'70s Stunner Shares Never-Before-Heard Story of Late Christopher Reeve

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'70s Stunner Shares Never-Before-Heard Story of Late Christopher Reeve originally appeared on Parade.

A breakout '70s star recently revealed the sweetest story about late Superman star Christopher Reeve.

Lynn-Holly Johnson burst onto the show business scene in 1978 in Ice Castles, a beloved figure skating romantic drama co-starring Robby Benson. Johnson was cast at least in part because she was already an accomplished figure skater.

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Shortly after Ice Castles, Johnson was cast in the 1980 supernatural horror film The Watcher in the Woods, which co-starred Hollywood legend Bette Davis and 11-year-old Kyle Richards from the Real Housewives franchise.

But the biggest moment for Johnson to come out of Watcher in the Woods was meeting Christopher Reeve, who was filming Superman on the Pinewood Studios backlot at the same time Johnson was there filming Watcher. She told Remind Magazine in a new interview that they became good friends and shared a very special day together.

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"I’m so thrilled to have worked at Pinewood Studios," said Johnson, adding, "I was there filming the Watcher’s ending, where I’m supposed to fly. At the same time, Christopher Reeve was filming Superman at Pinewood. Christopher and I both chatted a lot in the dining room and hung out a bit. We even went to a premiere together."

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She continued, "Christopher said to me, ‘OK, let’s get you on my set and we’re going to show you how to fly.’ So, Christopher, his stuntman, his stunt coordinator and the Watcher’s stunt coordinator — all just hung out on the Superman set and they taught me how to fly. There I was flying — next to Superman. I didn’t realize at the time how special that was — looking back — that was a cool moment."

Johnson went on to say how "heartbreaking" it was in 1995 when Reeve suffered the tragic horse accident that left him a quadriplegic at the age of 42. Reeve later died of a heart attack after receiving treatment for an infection, something that he frequently experienced after becoming paralyzed from the neck down. He was just 52 when he passed away.

"It’s just such a shame we lost him – it’s heartbreaking," said Johnson, adding, "I can’t believe he’s gone. That documentary about his life is so beautiful."

The documentary in question is Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024.

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'70s Stunner Shares Never-Before-Heard Story of Late Christopher Reeve first appeared on Parade on Jul 7, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.