Christopher Reeve later made even higher gains for "Superman III" (1983), though for "" (1987), he decided it would be healthier to focus more on cardiovascular workouts. One of the reasons Reeve could not work out as much for "" was an emergency appendectomy he had in June 1986. Reeve was never a Superman or comic book fan, though he had watched "Adventures of Superman" starring George Reeves. Reeve found the role offered a suitable challenge because it was a dual role. He said, "there must be some difference stylistically between Clark and Superman. Otherwise, you just have a pair of glasses
Clark Kent (Smallville) a more ideal actor to play this superpowered farm boy than Tom Welling, with his wholesome, honest face and heroic good looks—Welling not only resembles Christopher Reeve physically, but has all of the earnest charm that made Reeve the quintessential Superman." "The Free Lance–Star"s Ron Hedelt likened Welling's performances as Clark Kent to that of Christopher Reeve's performances in the "Superman" films, stating that Welling manages to portray a "... sweet, unassuming teenager ..." while showing Clark struggle with the truth about himself. Comics2Film's Rob Worley also wrote of the physical resemblance Welling has to Christopher Reeve, noting that the