In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Millie Alcock says she knows she will face backlash for her upcoming Warner Bros. film Supergirl simply because she plays a female superhero. The 25-year-old actor is no stranger to dealing with a rabid fan base, having broken out as young Rhaenyra Targaryen in the first season of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon.
“I definitely realized that just existing as a woman in that space was something that people would criticize,” Alcock said. “We’ve become very comfortable with having this weird ownership over women’s bodies. I can’t really stop them. I can only be myself.”
Alcock made her debut as Supergirl last year with a cameo in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s Superman, which brought the new DC Universe to the big screen. This summer’s “Supergirl” will be the next film in the series. Alcock told Vanity Fair that after he finished work on House of the Dragon, he vowed to star in a big series. She made a big change, landing a role opposite Julianne Moore in the Netflix limited series Sirens, but couldn’t find work for a year after that.
“I was so scared that my life was going to end at 22, and of course that wasn’t the case,” Alcock said of how her career fears subsided and her chances of auditioning for Supergirl became even more favorable. “I’ve bullied myself.”
Vanity Fair also asked Alcock about the opposition of legendary directors such as Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott to the superhero genre. Scorsese infamously compared comic book movies to theme park rides when discussing the alarming state of movie theaters, while Scott said superhero movies are “boring as shit” and “not as good as shit.” Alcock doesn’t seem to mind.
“Okay, they’ve been making phenomenal movies for a long time,” she said. “Not every movie is for everyone. The beauty of art is that you have a choice.”
Warner Bros.’ Supergirl synopsis reads, “When an unexpected and ruthless enemy approaches home, Kara Zor-El, also known as Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely ally and embarks on an epic interstellar journey of revenge and justice.” The film also stars Matthias Schoenaerts as Clem from Yellow Hills, David Krumholz as Zor-El from Supergirl, and Jason Momoa as the alien mercenary Lobo.
“Supergirl” will be released in theaters on June 26th. To read Alcock’s full interview, visit Vanity Fair’s website.
