Supergirl actress Melissa Benoist soared for six seasons as the DC hero. However, several actresses were also in line for the iconic Arrowverse role. Blending the character's Kryptonian and human names, Benoist debuted as Kara Danvers/Supergirl in 2015. The show began life on CBS before moving to The CW ahead of its second season. There, it more prominently joined The Flash and Arrow as part of the shared DC Comics-based universe. Taking part in the annual Arrowverse crossover events, the show also helped establish further spinoffs including Superman & Lois.
Supergirl finished its run after six seasons, and fans will next see the character with a new actress — now on the big screen — in both The Flash in 2023 and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow in the DCU. As for Benoist, she was actually the first actress to audition for the role of Supergirl. Despite that, she didn't officially land the role until three months later. In that time, countless women auditioned and screen-tested for the role — including several faces that many will undoubtedly recognize. Here are the actresses who came close to wearing Supergirl's cape as Kara Danvers in Supergirl.
Claire Holt
Holt is perhaps best known for her role as the original vampire Rebekah Mikaelson on fellow CW show The Vampire Diaries. A firm-fan favorite, both the character and the actress returned frequently for The Vampire Diaries spinoff show, The Originals. The Australian-born actress also had a prominent role in NBC's Aquarius, which was centered around the infamous crimes of Charles Manson. Given her similar look to the character and the established knack for physically demanding, action-based roles, it's easy to see why Holt was linked to the show as the Supergirl actress.
Gemma Atkinson
The British actress first came to prominence as part of the U.K.'s young adult soap opera Hollyoaks. Atkinson played the character of Lisa Hunter for five years. Since then, she has appeared in the hospital drama Casualty. She also starred in several indie films, including How to Stop Being a Loser alongside veteran actor Richard E. Grant. Getting the role of the Supergirl actress would have marked her introduction to a wider, U.S. audience.
Elizabeth Lail
The Texas-born actress enjoyed a more prominent role as a live-action version of Frozen's Princess Anna on the series Once Upon a Time. She also played the lead role of Quinn Harris in the recent supernatural horror film Countdown - which centered on a killer app. Most, however, will recognize Lail for her turn as the ill-fated Guinevere Beck on Netflix's psychological thriller YOU. As the object of Joe Goldberg's deranged affections, she featured opposite Penn Badgley throughout season 1. Following the character's tragic end, Lail returned as a haunting apparition in season 2. As the Supergirl actress, it would no doubt have been fun to see her protect people from the kind of monster she famously acted out falling victim to.
Kayla Compton
Kayla Compton starred as the similarly named Kara on the lesser-known series Making Moves. She is best known, though, for her role as Allegra Garcia on The Flash. Compton made her first appearance in The Flash season 6, episode 2, "A Flash of the Lightning" and recurred thereafter. Proving to be a solid addition, she was promoted to a series regular in season 7. Things could have been very different, however. Compton previously auditioned for the job of the Supergirl actress - with hers being one of those leaked online. Given how well Compton slipped into her eventual role and how synonymous Benoist has become with her role on Supergirl, there's little doubt that the powers that be made the right choices.
Who Will Play Supergirl In Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow?
While Melissa Benoist ended up the perfect choice to play Supergirl on The CW, it is time to find a new Supergirl actress for the role in the DCU Gods & Monsters chapter. With James Gunn and Peter Safran running the DCU, a new Supergirl movie will arrive in a few years called Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. The question is who will the Supergirl actress be now that Kara Zor-el is getting her own solo movie in the DCU? While an obvious choice to some would be Sasha Calle, who was recently seen playing Kara in the trailer for The Flash, casting Supergirl in the DCU is a little more complex.
Sasha Calle portrays the hero when she arrives in The Flash in 2023. However, this is a Flashpoint universe, and that means little there could carry over to the main DCU once it starts up in 2024. With that said, Gunn has not ruled out Calle for the role of Supergirl. There's always a possibility Calle could be tapped for Power Girl in the DCU too, since Power Girl's origin involves being the Kara Zor-el (spelled Zor-l in her case) of a different reality. Expect him to have a lot of actresses read for the role before he makes his decision. For now, the Supergirl movie is still a long way off and fan casting is all people can hope for right now.