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“So, so sorry to keep you waiting! But there were puppies.”
Supergirl’s Katie McGrath comes shuffling around the corner toward her setside trailer, having just made some furry friends over in hair-and-makeup. For someone so enigmatic both on-screen (Is Lena so different from brother Lex?) and off (Why doesn’t she have a birth date?), the Irish actress is wonderfully warm and welcoming, veritably champing at the bit to give her first in-depth interview since making her debut on the CW series last fall.
McGrath led TVLine on a quick iPhone tour of the puppies she just played with (peppered with some commentary on canine couture), before sitting for a cozy Q&A. Weeks afterward, she would earn a promotion to series regular for Season 3 — news she surely reveled in, given her girl crush on Miss Luthor, detailed below.
TVLINE | First of all, tell me what you’re shooting today.
What am I shooting today? We are on [Episode] 218, so it’s a storyline with Rahul [Kohli], from iZombie. He plays Jack Spheer, who is a love interest for moi.
TVLINE | Jack is Lena’s ex, though, right?
Yeah, but if there’s an ex, there’s still [with a flourish of the hand] frisson there, you know? We were together for a while. I feel very privileged that they thought enough of my character to give me a hot man to play with for an episode (airing Monday, April 24, when Season 2 resumes).
TVLINE | It sounds like a big episode for you.
It is, actually. What’s nice about it is you’re getting quite a bit of backstory for me as a character. You haven’t really seen storylines for Lena outside of her being a Luthor and all the stories to do with her family…
TVLINE | It always seems to come back to her mom.
Exactly. Or her brother… all of that kind of stuff. And this is separate to that, which is nice. It gives you more of an insight of her as an individual rather than her as part of her family.
TVLINE | But as Lena reconnects with Jack, Kara (played by Melissa Benoist) gets to investigating one of them…?
There is the release of some new technology that to Kara seems a bit suspect and seems to be connected to a few dastardly dealings going on. She’s attempting to investigate it, on one hand, because journalistically she thinks that it’s interesting. And then on the other hand, she’s investigating it because she’s worried about me as her friend. So, there’s both of those going on.
TVLINE | So, you think Lena and Kara are friends at this point?
They’re like bezzie mates.
TVLINE | Yeah?
Yeah! Yeah! See, everybody’s got this idea that…. It’s always hard when you’re playing a character that everybody thinks is going to go one direction. They’re convinced she’s going to go down the road of Lex—
TVLINE | I’m not. But the two of them have bumped heads a bit.
No, but they bump heads like anyone. Don’t you ever bump heads with your friends? But they always come back to, you know, a place of mutual respect of each other.
TVLINE | What might Kara’s investigation do to that dynamic?
I can’t give away the ending. [Laughs] But ultimately, we’ve spent 18 episodes over the season building a friendship between the two of them, and it’s not going to be able to be destroyed in one episode. That’s one of the things I’m most proud of actually on this show, and I didn’t think that’s where it was going to go, because when I came in, I only came in for a few episodes. And [the friendship] has slowly and very realistically, I think, built up over this season. We’ve all put a lot of work into it and I’m glad that they’re taking the time to get there, and keeping it.
TVLINE | You were talking about how everything always loops back to Lena’s mom or the whole Luthor thing, but is there a bigger picture to ultimately be revealed? Might Lena have a scheme of her own percolating that we’re completely oblivious to thus far?
I don’t think so…. I think Lena is a very genuine person. What you see is what you get with her. She is honestly trying to do the best she can, and she is honestly a good person. That’s not to say that other people don’t use her for ills, because she’s the head of this company, she has all of these other relationships that people can manipulate — like her mother — and get her into these situations that…. A normal person isn’t going to be b put in jail by, you know, Cadmus with giant green ray guns! It doesn’t happen to people that are not a Luthor, but it’s how Lena reacts to it differently than the rest of her family which makes her interesting to play. You think she’s going to “be a Luthor” about something, but then she turns around and completely surprises you, which I guess is what makes her an interesting character to watch — and definitely an interesting character to play.
TVLINE | So, at the end of the season finale she’s not going to let out a maniacal cackle and say, “At long last, Project Leviathan can be unleashed!”?
