‘Supergirl’ Cast And Execs Talk Feminism, Gay Characters & ‘The Flash’ Crossover – PaleyFest
The cast and creatives of Supergirl took the stage on Day 3 of PaleyFest for what fans hoped would be the confirmation of a second season. Well, no luck there, but castmembers did say they were optimistic about of a renewal after CBS head Les Moonves said he planned on renewing five freshman series. “We’re excited to tell as many stories as the 75 years of the amazing DC canon will afford us to do — so 75 years, Les Moonves,” co-creator/EP Ali Alder quipped. Joining her on the Dolby Theatre stage in Hollywood were fellow co-creator/EP Greg Berlanti along with cast members Melissa Benoist, Calista Flockhart, Chyler Leigh, Mehcad Brooks, David Harewood and Jeremy Jordan.
Much of the discussion centered on feminism, particularly on the impact of having a female superhero on television in a male-dominated field. Leigh said that’s what motivated her to take on
the Alex Danvers role. “I have two girls, and right before taking this job my husband was really challenging me in the sense of like ‘think about what this opportunity is and think about what it means to you and look at our little girls and if you don’t have a resounding yes [about being on Supergirl] then you’re crazy. For little girls, there’s so much on TV that is influential especially towards the younger ages. To be a part of something that’s telling a very powerful story in many different ways from many different perspectives, especially from a women’s standpoint but also from little girl’s standpoint … is rewarding.” Added Adler, “And that’s not just confined to little girls or women. I think the most exciting thing for me is the feeling that everyone feeling the strength of Supergirl regardless of gender.”
A question from Twitter asked about including LGBT characters on the show. “There’s no immediate plans to do that right now,” Berlanti said. Jordan then suggested that his character Winn Schott should be gay. Berlanti acknowledges that “these shows work best when they really reflect our entire society. We always want to keep adding to the characters and the cast and adding people so that everyone can watch the show and see some piece of themselves. I think what’s really always rewarding is when people watch the show and see some piece of themselves in a character that they wouldn’t think they’d have that much in common with.”
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On why he chose The Flash to be the first comic book crossover character on Supergirl, Berlanti said: “We needed to create a way to do it. We had to introduce Superman since you’ve heard about him and you’ve heard about Supergirl, but in worlds of Arrow and Flash, they didn’t exist in that world. We introduced the multiverse in The Flash this year, and that was always our way in.” But fans shouldn’t hold their breath for a visit from the Man of Steel. “We’re so thrilled that Supergirl is our point of view,” Adler said. “We’re thrilled to continue to tell her story.”
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