EXCLUSIVE: 'Supergirl' Star Melissa Benoist is 'Blown Away' By Fan Reactions: 'I Have to Go to My Trailer and
Everyone knows the story of the Man of Steel, but on CBS’ Supergirl, Melissa Benoist stars as Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El, who works as an executive assistant by day and dons the iconic red cape and House of El glyph by night to keep National City safe.
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The show of course resonates with young female fans, who have followed the first season of Supergirl’s story with rapt attention and embraced Benoist as their Kryptonian criterion. For the former Glee star, the enthusiasm is a two-way street.
“I have had the privilege of meeting so many young girls that have visited set this season and I'm always blown away by their faces when they see the cape and the ‘S’ and the whole costume and just how excited they are to be there,” Benoist, 27, gushed to ET at Saturday’s Supergirl PaleyFest panel. “That is really moving and I always kind of... have to go to my trailer and cry a little bit!”
For co-creator Ali Adler, the reception to the show has more to do with Supergirl being an iconic hero than with her being female.
“It's amazing. Babies, toddlers, young women and guys too [are] just wearing the glyph,” she said. “I think that she is just the symbol of power and, incidentally, female.”
However, Adler admits, young girls have a special connection with Kara, Supergirl, and Benoist alike.
“My daughter's eight, and [I brought] a couple of her friends to set,” she recalled. “They just rush to her, even without being introduced and cling to her. [It’s] just this iconic dream of what they could be.”