A lot of people like to play dress up, not only for Halloween, so for stars to dress up and portray much-admired characters for television series or movies is really something else. "Supergirl" star Melissa Benoist for one thinks that her costume "rocks," and she feels overwhelmed every time she puts it on.
"The first time I put the costume on, it was a mixture of a lot of emotions. It's impossible not to feel empowered when you put it on," she told Entertainment Weekly. "You would think, 'Oh, it's silly. I'm putting on tights. I'm putting on a leotard and a skirt. There's muscles built into the suit. There's a cape. I'm going to feel like it's Halloween.' But something changes internally. I feel like a different person almost. It really is an alter ego, where I feel inspired, hopeful and empowered."
A lot of girls really admire Kara Zor-El or Supergirl, so Benoist understands just how important it is for her to do the character justice. There is pressure attached to the role, she admitted, but she is eager to take it on.
"I want to do right by women," she said. "I want to portray someone they can relate to and look up to. I want her to be complicated and flawed."
Benoist clarified that she wants to inspire not only women, but the men as well. She wants people to realize that there is greatness inside of them, and they do not necessarily have to possess supernatural powers in order to achieve great things.
"I don't want it to be campy. I want it to be grounded and human. That goes for anybody. It doesn't matter what sex. It doesn't matter if it's women or men I inspire, I just want to inspire people in general to realize their strengths and their potential, and that you can do the things that you feel like are impossible to accomplish," she said.
What she likes about her character is that she is unlike her cousin Kal-El, who came to Earth from Krypton when he was just a baby so he does not remember anything from his planet. Kara, on the other hand, grew up in Krypton and she was already around 12 or 13 when she got to Earth.
She has not used her powers for years when she gets to Earth, so there's so much room for mistakes, and that actually makes her relatable to the audience.
