Interview: Laura Benanti Cries Over Melissa Benoist & Says Broadway Makes Good Superheroes

Broadway fans have known that Laura Benanti has superhuman powers for years, but now the whole world is in on our little secret. In the final moments of last week's SUPERGIRL series premiere, the Tony-winner was revealed to not only be playing the title character's dearly departed mother, but her Kryptonian criminal aunt as well. The surprise twist was just part of what made the pilot the most watched debut of the fall season.

Since the broadcast, critical and public reaction has been incredibly positive; something that Benanti, who has been a part of a number of under-appreciated TV shows in the past, appreciates.

(Check out my review of the SUPERGIRL series premiere.)

"It's been pretty awesome," Benanti said. "I'm not a series regular, so I didn't get myself too attached to it, but the response to the spoiler at the end (of the premiere), has been pretty amazing. It's such an incredible group of people, I really love working with them, and I'm just grateful to be a part of something that's such a big success."

Benanti previously appeared as a recurring character on fantasy musical drama ELI STONE, which was created and produced by Greg Berlanti; one of the minds behind SUPERGIRL. From the beginning, the producer told Benanti that on this new show, she would be pulling double-duty.

"When Greg called to offer me the job, that was the thing that was so enticing for me," Benanti said. "Not only was I going to get to play her mom, which is a lovely role, but I was going to get to really sink my teeth into being the 'big bad;' which is pretty fun.

"I've never (played a bad guy), the closest thing I came to playing a bad guy was Elsa in THE SOUND OF MUSIC, and she's not even bad, she's just sort of side-eyeish. So, I was very excited at the prospect of playing the character, plus it's fun to play a bad guy."

In tonight's episode, viewers will learn more about both Alura (Kara's mother) and Astra (her evil aunt), as SUPERGIRL comes in contact with both. While Benanti was excited about the challenge of playing both roles, that doesn't mean that creating two unique characters wasn't without its difficulties.

"It's getting easier for me," Benanti said. "In Episode 2, I was still figuring it out, but we just finished 7, 8, and 9, and I felt like I really learned what makes them tick, what makes them different.

"I haven't seen Episode 2 yet, I hope there's enough of a difference between my two characters (laughs), other than their outfits. I feel like I did my best in Episode 2, but I feel like I tapped into something a little deeper in the subsequent episodes."

Tonight, SUPERGIRL and Astra face off in an intense, mid-air battle; while stunt people did all of the actual flying, Benanti and Melissa Benoist, who plays show's heroine, did their fair share of fighting as well. With the aid of a moving platform and wind-machine, the two appear to be flying, while their feet were often firmly planted on the ground.

"As a person who's had two spinal surgeries, I'm good on the ground," Benanti said with a laugh.

Because of her dual roles, most of Benanti's scenes take place opposite Benoist and Malina Weissman, who plays a young Kara. Having been able to work so closely with Benoist, Benanti has quickly come to admire her young costar.

"I literally want to cry when I think of her, I love her so much," Benanti confessed. "I'm serious, I actually feel like her mom. I am so proud of her. She is one of the nicest people I've ever met; people, not just actors, she's one of the nicest people I've ever met.

"She's so genuine, she's such a hard worker, she is an incredible actress, she never complains. She is Supergirl, she is a superhero to me. I love her. Her sense of humor, she's hilarious, she knows every single person's name on the crew, she's just like the anti-diva. I cannot say enough good things about her."

Benoist's performance has been hailed by critics and comic book fans alike, and many have praised the actress for gracefully carrying the mantle as one of TV and film's few leading female superheroes.

"I am so happy that young women, and young men, are going to have such a wonderful person to look up to, Melissa the actress" Benanti continued. "When she goes on a talkshow, I am happy for people to watch her and go, 'Wow, I want to be like that.' I'm just so excited, I feel like it's such a wonderful thing for young girls and young boys everywhere."

While much of the buzz leading up to SUPERGIRL's premiere centered on the positive messages of having a female superhero headlining a network series, it is even rarer for a comic book show to feature a female supervillain, something that Benanti views as being just as important.

"I do think that having the villain be a woman is just as feminine, because we're not just saying, 'Women are wonderful, and made of marshmallows,' but women can be anything," Benanti said. "They can be amazing superheroes, or they can be dastardly villains, and everything in between."

In nearly every one of his projects, Berlanti includes cast members with theatrical experience. That trend has become more and more obvious with each new superhero show that he launches; Colin Donnell was a regular in the first season of ARROW; Grant Gustin, Jesse L. Martin, Carlos Valdes, and Victor Garber are all now on THE FLASH; and Ciara Renee and Garber will star in the upcoming LEGENDS OF TOMORROW. On SUPERGIRL, Benanti is joined by Tony-nominee Jeremey Jordan and Benoist, who has substantial musical theatre experience in addition to having been on GLEE for two seasons.

Benanti said that not only is Berlanti a theatre fan, but he also believes that artists trained for the stage bring something unique to larger-than-life comic book characters.

"I think that Greg does really respect artists that come from the theatre," Benanti explained, "and he has said to me that there's a different language to superhero stuff, a little bit heightened, but you still need to seem real. That is a tone that I think musical theatre people handle really well, people who perform on the stage, people who do Shakespeare."

While Benanti's focus has been on wedding planning and SUPERGIRL as of late, after the holidays, her attention will turn to the stage as she preps to return to Broadway as Amalia in the latest revival of Bock and Harnick's SHE LOVES ME. In a role previously played on Broadway by Barbara Cook and Judy Kuhn, Benanti will star alongside Zachary Levi, Jane Krakowski, and Gavin Creel.

"I'm pretty thrilled," she said. "I haven't been on Broadway in five years, and I'm so excited to return in this show. It's just such a beautiful gem of a show, it's such an incredible role, and a wonderful cast, fantastic director, I love working for the Roundabout and Todd Haimes, so I'm excited."

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Banner Photo Credit: CBS