Chyler Leigh Interview – ‘Supergirl’ and Playing Kara’s Sister

Chyler Leigh Interview - Supergirl
Chyler Leigh at Comic-Con 2015 (Photo by Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Chyler Leigh said she thinks it would be pretty cool if her character in CBS’ Supergirl, a bio-engineer named Alex Danvers, got her own action figure at some point. Sitting down to discuss the series in roundtable interviews at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con, Leigh also said she believes her character will add a little touch of the unexpected to the mix as she’s not based on a previously established character in the DC universe.

“I really did look it up, and I was like, ‘Nope. Nope. Nothing there. All right, cool.’ Everybody else has a lot of homework to do and figure all that out, and I kind of just get to enjoy it,” said Leigh about tackling a brand new character. “I read along and think that’s cool. I’m excited to be stepping into the show like this because I’m kind of a wild card. I get in everybody’s business and kind of get to shake things up. It really is an opportunity to bring something new into what everybody knows already.”

In the new series, Alex’s foster sister is Kara Danvers/Kara Zor-El/Supergirl (played by Melissa Benoist), and viewers can expect the show to explore the sibling dynamic and the bond between the two women. “When Kara comes into the picture, Alex was the only child – she was the star of the house – and then here comes Kara and she brings so much to the table. She’s super. She has superpowers and for Alex, it’s just a lot to try and live up to, so there’s a competitive nature from her side of it, really. Kara’s just trying to figure out who she is and kind of handle herself and what she’s got with these capabilities, and Alex is trying to keep up,” explained Leigh. “With Kara being who she is, it kind of intrigues Alex to become the scientist that she does become because she’s just fascinated. She really is fascinated and intimated, sisterly. And so it’s cool. It does create a lot of wiggle room for the ups and downs and the turmoil of being sisters.”

Despite the competitiveness, that doesn’t mean that Alex and Kara won’t be there for each other. “Alex loves Kara no matter what. A lot of what she’s doing and kind of like those layers when you start to figure out who Alex is and that she’s been hiding so much from Kara, it is that, ‘I’m hurting you because I love you because I’m trying to protect you but there’s so much that you don’t know,’ and a lot that gets revealed very quickly. She’ll always look out for her. She’ll always be her younger sister.”

Leigh wasn’t willing to give away much about season one, and she wouldn’t confirm if Alex was actually hunting Kryptonians before Kara. “I know nothing. We know nothing. Anything can happen,” said Leigh. “I think the big thing is there are a lot of expectations when you have a show like this and a character like this and it’s a strong female. I think it’s a very appropriate time for that to be out right now. And so there’s a lot of pressure, but at the same time we have so many ways to approach this and enjoy the heck out it, and just kind of make it new in so many different ways. We get to make it new.”

More on Supergirl: Melissa Benoist interview

Check out the full interview with Chyler Leigh on CBS’ Supergirl: