Newtown Supergirl Milly Alcock
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
From Petersham and Newtown High to the DC Universe, How Milly Alcock Became the New Supergirl
Alcock plays Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl in this latest instalment of the DC Universe franchise. It’s quite a big step up in a rising career for the 26-year-old ex-Newtown High School of the Performing Arts student.
Born and raised in Petersham, Alcock pursued acting from a young age, landing a role in a TV show at age 14 and starring in a number of commercials. After playing several minor characters, she finally had a named role in the ABC drama, Janet King in 2017. From there, the parts kept getting bigger and better, and in 2018 Alcock received the Casting Guild of Australia Rising Star Award.
Her breakout role was in the 2022 HBO series, House of the Dragon, for which she received a nomination for Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She first played Kara Zor-El/Supergirl in an uncredited appearance in Superman (2025), which ultimately led to her being cast in Supergirl.
In interviews, Alcock describes Supergirl as far from perfect, not an invincible superhero with all the answers, but someone carrying the weight of unimaginable loss. Kara witnessed the destruction of Krypton and the people she loved, a trauma that has made her impulsive, fiercely independent and sometimes reckless, but all the more relatable because of it.
Despite the blockbuster scale of the production, Alcock has described the experience on set as surprisingly intimate. Working with director Craig Gillespie, she says the film often felt more like an independent production, with a strong focus on character and storytelling.
Alcock has also embraced the scrutiny that inevitably comes with taking on such an iconic role, choosing not to dwell on online criticism. Instead, she's focused on creating a Supergirl who is authentic, vulnerable and unmistakably her own.
