The role of Kara Zor-El in the new television series "Supergirl" has definitely redefined the standards of strong female characters in television, and it is a role that lead star Melissa Benoist takes very seriously.
This is why whenever she puts on the Supergirl suit, Benoist said that she becomes transformed into a stronger, more confident individual.
"It really changes me from the inside out," she told PEOPLE. "I'm usually such a horrible sloucher, but I stand differently. My shoulders are magically back. I feel strong, and I walk differently. It's a cool feeling."
Benoist knows that a lot of other girls really wanted to land the role of Kara, and she feels blessed that it went to her in the end. The actress added that it's always a treat being on the set because they always have something exciting cooked up.
"Everything is fun. Whether it's some kind of action sequence, like I'm throwing a lot of punches and kicks, or I'm flying on the green screen," she said. "There's just something every day that I get to pause and be grateful for."
As fun as her work is, Benoist also appreciates her downtime with husband and former "Glee" co-star Blake Jenner.
"I have a pottery wheel at home. I read a lot of books and see a lot of movies," she shared. "Work is so fast-paced, I like to kind of slow things down a bit."
The only thing that Benoist does not appreciate about her new show is the fact that people seem to place too much attention on female empowerment that they forget the story of Supergirl.
When Vanity Fair asked if she gets frustrated about the hype surrounding Kara's gender, she answered: "You know, I hate to say that I do because I consider myself a feminist. I'm very proud to be a woman. But I do think focusing on it so much that you forget that it's a story about humanity and what it means to be saving people's lives. I don't know if it's frustrating, but I don't know the word for it."
Benoist also hopes that there would be more interesting female superhero roles in television in the future.
"Even after this show stops airing I hope that more and more strong females keep coming. If there were great parts for women on every other show then we wouldn't even have to have this conversation at all," she said.