You know, she might! I haven’t read the end of the [season], so anything is possible. [Laughs] She could decide to move to a giant moon made of cheese. I mean, at this point, who knows!
TVLINE | Who have you been working with lately besides Melissa?
Besides Melissa? I’ve been working with Rahul. I have been working with Brenda [Strong], my mom, who is just so delicious.
TVLINE | And tall.
[Nods] God. I swear. But just, like, perfectly, elegantly in proportion. [Sweeping her hand from head to toe] She’s like a dancer. It’s unbelievable. I then rock up like an Irish potato going, “This is great. I am so not your child.”
TVLINE | Have you worked with Jeremy Jordan lately? You two have had a couple of fun scenes.
I haven’t worked with him since our little meeting underneath the stage. It’s funny because I seem to play these characters, generally, that are separate from the main storyline. So most of my stuff actually is just with Melissa, which is really nice, and it always tends to be real character stuff…. Us sitting down talking about things that are important…
TVLINE | And it always passes the Bechdel Test.
Yes! Exactly. It does. It’s proper scenes between two women, do you know what I mean? And it’s rare, generally, that you get to do that on TV. I think that’s why the relationship resonates with so many people — and it’s definitely why I love to play it.
TVLINE | Speaking of the Lena/Kara relationship, what do you think about the whole “Supercorp” thing? You’re not out there on Twitter….
I’m not on Twitter, no. But I’ve had people tell me about it.
TVLINE | How does a person who’s not on Twitter hear about it?
Well, Melissa will tell me, or anybody else on set. My brother mentioned it a few times.
TVLINE | Do you remember the first time you heard the term, or who from?
Who did I hear it from…? I couldn’t even tell you…. I think it was Melissa, actually, who first told me. I’ve played quite a few characters that have either been gay or they’ve had, you know, some very obvious gay undertones, and to be completely honest, this was the first time I was like, “Well, this role doesn’t have any!” You’re laughing now — how naive was I? And then after the first episode… I go back and I watch and I was like, “Oh, yeah, now I can see it. That makes sense to me.”
TVLINE | On Buffy’s anniversary, I read an interview where Joss Whedon talked about people who would see lesbian subtext between his female characters and he at first was like, “What are you talking about?” But once he looked for it, he was like, “Ohhhh, yeah.”
It’s funny because sometimes it’s so obvious when you’re playing it. You read it and you’ve got the characters and you’re like, “Oh, yeah, I know this is going to happen.” And then there are other times… and [with Lena/Kara] honestly, it just didn’t even enter into my head. But then you get the response and you go back and you’re like, “Yeah, I can see where that came from.” It doesn’t bother me at all. I think it’s great, because what really makes me feel good is that they can see the characters are working on more than one level. Do you know what I mean? It’s not just what we put into it. It’s what the writers put in, and the directors, and then what people can take from it. It means that the characters we’re playing are not just one dimension, they work on so many levels.
TVLINE | You’re stirring people’s imaginations. You want to do that with a character.
Exactly. Of course, it makes you feel really good to know that what you’re doing is quality.
TVLINE | What’s your dream casting for Lex? If Katie McGrath could grab anybody to play Lex for one episode….
One episode? Bruce Willis, the most amazingly, good-looking, bald man there ever is.
TVLINE | I just saw him at the end of M. Night Shyamalan’s Split.
Right? Was he delicious? He’s delicious. He’d be a good Lex.
TVLINE | If you could give Lena one piece of advice, what would it be?
“Keep doin’ what you’re doin’. Don’t stop. Don’t second guess yourself.” She’s honest, she’s true to Kara, she’s true to her friends, she’s doing her best…. She’s trying, in the face of all the things people keep throwing at her, and all the expectations that people have, and she’s defying them.
TVLINE | You’re in love with Lena.
[Cocking an eyebrow] Wouldn’t you be…?
TVLINE | [Stammering, some blushing]
[Laughs] There is only one answer to that, and that is, “Yes, Lena’s a badass.”
Want more scoop on Supergirl, or for any other show? Email InsideLine@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.
what a waste of screen time that could’ve gont to james or maggie
Oh yes, I agree so much screen time is wasted on Mon-el this season that should have been given to James or Maggie.
