As part of the Motto series, created by the editors of Time Magazine and in which they ask prominent people to share advice or give insights into their process, Melissa Benoist wrote a piece about what playing an iconic character like Supergirl means to her.
She cites her majority-female family for raising her in an environment in which she never thought less of girls and women, or less of herself for being one:
I come from this matriarchal family where I didn’t have many boy cousins. It was all girls running around, and my mom had only sisters and I had mostly sisters. So we just had this really strong, feminine family and were really all go-getters. I think that rubbed onto me and helped in facing this role and creating Supergirl.
The thing she seems to be proudest of with regard to CBS’ Supergirl is that a female-centric story is appealing to both men and women, which makes sense, as she drew her inspiration for Supergirl from both as well:
One other thing I think it’s important to note is that I didn’t just draw from female inspirations. One of my favorite movies is Hook, and I felt Robin Williams really embodied a lot of traits I thought Supergirl should have. That’s just part of the beauty of this show: It’s so important for gender equality that this is happening and that it’s the right climate for it, but what I absolutely love is that it doesn’t ultimately matter that Supergirl is a woman. This is something that boys and girls, men and women can all enjoy and get something out of.
One thing’s for sure – we love what Benoist is doing on Supergirl. You can check out the rest of her piece over at Motto.
(image via CBS/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)
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