From odd jobs to DC's Supergirl: The Flash star Sasha Calle on becoming a groundbreaking hero

The Zoom call that would change Sasha Calle's life began like so many others.

Andy Muschietti, the filmmaker behind both It movies, was casting a crucial role in DC's The Flash: Supergirl, the Kryptonian cousin of Superman. The director already went through multiple auditions and chats with the actress, and this time he claimed he needed more information.

"Hola, Sasha! Como estas?" the Argentinian Muschietti asked Calle, who's of Colombian descent. The conversation proceeded, bouncing in and out of Spanish. Calle says she was unaware that this seemingly casual conversation was being recorded, but is now grateful it was as Muschietti released the footage on social media in February 2021 to show fans the exact moment he cast her as Kara Zor-El, making Calle the first Latina Supergirl.

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/DC Comics Sacha Calle arrives in 'The Flash' as Supergirl, making her the first Latina actress to play the part

"I will remember that moment for the rest of my life," Calle tells EW of that Zoom chat, during which she broke down in tears once Muschietti showed her the Supergirl suit. "You have these massive dreams when you're a little kid or when you're growing up, and the world can tell you no, but I've always had this thing in my chest. It's like a light or beam that has directed me one way, no matter what anybody is saying. That moment was that for me."

"What Sasha brings is just crazy," says Barbara Muschietti, Andy's sister and fellow producer on The Flash. "Strength and at the same time vulnerability. We saw that in her first read in the audition. She's very different from the past Supergirls and we loved that. As soon as we got her tape, we knew that she was it."

Calle's ascent through the industry is almost like a classic Tinseltown origin story. She worked a number of odd jobs over the years, including hostessing and catering. "At one point I really needed fast cash, and they do this thing where you can be a standing extra," Calle recalls. "I was doing that for a minute because I needed to eat."

She would later land a recurring gig on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, playing Lola Rosales, which earned her a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2020 for Outstanding Young Performer in a Drama Series. But looking back on her beginnings as she promotes her Supergirl role in The Flash, she remarks, "It's just so crazy to go from that to a moment where somebody's like, 'Hey, here's your dream job.' "

The fact that she's now the change she wants to see in the world as a Latina actress playing a major superhero makes this moment more joyous.

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Comics Ezra Miller's Barry Allen snaps a video of Sacha Calle's Supergirl mid-flight in 'The Flash'

"People are like, 'Well, we don't really mean [Latinas]. Latinas aren't on the big screen as superheroes, so why would you do that?' It's that idea of why representation matters," Calle says. "When I saw Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, I was like, 'She's a woman. She's on the big screen. She's a tough, beautiful superhero. I can do that as well.' She gave me that. I think just being here and existing, it's an honor and a joy. But that's my hope, that people who relate to me or see themselves in me can be like, 'Yeah, we belong there as well. Those dreams are definitely achievable.' "

It makes it worth the work it takes to actually become a superhero. After filming The Flash, Calle now knows what so many actors before her have complained about: peeing while wearing a super-suit.

"Being in the suit is exhausting," she says. "They're very tight, constricting suits, that are beautiful and glorious. When you're in them, it's a shock to the system of pride and joy — but when I needed to pee, I had to take the whole suit off."

The Flash opens in theaters June 16.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

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