Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeCultureMoviesMilly Alcock's Supergirl 'understands that most of us exist in a grey area' You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Milly Alcock connected with her character because she saw her as someone “who’s extremely flawed.” Unlike Superman, “she’s messy and she’s not going to deal with things in the right way,” Alcock says. Warner Bros. Pictures He was only partway through reading Ana Nogueira’s script for Supergirl, but director Craig Gillespie already had a vision of who he wanted his star Milly Alcock to embody as the titular heroine.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe cousin of ultimate do-gooder Superman, Gillespie didn’t see Alcock’s character as a squeaky-clean eternal optimist. This Supergirl was headstrong, determined, rebellious and a bit of a foul mouth. She marched to her own beat.He heard Debbie Harry’s anthemic Call Me as her possible theme song. The track was originally written for the 1980 film American Gigolo — but listening to it again, Gillespie thought it could also serve as the perfect introduction for Krypton’s ultimate badass.“Blondie is a band whose aesthetic and punk attitude just fit so naturally with Supergirl,” Gillespie says in an interview from Los Angeles. “There’s something about them.”Writer-director James Gunn, who was hired to overhaul DC’s interconnected slate of superhero films that began in earnest last summer with Superman, describes Alcock’s Supergirl as a “much more jaded character.”“Superman is a guy who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents, whereas Supergirl, in this story, she is a character who is raised on a chunk of Krypton. She watched everybody around her perish in some terrible way,” he says.So for most of the film, which opens in theatres June 26, Alcock’s Kara Zor-El wears a Blondie T-shirt, eschewing the traditional costume emblazoned with the letter S that her cousin dons.“It was kind of the only T-shirt we thought about, before we even had approval,” Gillespie says.“It just made sense,” says Alcock, who is best known for playing a teenage version of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones.But in addition to Blondie, Alcock had an entire playlist of rock ’n’ roll outsiders that helped her channel the carefree Kryptonian party girl.“I’ve sent Craig many playlists. I was listening to a lot of Amyl and the Sniffers, they are an Australian punk band. I was also listening to a lot of Fontaines D.C. … And Radiohead’s In Rainbows. That was my bag for getting into Kara,” she says.Based on Tom King’s 2021-22 Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic book series, Supergirl follows Kara as she’s in the midst of an intergalactic bender with her beloved super pooch Krypto after her cameo in last year’s Superman.Having had to witness the demise of her home planet of Krypton, and see everyone she loves perish, Kara isn’t guided by the same altruism as Superman.“I’m just worried that you’re not gonna find your stride here if you keep going off-world all the time, Kara. I’m worried you’re not gonna find your people,” David Corenswet’s Clark Kent/Superman says to Kara early on in the film. She responds: “Yeah, well, that’s the thing, Clark. I have no people.”Kara’s reluctantly forced into becoming a hero when she crosses paths with a teenager named Ruthye (Eve Ridley) looking for revenge on the murderous bandit Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).Kara initially balks at helping the teen, but when Krem shoots her dog Krypto with a poisonous arrow, she has no choice. Krem has the only antidote that can save the pup.Her quest takes her across the galaxy, to planets that render her powerless, forcing her to use her wits rather than brawn to track down Krem’s gang of marauding space pirates. The movie includes another DC fan fave, the alien bounty hunter Lobo (played by Jason Momoa). “She doesn’t seem to be aware that she doesn’t have powers in some of the fights she gets into,” Gillespie says laughing. “She’s reckless.”Gillespie recalls seeing how a crowd reacted when he screened a clip of Kara’s first big action sequence.“She does it in this very irreverent reckless way. Getting shot at, almost dying, and then there’s a bit of a hide-and-seek game,” he says, teasing the scene. “You get all of her attitude. Even though she’s in the middle of this fight sequence, she manages to still have a lot of sass.”Alcock wasn’t heavily invested in watching previous superhero movies, but she connected with Kara because she saw the character as one “who’s extremely flawed.”Unlike Superman, “she’s messy and she’s not going to deal with things in the right way,” Alcock says. “Supergirl understands that most of us exist in a grey area. Most situations aren’t black and white … But her moral compass and where her heart lies is something that’s completely relatable.”The Australian actress also gravitated to the story of Kara becoming a hero because she’s trying to save her dying dog. That odyssey is one that every pet parent can see themselves taking part in.“Krypto’s so terribly behaved, but that’s what makes him so special. Ultimately, he’s this symbol for everything she’s ever lost and everything she’s ever known on Krypton,” she says. “So, he’s a reminder for her of where she’s come from and anything that jeopardizes him is unthinkable.” Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.