What we know about TV’s kick-ass new Supergirl, Melissa Benoist
When CBS announced they were creating Supergirl last September, comic book lovers everywhere rejoiced, and the search for the perfect leading lady began. We’re not kidding, this was a HUGE search. In fact a few weeks ago, a network exec said they were looking for “someone who embodies both the freshness and the exuberance of being a young woman in today’s challenging climate and being someone who can carry this kind of series on her shoulders.” No big deal.
But guess what? They found the girl for the job and her name is Melissa Benoist. Now, the 26-year-old is gearing up to become the face of CBS’s first superhero show in 25 years.
Quick crash course in comics: Supergirl, real name Kara Zor-El, is Superman’s cousin. She was first introduced in 1959, but killed off in the 1980s. She popped up here and there, and was eventually revived about 10 years ago. Why? Because GIRL POWER, that’s why.
We just did a little recon into the show’s premise and we couldn’t be more excited: “Born on the planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El escaped amid its destruction years ago. Since arriving on Earth, she’s been hiding the powers she shares with her famous cousin. But now at age 24, she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be.”
This is going to be a BIG DEAL. We love strong female characters, and Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl is sure to be just that. To celebrate our new heroine, here are some fun facts about Melissa.
1. She’s no stranger to TV. Melissa has made appearances on some of our favorite shows, including Law & Order: SVU, The Good Wife, and Homeland. Not to mention two seasons as the ever-adorable Marley Rose on Glee. (Oh, and she was in the Oscar-nominated movie Whiplash).
2. She was in this commercial for Tampax Radiant . . . which is now definitely going to be hunted down and put up on a whole lotta blogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg-qlEzmP7o
3. She’s engaged to her Glee co-star and duet partner, Blake Jenner (aka Ryder).
4. She actually channeled her inner-superhero on an episode of Glee.
5. She wins at Instagram, especially when she posts pictures of her adorable dogs.
Congrats, Melissa! So pumped to see you don the cape and bring a whole new level of awesome to this girl power movement. As Melissa, herself, put it on Twitter: “I wish there was a Supergirl emoji.”
