Here's What Prepared Milly Alcock For Supergirl (It's Not House Of The Dragon) [Exclusive]

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James Gunn and Peter Safran's revival of the DC Universe is well underway, with critics seemingly united on "Supergirl," the second film in the DCU after the smash-hit debut of "Superman." An adaptation of the extremely popular "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" comic book arc, "Supergirl" stars Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, who has already become a fan favorite after her surprise appearance in "Superman." Most audiences will know Alcock for her work on "House of the Dragon," but during my recent interview with her, I mentioned that the first time I saw her perform was in Millicent Malcolm's short horror film "The Familiars," which played at the Etheria Film Festival celebrating women directors in the genre.

Alcock was only a teenager when she starred in the short film, and I was completely blown away by her talent. Coincidentally, it was not long after that she was announced as young Rhaenyra in "House of the Dragon," indicating that the Australian star had finally broken into the mainstream. While the "Game of Thrones" spin-off undoubtedly helped prepare her for taking on a high-profile role like the titular "Supergirl," Alcock shared with me that her work on short films was also extremely beneficial on her journey to big-budget studio tentpole cinema. "I think what you ultimately learn is the fundamental process of making a film is very similar," Alcock tells me. "It's kind of the same thing but on a bigger scale, and it really teaches you collaboration."

A film like "Supergirl" requires a great deal of collaboration, with Forbes estimating between 2,000 and 4,000 people typically working on a major superhero blockbuster. Alcock may play the titular role, but as she learned from working on short films, that doesn't mean she calls the shots.

Short films taught Milly Alcock she's 'not the most important person in the room' on set

Milly Alcock may be the star of "Supergirl," but she spends nearly the entire movie sharing the screen with Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knol, and plenty of scenes with Jason Momoa's highly anticipated turn as Lobo, as well as the film's big bad, Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills. Not to mention the creative team, the producers, the studio, and the countless others that bring a movie to life. On a short film, there's an even slimmer margin for error, because they're typically operating off of a significantly smaller budget with a much smaller crew. There's no money hose to spray if something goes wrong, and it's in everyone's best interest to work together.

"It teaches you to be a part of a team. It really teaches you that you are not the most important person in the room, and you should not think that you are," Alcock explains. "And, yeah, I had such fond memories of working on short films and smaller-scale stuff." Eve Ridley also expressed loving working with Alcock, so we don't have to worry about hearing any horror stories about actors being a nightmare on set.

Most comic book movies are about a superhero coming to save the world, but "Supergirl" is very much a film about learning to save another individual. And that's only possible if we learn to work together and refuse to act as if we're the main character of the universe.

"Supergirl" is now playing in theaters.