Milly Alcock reveals unusual way she learned she was cast as Supergirl

Milly Alcock, the breakout star of House of the Dragon, has revealed the unconventional way she discovered she had landed the coveted role of Supergirl, following a vision from DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn. The 26-year-old Australian actor, who captivated audiences as the young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, was chosen for her “punk rock” energy, a quality Gunn specifically sought for the iconic superhero.

DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran recounted Gunn’s initial vision for the character, inspired directly by Alcock’s performance. “He goes, ‘you know the young girl from House of the Dragon? The young queen or princess? That’s how I picture it, like a young punk rock girl who is just totally badass and tough,’” Safran told The Associated Press. “I was like, yeah, that sounds fantastic, and we haven’t seen that before.”

Alcock, who had been working in her native Australia since her teenage years, found her world rapidly expanding. After submitting a self-tape for the secretive Supergirl project, she was summoned for her first-ever screen test. A 24-hour flight from Sydney to Atlanta later, she gave it her all. “I kind of had a feeling, I remember I like got back to my hotel room and I like sat down and I was like, ‘Oh, this is gonna, something’s gonna happen,’” Alcock said. “I just had like an intuition that like, this is going to be a very exciting challenge if it goes in my favour.”

Ten days later, the news arrived not via a phone call, but a text message from Gunn containing an article from the trade publication Deadline: “Supergirl’: New Woman Of Steel Is ‘House Of The Dragon’s’ Milly Alcock.” Her immediate reaction? “This is crazy, what have I done?” Just days after, she was back on that 24-hour flight to film her cameo in the upcoming Superman film.

Since then, things have not slowed down. Filming the Supergirl movie, set for release on 26 June, has been a marathon of stunts, action, and emotion, with the promotional tour proving equally relentless. Speaking to the AP earlier this month, Alcock had just arrived in Las Vegas from Kyoto, where she was filming another project, and, on just two hours of sleep, had to rally to hype Supergirl in front of thousands of cinema owners.

Safran believes the film offers a fresh perspective. “It’s a really original and unique take on a superhero movie,” he said. “I think it’s just a great movie for audiences. It’s not just for superhero fans.”

Despite her character being less widely known than her famous cousin, the response to Alcock’s brief appearance in Superman was overwhelmingly positive. “She’s in the Superman movie for, you know, 12 seconds, yet one of the things audiences wanted to see … more of was her,” Safran noted. “And Millie in real life, she’s just that girl … she is authentically a badass.”

Part of Supergirl’s intrigue lies in her stark contrast to the straight-laced Superman. Unlike her cousin, who was raised by loving parents on Earth, Kara witnessed the destruction of her home planet and the loss of everyone she knew, forcing her to fend for herself. Directed by Craig Gillespie, known for his films about complex young women like I, Tonya and Cruella, the film follows a jaded Kara on an intergalactic odyssey.

Alcock found an unexpected connection with her character. “Kara surprisingly reminded me a lot of myself, which I never thought I would get from playing like a superhero, from playing someone who isn’t human. There’s a lot humility in her and that kind of made me fall in love with her immediately,” Alcock explained. “Sometimes you can get swept up in what other people expect, and then you kind of lose your intrinsic you-ness. And that’s why people hire you in the first place, because of what you bring to something just innately being who you are.”

Alcock, who didn’t grow up a big film fan, found acting to be a lifeline and an outlet for communicating feelings she struggled with in real life. Now living in London with a close-knit group of non-actor friends, she is adjusting to the intense visibility that comes with her new role.

“It’s been kind of disorientating,” she admitted. “I do this job because it gives me the ability to disappear. So then to like suddenly be so visible and so exposed is a very vulnerable experience. I’m just trying to learn how to deal with that relationship. But I mean, it’s exciting. Of course it’s exciting. But like anything exciting, it’s also terrifying.”

She recalled a conversation with David Corenswet on the Superman set, highlighting their differing perspectives on fame. “I remember him being like, ‘We’re gonna have action figures, isn’t that cool?’” she said. “And I was like, ‘That’s so weird. Why would someone have a toy of my face?’”