How 'Glee' Convinced Melissa Benoist She Could Handle 'Supergirl'

The big picture

Melissa Benoist learned how to work hard
glee
preparing her for the immense pressure of leading
Supergirl
.
Supergirl
was a massive undertaking with over 126 episodes, featuring a beloved character with high fan expectations.
A new approach
Supergirl
is in development with Milly Alcock taking on the role and continuing the legacy of the iconic character.

Melissa Benoist had a good start in Hollywood. His breakout role was in the cast of one of television's most popular series and then he went on to direct his own superhero series. During a conversation with Perri Nemiroff for Collider Ladies NightBenoist reflected on his experience at glee i Supergirland discussed how his time on one show influenced his approach to the other.

During the interview, Benoist confirmed that working glee it wasn't a walk in the park, but it helped her understand a lot about herself and what she was capable of. Taking on such a major role for a long-running series is intimidating, to say the least. That's why being on the set of the musical series made all the difference to Benoist's career. She explained:

“What I learned on Glee was that he was a very hard worker and he could do very difficult things because
the schedule for that show was exhausting because there were so many moving parts
. It was fun but tough. I'm sure if you've had anyone else from the show here, they've said the same thing. You had to rehearse the dances, you had to pre-record the songs, then you had to film the songs, and shooting the songs was much longer—they took hours and hours and hours—and then you also had scene work. Then
I knew Supergirl would bring a lot of pressure
, and the responsibilities were going to be immense. I think my experience on Glee gave me the belief that I had the ability to carry Supergirl.”

“Supergirl” was a massive undertaking

It's no secret that directing a series or being part of the main cast of a high-profile show demands a lot from actors. For Supergirl, Benoist worked on 126 episodes, which is more than the vast majority of TV shows these days. Also, Benoist had to take on the pressure of portraying a character that was already known and loved by audiences, meaning that many viewers went in with preconceived ideas of what the show (or the character) should be. .

Supergirl is a big part of the superhero conversation these days, thanks in part to Benoist putting her back on the map. After Benoist played the superhero, Sasha Calle assumed the role in 2023 the flash and was expected to continue his story in the DCEU. However, after a leadership change that put James Gunn and Peter Safran at the helm at DC Studios, we're set to get a whole new version of the character in the rebooted DCU. Supergirl is now ready to go back Supermani Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) is tasked with bringing the hero to life.

You can stream all episodes from Supergirl now and watch Benoist's full conversation with Nemiroff below.