Mon-El is the best thing happened to this show
Mon-El is the worst thing to happen to this show.
Nope! He’s amazing
i second that haha
Monel is the worst
When everyone on twitter loves mon-el and your just sitting there like… but i love supercorp.
Mon-el is the worst and he’s forced into every narrative in the show
Is that all u’ve got?
You dont even know what forced mean you idiot
People never stop! What brought Mon El to the conversation now? They re talking about Lena nd Kara nd the ex boyfriend of hers also her back story why, why would u trash Mon El now?
Mon el has stolen much of the narrative on a show that was touted as feminist and female-centric. The CW has pushed him into a position of great importance. You could even argue that he’s being treated like the lead!! Those of us who followed the show here from CBS aren’t on board with that, and it’s frustrating to see how the product we were sold is so different from the one that is being delivered.
I followed the show from CBS. So speak for yourself. All love Mon-El and cant wait to see him in his suit. The only ones that dont is women that want Kara gay
He is also the lead, he is dating Kara. Why don’t u stop with the bad mouthing nd enjoy the show. Until something bad happens to mon-El he is still in the picture nd agure this or not he made the show better.
And u re certainly right Mike. Alex is enough gay in things show. I like her storyline nd live interest but that is enough.
WORD. Mon-el is taking up waaaay too much time. Yay for Lena though! (Y)
I disagree. Lena’s added more to the show than Mon-El and she hasn’t pushed Kara aside in the process the way he has. And no, I’m not a SuperCorp shipper. Frankly I ship Kara by herself for a while since they keep messing up romantic relationships for her. Let her date, sure but forget trying for a serious relationship. I thought that’s what they would do for a while this season, but no. They had to rush and force one on her.
Wow…had this been a male lead in a rship, no one would be complaining but just coz she’s a woman everyone jumps on the “she doesn’t need a man” train…
Had this been a male lead in a rship, this would have never ever happened. But yeah, you can bet your @ss people would complain. Especially if a superhero show’s superhero main’s entire storyline became about a whiny idiot love interest, and almost nothing else all season. People already complain loads about Felicity on Arrow, and she NEVER ever came close to being as centric as Mon-el is, basically becoming a co-lead, even though he adds nothing to the story that any other character couldn’t do better.
I totally agree with you. I wish they could let her be the strong woman she is without having a sentimental parner. And I do am a supercorp shipper, but also I am realistic. So, I know that ship will never happen. But that doesn’t mean i can’t enjoy the subtext. And i just LOVE Katie and how she’s playing Lena.
What what what? U re talking about a guy all that matters to him is Kara. Push her aside u say, where is that coming from?
All that matters to Kara is Mon el and her blog according to Kara. Its why I’ve grown to detest the way they are writing her
Kara has become a shell of herself compared to how independent and strong she was in season 1. She’s regressed and i put all the blame on this poorly thought out push ti make this show about mon-el. It’s supergirl i came to watch not this dude. I also think his presence is the cause for the practical disappearance of the alex/kara relationship which was the heart of this show in season 1
Season 1 was awful! Mon El isn’t to blame for Kara being fired nd decision to stay at home nd more time her love. In fact I live how he isn’t working for that paper anymore. Something should be different from superman’s story.
In fact I love how she isn’t working at that paper again. She should have her own direction.
Yeah Mon hell does waste a lot of screen time
God I love that woman. And I love Lena Luthor at least as much as she does. I’ll fight ya on that, Miss McGrath. And then we’ll go to the nearest pub, drink beers and sing Irish ballads.
Lena is far from being a badass. I hope they stop soon with the constant damsel in distress thing. It got old 10 episodes ago.
Besides that, great interview!
I mean, they’re sort of setting Lena up to be Kara’s Lois Lane….the tough, smart, strong woman who is saved by the hero….
Delusional much
Asshole much? I’m entitled to my opinion. Leave me alone.
No need with the name calling nd insult. It’s just a show.
Excuse me. but who saved who in tonight’s episode?
This was so good. Thanks Matt, you’re the best. Lena Luthor is definitely someone worth falling in love with. I’m glad the character is receiving the attention it deserves because it is really a very interesting character.
Thank you Matt for publishing this. You are our hero. Katie McGrath is the sweetest human being ever. I’m proud to stan her!
