"No flights, no tights," that's the Smallville motto. Undoubtedly you've heard of the new WB series, based on the teenage life of Clark Kent as he discovers his superpowers in the fictional town of his youth. As the motto suggests, this isn't a normal Superman series, Smallville is about Clark Kent before he becomes the Man of Steel. So although he's still faster than a locomotive and is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Clark doesn't really understand his powers, and that's what makes Smallville interesting.

Actress Alison Mack plays a prominent role in Smallville as Chloe Sullivan, Clark's best friend and the show's source of comic relief. It's a plum role for the actress who won the spot amidst heavy competition over the past year. So just who is Alison Mack and how the heck did she get the role of Chloe?

"I auditioned with about a million other girls all over the US and Canada," says Alison. "I went in and read a part of a scene from the script and they decided that I was the best one for the role."

Alison knows she's lucky. Then again, Alison has already paid her acting dues; she's been in the entertainment biz since she was a child, originally finding work in print and television commercials. By seven, Alison was a student at The Young Actors Space in Los Angeles where she continues to take classes in improvisation and scene study. She then went on to co-star in dramatic movies like A Private Matter and Living A Lie. TV spots came too, and 7th Heaven fans may recognize Alison from the guest-starring role she had on that series.

Now Alison is a regular on one of the most anticipated shows of the 2001 TV seasonóSmallville. "This is probably one of the biggest things that I've ever done," agrees Alison. "I've worked a lot and have been in this business since I was really young, but this is definitely the biggest thing out of all of them."

As Smallville waits for its viewers to tune in on Tuesday, October 16th, Alison describes her character Chloe as someone who is very similar to her own personality.

"I'm like my character in a lot of ways so that makes it easier to get into," says Alison. "My character is very into reading and finding out the mysteries that go on in Smallville. I'm like that. I always need to know what's going on and I like to read and things like that. So it's been easier because I've been able to bring a lot of things from my life to my character."

"The only thing I knew about Superman was that my brother loved him. He was constantly flying around the house with a red towel around his neck," she says. "Other than that I really didn't know much about him until I began this show."

To ensure that all Smallville actors are Superman savvy, the producers gave the cast a book on Superman. Everyone was required to read the book and get caught up on Superman's detailed history.

"I love to read," exclaims Alison. "My favorite book right now is Harry Potter. I love the Harry Potter series, they're the most incredible books." Alison immediately dives into a conversation about J.K. Rowling (author of Harry Potter) and her amazing rise to fame after penning the first Harry Potter book as a single mother on welfare. Alison then moves towards a conversation closer to her own reality, being a Hollywood actress.

"The pressures to be an actress are insane," she says. "To hold up your image and meet everyone's expectations while still being true to yourself is extremely difficult. To anyone going into acting I wish them luck because it is definitely one of the most difficult professions."

Rising above the anxiety of being a Hollywood actress is easier when you have a steady job, but Alison says she can't really foresee a time when she wouldn't want to act. "It's my passion," she says. "It's what I love to do and as long as someone writes me a check to play all day, I'm not going to turn that down."

Smallville star Tom Welling nearly passed up on the opportunity to play Superman in the hit series - because he was scared.

The hunky actor was approached twice before he agreed to audition for the show but neglected to show up because he was unsure he was up to the job.

He says, "I'd turned the audition down twice before I finally turned up 'cause all I'd heard was that they were looking for a new Superman, and that was kind of scary! But in the end I went along and landed the job.

"Smallville's special because it looks at such a famous character before he becomes a superhero, which is interesting to me as an actor. Plus we all get on so well together. It's a fun place to work."

Smallville star Kelly Brook who played Lex Luthor's scheming girlfriend Victoria, has landed a lead role in Mission Impossible III.

The 23-year-old British stunner has seen her career rocket since she moved to the U.S. with boyfriend Jason Stantham of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels fame. She recently played the bitchy relative of Charlotte in Sex And The City.

A source reveals, "Paramount, who make Sex And The City, and released the Mission Impossible films, love her and want her for the film. There was even talk of her standing in should Angelina Jolie quit TOMB RAIDER 2. Bosses think she will be great as Cruise's love interest in MI:3. She's sexy and she can act. Scripts are just being finalized now."