HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Star Milly Alcock "Bullied" Herself Into Playing Supergirl After Swearing Off Franchises
It turns out stepping into one massive fantasy world wasn’t enough to scare Milly Alcock away for good. After breaking out in House of the Dragon, the actor actually tried to steer clear of franchise life altogether. That plan didn’t last long.
Now she’s leading the charge as Kara Zor-El in Supergirl, and the story behind how she took the role is surprisingly intense.
In a new interview wuith Vanity Fair, Alcock opened up about the strange headspace she found herself in after finishing work on Netflix’s Sirens. The sudden slowdown hit harder than expected, especially after the whirlwind of House of the Dragon.
She admitted, "I was so shit-scared that my life was over at 22," when she didn't work for a year after wrapping on Netflix's Sirens. "And, of course, it wasn’t."
That experience clearly stuck with her. When Supergirl came along, it wasn’t an easy yes. In fact, she had already convinced herself that jumping into another massive franchise wasn’t something she wanted.
But instead of walking away, she pushed herself straight into it. As she explained, she "kind of bullied myself into it," despite initially wanting distance from projects on that scale.
In House of the Dragon, Alcock had to learn High Valyrian to bring young Rhaenyra Targaryen to life. Now she’s diving into an entirely different fictional language for DC’s next big story.
Director Craig Gillespie shed some light on just how demanding that process has been, saying, "There are five languages in this film, and Kryptonian is one of them, all original languages.
"So they had to learn a language. There's some major scenes, like minutes and minutes of dialogue that they've got to work with. You really need actors of that caliber."
That kind of challenge seems to be part of what makes Alcock such a great fit for the role. She’s already proven she can handle dense material and still deliver something grounded and emotional.
The upcoming Supergirl film isn’t playing things safe either. This version of Kara is heading into darker territory, following her on what’s been described as a murderous quest for revenge across the galaxy.
Along the way, she’ll be joined by Krypto the Superdog and face off against a dangerous enemy, Krem of the Yellow Hills, played by Matthias Schoenaerts.
Alcock also addressed the ongoing conversation around superhero movies, especially comments from filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott who’ve been critical of the genre.
Her take feels refreshingly straightforward: "I get it. They’ve been around for f*cking ever making phenomenal films. Not every film is for everyone. The beauty of art is that you can be selective."
That perspective lines up perfectly with where she seems to be right now as an actor. She’s not chasing trends or trying to fit into a specific lane. If anything, she’s choosing projects that challenge her, even if it means pushing past her own hesitation.
Supergirl hits theaters on June 26, and it’s shaping up to show a very different side of the character.