Good interview but Bruce Willis is way too old to be her brother :)
I love Katie McGrath. I can understand people interpreting Kara/Lena as a couple cos she has chemistry with every character who’s on screen with her. I’m so glad they made her a regular in season 3. Message to writers: keep doing what you’re doing with her character and more screen time please
Katie McGrath just steams up every single scene she’s in. It’s ridiculous how much effortless, natural sex appeal just flows off her
That’s the point
She had it in Merlin. She is gorgeous.
I am so interested to see how the writers respond to the whole “supercorp” thing. I’m not a shipper of them myself but theres no denying the fandom for it is huge and the actors are aware of it. Do they go for it next season?
No of course not!! Kara is not gay she is with Mon-El too and both sisters gay would be ridiculous.. the show would be toast!
I agree Mike. I’m bi so I’m not against gay characters at all but it would be ridiculous to have both sisters have same-sex attractions. If they wanted to have Lena be bi and maybe explore her and Alex at some point but when those to make Alex gay they firmly shut the door on any Kara/Lena relationship
“there can’t be more than one gay character on the show, that is so not how real life works” … y’all hearing yourself? the logic you are using is farfetched
It’s actually not far fetched…it’s realistic.
Kara & Alex (sorta) are the lead characters of this show and both of them cannot be LGBT. They can have more gay characters on the show for sure, just not Kara.
They could. But they just won’t.
I could be interesting having a Lesbian and a Bi as main characters. And it doesn’t matter that they are sisters, in real life happens. Sadly im aware that ‘family’ shows are not prepared to do that yet.
The only barrier is the will to do it.
Clearly you haven’t seen The Fosters. The parents are lesbian moms. The son is gay and has a boyfriend at the moment. The daughter is establishing a relationship with a trans guy after ending an interracial relationship. It’s been on for seasons so to say having more than one LGBT ship will tank a mainstream/popular show is invalid.
I don’t think any ship makes or breaks a show but if they make both girls gay or bi is slams the door on the straight community and there would be no point for them to watch. I can see why the LGBT audience would like this but the streight audience would turn away and I can see the show being afraid of that I just don’t see it working
now why would having 2 gay sisters be ridiculous? believe it or not both my sister and i are gay. i’m a lesbian and she’s bi. and guess what else? we’re not the only gay siblings in the world either!!
Are you Aware of COPYRIGHT! Kara is a DC character been straight in all her existence. Supergirl is a FAMILY show and the lead is STRAIGHT. Deal with it!
anyone aware that Lar gand in the comics is very different from the weird mon el version that the CW is giving thats copyright for u!
He isnt different. He has been a Prince in comics too. And you are aware he is going through character development to become him in the comics right. How dumb can you get to not see that (rolleyes)
Mon El isn’t even his real name. And he isn’t a prince in he’s an explorer and then part of the legion of superheros.
Google it if your mom hasn’t sent you to bed by now
He has been a Prince in the comics. So you really have no clue what you are babbling about yet again, and right now he is in character development to become the person in the comics with the suit and all. Pick up a comic moron
He was never a prince of Daxam. Ever. How about you take your own advice and pick up a comic book.
Nice! Hope to see more Super/Luthor dynamic in the future episodes! would love to see some Lena lore from the comic books. They should lessen Monel’s time to let other characters shine, Kara and Lena have longer history in the comic books and it would be amazing to see how their path differ from their predecessor.
Love Katie McGrath! Lena is such a fantastic character and the Kara/Lena relationship is everything!
What a great interview!! She seems like such a nice, genuine person and I love her insights. And I agree, Lena is a badass! Thanks.
Great interview with Katie. She’s been good on the show in season 2. Can’t wait for Lena’s big episode when the show returns in 2 weeks!
I think I’m in love with Katie McGrath. After seeing her as Lena now I’m spending my nights watching Merlin on Netflix to see more of her. I’m so glad she’ll be a regular in season 3.
I recommend Slasher, she’s awesome in everything but I love this one particularly.
Thank you for the rec Olivia! I’ll watch Slasher after Merlin.
Ahhh Merlin… you’ll find a wealth of new talent to catch up on in that show. They had one hell of a cast, especially the lead!
Well, I AM in love with Lena. I just love having Katie on my screen and Lena is a character I thoroughly enjoy to watch so I’m super happy that they were smart about this and got her as a regular next season.
“It just didn’t even enter into my head” – said Katie “you cannot make a show without lesbianism, in all fairness” McGrath. You troll :)
Thanks for the interview Matt!
Awww, Katieeee, why are you so deliciousssssss… awhhh i love her so much
Lena is the best thing of this season, and I’m very happy that she’s going to be regular in season 3. And Katie is so cute.
I love Katie and Lena! Great interview, thank you! So glad she’s going to be a series regular next year. She’s been the best thing about Season 2, love her scenes!
I can’t wait to see Ravi on SG
Great interview, thanks a Matt! Puppies too! I love Lena and Katie is doing a great job, as are the writers making her such a fascinating character. They aren’t going to go there with the Supercorp I don’t think, but Katie especially seemed to play very much into it with the lip biting and twinkly eyes! 😀 With Cat Grant’s departure and Alex spending more time with Maggie, I’m glad Kara has another female character to interact with (Mon-El is fine in small doses but he’s had an excess of screen time for me this year).
Looking forward to this episode and seeing more of Lena in the future
Great interview – and wow, Katie McGrath sure got you flustered there at the end, Matt!
Lena/kara they should be together and they should get marry.
The people in this thread disgust me with their blatant homophobia that they’re passing off as being “realistic”. My favorite one is the comments of how ridiculous it is to have 2 siblings who are both lgbt. Lol, y’all need to get out more. There are plenty of siblings where both are gay. Y’all are the ridiculous ones.
No you are this is a FAMILY SUPERHERO SHOW. Not a cable lesbian show. Lena never been gay in comics neither has Kara, this is a show for all not just a small LGBT community
You have straight representation everywhere you look. Why should we be denied that so you get to see yet another heterosexual character?
Watch LWord now. Stop watching Supergirl a FAMILY SUPERHERO SHOW.
Who the hell said it’s a family show?
Micahel, just because you have a lot of internalised homophobia, and hate LGBT stuff despite the huge boner you have for Chris, doesn’t mean the majority does. Look at all the comments, it just you crying about both sisters being gay being unrealistic, and everyone else loving Lena and nearly everyone loving supercorp. It’s you, who is the minority here. So please take a walk, and take some time to think about why do you dedicate so much of your time to arguing with people about how important and amazing a mediocre male “”superhero”” is, and how his ship will be endgame, going so far that you go under the comments section of an article that is not even remotely about him, to fight the stans of another character.
Do you wanna know a group much smaller than than the LGBT community? Mongr-el’s fans.
And that is an achievement? People everyone has their opinion. They don’t need to turn everything gay to make the show good. Alex is perfect playing that role nd I’m loving it.
Please go away. Your implication that gay people don’t belong on a family show is blatantly homophobic. Gay people are not some shameful evil secret that you’re supposed to shield your kids from. We are human just like everyone else.
But it doesn’t have to be on this show. Do u people want to turn every character gay to be satisfied? The show is doing well with one. If u re a fan focus on that.
Great interview. I love Katie. She’s incredibly charismatic and I love her as Lena Luthor. Hope to see more of her on the show and I’m excited to see her with Jack.
Is Matt a bit of a Winn/Lena shipper ;)
I don’t want straight up evil Lena but how about accidentally villainous scientist Lena? Like “where did there rampaging robots come from?” And she’s all sheepish like “sorry, that’s on me”
Tell Katie I lover her ❤️❤️
Finally! Thanks so much for the Interview Matt.
I must confess that I just met Katie thanks to Lena, but now that i have been doing some research in her past characters, I’m in love with Katie as an actress. And I’m so happy she will be a regular on S3. Can’t wait for it.
Also, thanks for the Supercorp questions! I am a supercorp shipper, but like i said in another comment I am realistic and I’m aware that they will only be friends. But that’s okay with me. I’m really happy with their friendship (and the subtext) and i wish them to keep having a great relation where they support each other. And Lena can finally show how Badass she can be by helping Kara/Supergirl with her tecnology.
Although if she becomes “evil” I still will follow her! haha.