Eve Ridley wasn’t sure if she was going to hear back after her “Supergirl” audition for the role of Ruthye. She went through a series of auditions and there was a lot of time in between.
“But then I did get the call with the news and it’s the best feeling ever,” shares the young Filipino-British actress. “It’s a feeling that you can’t describe, you know? You’re so happy and proud of yourself, but then it also takes a while to sink in. That’s when I read the comic and I did lots of research about Supergirl and her iconic look and the difference between Kara and Supergirl. And I loved it and I’m so happy that I got to be part of this amazing film.”
In “Supergirl,” Ridley plays the headstrong, focused and scrappy Ruthye Marie Knoll of the Danastia Clan, who is unwavering in her drive to avenge her family and serve justice to the man who killed them. She and Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl (played by Milly Alcock), join forces on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.
Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, and Eve Ridley as Ruthye, in “Supergirl”
Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Kara and Ruthye are unlikely allies, but they work. Says Ridley, “Ruthye’s quite upright and very composed and put together, but then Kara… she’s got that sort of energy where she doesn’t care what she says and she’s using a lot of slang language and it’s all really casual. You can see the difference between them and how it clashes. I think that’s really funny.”
Screenwriter Ana Nogueira says that Ridley and Alcock immediately hit it off. “Milly was like a big sister to Eve throughout this challenging thing that they both were doing, and I think all of that sisterly love and respect comes through on screen,” says Nogueira and adds, “Eve Ridley is just an unbelievable find, such a gem. She’s self-actualized, she’s just herself, nice and sweet, professional.”
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Working with Nogueira as well as director Craig Gillespie taught Ridley a lot about working in films. During one of their readthroughs before the start of shooting, Gillespie made a sketch of the cave scene, where he drew Ruthye and Kara, with arrows of where they’d move in that scene. “I loved how he envisioned that scene to be and the way that he explains things,” says Ridley. “And learning different terms and phrases that he used will really help me for my future as well, because different directors have different methods and ways.”
Ridley also enjoyed working with her costars, who all helped her enjoy her first movie-starring experience. Prior to “Supergirl,” she had done work on TV, most notably on “The Witcher” and “3 Body Problem.” “Milly is such a dream to work with. I really look up to her,” says Ridley. “She taught me so much, and she’s such an amazing actress. And I think Kara is such a strong and emotional character and Milly really takes on all of those emotions and really showcases her talent. I loved working with her. She’s a bit like a big sister.”
Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, with Krypto, in “Supergirl”
Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Matthias Schoenaerts, who plays the villainous Krem, made quite an impression on Ridley when they first met. “I met him on my second day of filming, when we were doing the scene where my family gets murdered,” shares Ridley. “I’d never met him before, and he was in full costume, hair, makeup… I hadn’t seen any pictures of what he’d look like, so I was too scared to even make eye contact with him. I was physically shaking. I thought I liked horror films, but this was a different kind of fear, and I think that really helped with the scene because it was the first time I was seeing him and the first time Ruthye was seeing him. So, to channel all those emotions, that really helped a lot. But under all of the prosthetics and under all of the makeup and the creepy voice, he is such a nice guy and he’s really fun to work with.”
Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem in “Supergirl”
Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Ridley also has a fun and sweet anecdote to share about Jason Momoa, who plays Lobo. “He almost brings a rock n’ roll Super-Villain vibe to Lobo, which I also really like. He’s such a great actor and he’s also really kind as well, because when he had to strangle me, he was always making sure that the blades on his gloves weren’t hurting me,” shares Ridley with a laugh.
Jason Momoa as Lobo in “Supergirl”
Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Ridley hopes that audiences will be inspired by Supergirl. “I think that she’s such an inspirational character, and especially younger children who are growing up watching all of these superhero films, they can really look up to Kara and think, wow, I want to be as brave as her when I’m older. If she can make her dream come true, so can I. I don’t need to just dream it, but I can make it reality. And I feel like Supergirl really is the definition of girl power. Every kid wants to find their superhero. I’m just happy I found mine.”
“Supergirl” lands in Philippine cinemas June 24. #Supergirl
