'Supergirl' Stars Talk About Their 21st Century Version of Jimmy Olsen
Changing anything about beloved comic book characters can be a tricky business, especially when those characters have existed for decades. But the upcoming CBS show Supergirl isn’t afraid to break some rules.
When Supergirl’s cast and crew — including Melissa Benoist, Mehcad Brooks, Chyler Leigh, Jeremy Jordan, and David Harewood — stopped by Yahoo TV’s Comic-Con studio to preview their show, they dove right into talking about the big change to the character of Jimmy Olsen. In the series, he’s played by Brooks… who is black.
Related: WB/DC Panel Sees a Lighter ‘Arrow,’ a Darker 'Flash,’ and Jimmy Olsen’s Abs
“With respect to this 75-year-old character, we’re sort of updating him for the 21st century,” Brooks explained. “Our great-grandparents lived a very monochromatic existence… and we’re righting some of those inequities now.”
And actually, Brooks has perhaps the most important requisite quality for any Jimmy Olsen. “I’m a nerd!” he said with a laugh.
The stars also spun our Wheel of Comic-Con, and both groups landed on Batman. Of course, being a nerd, Brooks jumped at wearing the mask. So did Harewood, who previewed the season to come.
“We all kind of want to get to the meat and potatoes of the story. I can’t wait to get going,” he said, before adding, “Does that sound weird with this mask on?”
This is a superhero show — masks are kind of mandatory!
Supergirl premieres Oct. 26 on CBS.
