In 2013’s “Man of Steel,” Henry Cavill’s Superman revealed that the signature “S” on his suit meant “hope” on his home planet of Krypton. A decade later and wearing a similar outfit, Sasha Calle takes that to heart as DC’s newest Supergirl.
“She’s a really incredible superhero that no matter what universe or iteration, she carries this symbol on her chest,” says Calle, making her superhero debut in “The Flash” (in theaters now). “She is kind, powerful and filled with hope no matter what she faces.”
In the time-travel adventure, speedster Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) gets trapped on a different Earth than his own. He teams up with his teenage self and a retired Batman (Michael Keaton), but instead of finding his buddy Superman, The Flash has to rescue Supes’ cousin Kara Zor-El (Calle) from a Siberian black site.
Here are five things you need to know about Calle, 27, and her new take on a comic-book icon:
Sasha Calle has all the feels about her version of Supergirl
The Boston-born Calle, who’s of Colombian heritage, is the first Latina actress to play the character, following stars such as Helen Slater (1984’s “Supergirl” movie) and Melissa Benoist (TV’s “Supergirl”). For “The Flash,” Calle loved playing the heroine’s humanity and complexities: “Her sadness, her joy, her anger, it’s all just hyper felt.”
Supergirl’s first encounter with humans was unpleasant, and while she’s initially wary of the other heroes – who need her help fighting the dangerous General Zod – “she’s processing and trying to understand,” Calle says. “There’s a lot of silence and observation and trying to figure out who these Barrys are, what Zod is doing here, what humankind is. It’s a very beautiful runway to Supergirl because this is only a beginning aspect of her. There’s a lot to dive deep into and discover.”
Gal Gadot, Charlize Theron were Sasha Calle’s action-hero inspirations
Calle figures she “manifested this job”: Six years ago, she watched Gadot in DC’s “Wonder Woman” and Theron in the spy thriller “Atomic Blonde,” and afterward, “I remember just thinking, that’s what I want to do.” She put pictures of both actresses on her vision board, and a year later, she started boxing and practicing movements to really understand “how to move my body,” Calle says.
While Supergirl might not have initially been her dream action role, “it couldn’t have been any other character,” Calle adds. “I really do believe that Supergirl was written in the stars for me. When I started to become her, it just made sense. It felt like my whole life was preparing me for this role in a way.”
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Sasha Calle’s big break in ‘Young & the Restless’ was a game changer
Before Calle snagged her first major gig on the long-running soap opera in 2018, she was young and restless. “I was totally broke,” she recalls. “I was kind of couch surfing and had so many jobs,” from working the front desk at a gym to hostessing and catering stints.
Playing Genoa City chef Lola Rosales was a tough job, but Calle says she was “blessed” to have done 270-plus episodes in two-and-a-half 2 – and scored a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2020. She still gets a kick out of her “most soapy moment,” when Lola was attacked on a Valentine’s Day cabin trip, fell into a pool and slipped into a coma. “To make it juicy, it was my brother’s ex-wife who thought I was my brother’s current girlfriend because I was wearing her coat,” Calle recalls. “So that was pretty wild.”
Music, not acting, was ‘The Flash’ star’s first love
The actress’ Instagram shows off her singing, songwriting and guitar talents, and she says she’s been “deeply connected to music” since childhood. Seeking voice lessons at 17, Calle moved from Miami to Los Angeles to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, graduating in 2017. But having never performed a musical theater tune or a monologue before, she didn’t get in on her first audition. “I felt like someone had taken the love of my life away from me,” Calle says.
She convinced them to give her another shot, and while Calle says she “cracked” a high note during her song, an emotional monologue made up for it. One judge came up to her afterward and “he was like, ‘You’re an incredible actor. Where do you study?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, this is my first time doing this. I’m a singer.’ And he’s like, ‘Well, that needs a little bit of work.’ ”
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Will Sasha Calle star in a ‘Supergirl’ solo movie?
Calle next stars opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones and Will Poulter in the drama “On Swift Horses” but doesn’t want to leave the DC Universe. A new movie based on the sci-fi comic book series “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” is planned as part of an upcoming reset honchoed by new DC Studios CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, and she’s met with Safran about her future. “I hope to continue playing Supergirl,” Calle says. “I love her so deeply and I feel so connected to her.”
One superhero pro tip she learned making “The Flash” was the importance of patience “and just allowing to let go a little and really trusting that everyone’s coming at it with so much love,” Calle adds. “Just have fun.”
