Views: 108
ELLE Australia cover girl Milly Alcock was back home in Petersham, the leafy Sydney suburb where her acting dreams first took root, when her phone buzzed with a message from none other than film director and CEO of the DC Universe James Gunn. The contents? A simple link to a headline that would set the internet ablaze. As per Deadline, it read:
Milly Alcock cast as Supergirl in the upcoming DC blockbuster Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
The 25-year-old Sirens star read it once. Then again. Her heart thundered. The moment should’ve been euphoric, a life-defining high. But her first instinct wasn’t celebration. It was panic. “I was kind of in disbelief. I was initially like, ‘What have I done? Now I actually have to do this,’” she tells ELLE, now speaking from her trailer on the Supergirl set in London. “I then invited all my friends over to the house and we drank champagne!”
“But James didn’t even call!” she jovially adds.
This surreal news came just days after a nerve-wracking screen test in Atlanta, a process unlike anything she’d experienced, even with her growing body of acclaimed work. “During a screen test, you’re in a room with all the other women [vying for the same part] and you’re all dressed as the character,” she says. “The studio lines you up in the makeup truck, gives you the same look, and then puts you on stage. For Supergirl, it was just me and one other girl. It was really scary; I thought I was going to vomit! But it’s just fear! That’s what happens! This job has been a journey of overcoming my own fear.”
Fear. Flight. Becoming. These are themes deeply woven into the fabric of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and into Alcock’s own journey. Her take on Kara Zor-El promises something different. Not the gleaming, perfect cousin of Superman, but a more layered, human version; a refugee, a fighter, someone who carries trauma as much as power—and someone who enjoys partying and drinking!
From ‘House Of The Dragon’ To The Stars
Alcock admits she, too, has long grappled with insecurities and her path to fame, since playing Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in the fantasy series House of the Dragon. “I had a really hard time [on that TV series], I felt like such an imposter — and I still do — but I think that’s healthy. I was 21 when I got that role,” Alcock says. “For me, the irony of becoming famous is that I do this job to disappear. I do it to hide. To suddenly be so visible, I was like, ‘Oh no, I don’t want to be recognised! I want to get the Tube [in London] and be at the pub.’ You kind of realise you are public property, which is not a nice feeling. But then you remember you did this to yourself!
“[Back then] I didn’t cope. But I’ve gotten better at it. I think having that experience with House of the Dragon and now Supergirl …” her mind wanders before returning to the present. “There’s no handbook for all of this.”
Directed by fellow Australian Craig Gillespie — of I, Tonya and Disney’s Cruella fame — Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will release in June 2026, and Alcock’s version of the heroine is set to redefine what audiences expect from a Kryptonian.
Is Milly Alcock In ‘Superman’?
Yes, Milly Alcock makes a short post-credit cameo in Superman. Although brief, her appearance sets the scene for her upcoming film Supergirl, slated for release in June 2026, and carries major weight in the DC universe.
You can read Alcock’s full interview with ELLE here. The June issue of ELLE Australia in on newsstands across the country now.
Superman is in cinemas now.
The post Milly Alcock Wasn’t Initially Excited To Be Supergirl appeared first on ELLE.
