Christopher Reeve’s Kids Talk Doc & Their ‘Superman’ Dad
Christopher Reeve’s three children, Matthew, Alexandra and Will, recently sat down together to discuss their father and the new documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, which features behind-the-scenes accounts about his life, career and the tragic accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Less than a decade after his accident, he passed away due to heart failure in 2004. Sadly, his widow and son Will‘s mother Dana Reeve died just a few years later.
Now, Will is opening up about becoming an orphan at 13. He shared in the interview, “Despite the love and security that my siblings provided me, and my family provided me, and my adoptive family provides me, that was the moment, March 6, 2006 … I’ve been alone since then.” His older half-siblings stepped in to help raise him. Alexandra was a law student at the time, while Matthew was already working as a producer. Matthew said to Will, “I think our greatest focus and frame of mind was you.”
The siblings opened up about seeing their dad after the accident for the first time, unsure if he was going to be able to make it. Alexandra recalled, “Dana walked us down and she said, ‘It’s gonna look really scary, but he’s still there. Just talk to him. Ignore everything else. Just talk to him.’ She said, ‘You can hold his hand.’ And it has machines on it, you know, and you’re reaching and holding his fingers.”
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While things at home were certainly different after the accident, the siblings still saw the love of their family and their dad’s ability to persevere. Even when he had a hard day, they said he acknowledged it and did something to feel better, like watching a movie. Will added, “We had friends dropping by. It was a very happy, robust, loud, everything you would want from a family dinner, and that was every night. And the one thing you weren’t allowed to talk about was specific medical stuff. Could be anything else.”
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Now, the Reeve kids hope to inspire others with the story of their father and help raise money for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is set for a limited theatrical release on September 21 and 25, 2024, after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Get tickets to see the film at Fathom Events.
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