Will Reeve talks about his job at ABC, “Super/Man” father Christopher and his grief

Will Reeves' tragedy seems to be fictional. And yet the 32-year-old correspondent for ABC News and “Good Morning America” manages to (largely) float above it.

“I was born to a famous father who was paralyzed and in a wheelchair and then died. And then my mother, who was a public figure at the time, got lung cancer even though she never smoked and then died – and all this when I was 13,” says Reeve. “That's abnormal.”

Reeve is, of course, talking about his father, famed “Superman” star Christopher Reeve, and his mother Dana, whose remarkable stories are told in the new documentary “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” (in select theaters Saturday, followed by a repeat screening on Christopher Reeve’s birthday, Sept. 25).

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Although Reeve was paralysed after his horse-riding accident in 1995, he and his wife Dana worked tirelessly to support people with disabilities. The actor died in 2004 at the age of 52, leaving behind Will and two adult children, Matthew, now 44, and Alexandra, 40, from a 10-year relationship with British model manager Gae Exton.

Two years later, Dana Reeve wanted to perform as a singer again, but a persistent cough kept her from rehearsing. The cough was a result of terminal lung cancer. She died in 2006 at the age of 44. Will, who had just turned into a teenager, moved in with neighbors who quickly became surrogate parents.

Reeve knows there are days when he's angry, but most of all he wants you to know how grateful he is.

“In the short time I was able to spend with my parents, they raised me in a normal, human and grounded way, which, by and large, allows me to have a sensible approach to everything life throws at you,” he says in a video call, flashing a beaming smile that immediately reminds one of his father.

Famous friends and indelible private videos help the Christopher Reeve documentary “Super/Man” to succeed

As seen in Super/Man, the older Reeve children have many memories of their athletic, competitive father challenging them in hockey and skiing. But Will Reeve only knew this side of his father – whose four appearances as Superman arguably sparked our love of superheroes on the big screen – on celluloid.

For this reason, the little boy was particularly close to his mother, who, when she wasn't spoiling her husband tirelessly, drove Will to countless play dates and sporting events. Then she disappeared.

“Sometimes I deal with things well, and sometimes there are swear words for a reason,” admits Will Reeve.

Reeve and his siblings have given countless interviews for “Super/Man,” which first made waves at the Sundance Film Festival last January. Is it difficult to keep reliving this painful past?

“When I talk about my parents, they stay with me,” he says. “I'm so proud to be their son, to be part of this family. I get to reintroduce my parents to the people who loved them, and I get to show them to a new generation that may not know their story. Honestly, it's just a privilege that we can take them with us into this future that so desperately needs heroes.”

Reeve says he has no advice for those going through tragedy, but he insists there is healing after loss.

“There are these five stages of grief, from denial to acceptance, but the sixth stage I've learned is healing, and we can all get there,” he says. “Grief is permanent, but healing is possible. That's a mantra for me. I try to honor it through the way I live and the way I treat other people.”

Will Reeve on what “Superman” father Christopher Reeve would have thought of his appearance on the Emmys red carpet

The way Reeve treats other people is now nationally known. After graduating from Middlebury College and interning at “GMA,” Reeve, a sports fanatic like his father, worked at ESPN’s SportsCenter before joining ABC in 2018. (He also serves on the board of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which focuses on disability rights and research, along with his siblings.)

“I love my job, it's the perfect combination of things I love: people, storytelling, travel,” he says, not to mention his recent gig interviewing stars on the Emmy Awards red carpet last weekend. His parents would surely have been proud.

“Yes, but they would have teased me too,” says Reeve. “My father was no stranger to the red carpet, of course, but he didn't care much about fame, he wasn't a Hollywood guy. So he would have been proud of me for doing a good job, not for being part of a glamorous night.”

There was a glamorous night in Hollywood that put his father in the spotlight, and it features prominently in Super/Man. It's the night the former Man of Steel rolled onto the stage in his wheelchair at the 1996 Oscars, a year after his accident, to a standing ovation from the tearful stars. A symbol not of comic book strength, but of true perseverance.

For Reeve, such moments are not a thing of the past. They remain forever.

“My parents will be gone forever,” he says. “But we will never forget them.”

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Will Reeve talks about his job at ABC, “Super/Man” father Christopher and his grief

Famous friends and indelible private videos help the Christopher Reeve documentary “Super/Man” to succeed

Will Reeve on what “Superman” father Christopher Reeve would have thought of his appearance on the Emmys red carpet

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Will Reeve talks about his job at ABC, “Super/Man” father Christopher and his grief

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