands everywhere.