‘Supergirl’ Star Melissa Benoist Gives A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The DC Heroine

Actress Melissa Benoist, whom viewers might recognize from her days as Marley Rose on Glee, will debut as Supergirl on Monday night in the new action-adventure drama on CBS. Benoist plays the Girl of Steel, Kara Zor-El.

After three months of auditions, Melissa Benoist, 27, knew when she saw an email in her inbox with the title Supergirl that she was about to receive exciting news.

“The second that I saw in my email inbox the title ‘Supergirl,’ I knew it was something important, and it was something exciting and rare that I wanted to be a part of,” Melissa said.

Despite the rigorous length of audition time for Benoist, Supergirl executive producer Andrew Kreisberg told Collider there was never a doubt Melissa Benoist was right for the role.

“We knew that she was our Kara and our Supergirl, from the very start. I don’t think any of us ever questioned that. But it was that first time that she put on the outfit for us… But when Melissa stepped out wearing that outfit, it was like, ‘Oh, this is going to work.’ None of us had any doubts, from that point forward. We knew we had the right girl, but after that, we knew that we had something really, really special.”

Benoist’s character, born on Krypton, is sent to Earth at the age of 13 when her home planet begins to die. Now going by the name Kara Danvers, she’s been raised by the Danvers family and is now 24-years-old. A fun piece of trivia is that Kara’s foster mother, Eliza, is played by Helen Slater, who was Supergirl in the 1984 film of the same title.

One interesting aspect of Melissa’s character is that Kara remembers her life back on Krypton, unlike her cousin Superman. This means there will likely be flashbacks, including Kara’s birth mother, the NY Daily News reports.

Melissa Benoist begins Supergirl as a young woman starting out her life working for Cat Grant, played by Calista Flockhart. Not only is Benoist’s character facing the pressures of starting a new job, she is also coming to terms with her superhuman abilities, which were dormant during her teenage years. She is just now discovering her abilities.

“She never knew about her powers. So at first she’s nervous about trying them,” Melissa said.

Benoist also talked about how taking on the role of Supergirl is like playing two different characters.

“You see Kara kicking a** as Supergirl. You see her triumphant and in life-or-death situations. But you also see the office workplace drama, where she learns how to be a woman from Cat Grant,” Benoist said.

The role was more physical than what Melissa Benoist was looking for, but she took on the character of Supergirl with gusto, knowing this was a chance at something amazing that she simply couldn’t pass up.

“I wasn’t looking for a physical role. But whatever comes your way happens for a reason,” Melissa said.

In an interview with Collider, Melissa Benoist talked about what drew her to the role of Supergirl.

“The reason that I was so drawn to it, from the beginning, was that I knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I just think it’s such a beautiful story to tell, in a sometimes scary world, and that it would be something I’d be really proud to be a part of.”

According to USA Today, Supergirl will also explore the relationship between Melissa’s character, Kara, and Kara’s adoptive sister, Alex. Alex has always worried about Kara using her powers, which she believes would place Kara on the radar of potential enemies. There’s also competition between the sisters because Kara has superhuman powers that Alex does not possess, causing Alex to feel she must push herself farther for her parents’ approval.

Melissa Benoist said the relationship between Kara and Alex is the strongest one on Supergirl.

Melissa Benoist makes her debut as Kara Zor-El when Supergirl premieres on CBS, Monday at 8:30 p.m.

[Image via Twitter]