Milly Alcock says stepping into the cape as Supergirl was one of the scariest decisions of her career — which is exactly why she knew she had to do it.
The 26-year-old actress, who first appeared briefly as Kara Zor-El in Superman before leading the upcoming Supergirl feature, opened up about the emotional leap in a new interview with Variety. “I looked at myself in the mirror, and I was like, ‘Who am I to turn down this opportunity?’” Alcock said.
“I knew that it was what I needed to do, because it scared me.” The actress added, “Well, I get one big, bad, beautiful life. Why not f****** go for it? Just f****** go for it!”
For Alcock, the role became more personal than she initially expected, especially as she connected with Kara’s emotional struggles and internal conflict. “What Kara was going through that I was going through is she’s someone who has been at war with themselves,” she explained. “And I think that’s a very universal feeling — especially for women.”
Alcock, who broke out globally as young Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, admitted she never anticipated a superhero film would resonate with her on such a personal level. “So it’s been a really surprising journey,” she said. “I never thought taking on a superhero film would do that. But it has. And what a beautiful thing.”
She also expressed excitement about what the character could mean to younger audiences. “I am so excited for all the young women who are going to see this,” Alcock said. “That’s really going to get me.”
Beyond the superhero talk, Alcock also got candid about navigating social media and the mental toll of constant online noise, something many younger actors openly discuss now in a way previous generations rarely did.
The actress revealed one of her personal antidotes to doom-scrolling is intentionally disconnecting and forcing herself back into real-world moments. “Sitting at a café and watching people and reading alone — just being a participant in real life – has been helpful,” she said.
Alcock also acknowledged the complicated relationship Gen Z has with online validation and criticism. “Sometimes people reinforce beliefs that you have about yourself, and you’re like: ‘Now someone’s said it! It’s true!’” she explained. “And you’ve got to remind yourself that it’s not.”
The upcoming Supergirl film is part of the new DC Studios universe overseen by James Gunn and Peter Safran, with Alcock’s version of Kara expected to play a major role in the franchise’s future moving forward.
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