Breakout Australian actress Milly Alcock has won over Hollywood heavyweights and become the latest addition to the DC Universe,  landing the coveted role of Supergirl.

Alcock, 23, who rose to fame playing young Rhaenyra Targaryen in the first half of House of the Dragon season one last year, was up against CODA actress Emilia Jones and Meg Donnelly, who had previously voiced the role in animated series, Legion of Super-Heroes, for the role.

DC Studios boss James Gunn confirmed in an Instagram post that Alcock had the gig.

“Milly is a fantastically talented young actor, and I’m incredibly excited about her being a part of the DCU,” wrote the Guardians of the Galaxy director.

“I first became aware of her in House of the Dragon but I was blown away by her varied auditions and screen tests for Supergirl.”

Shortly after Gunn’s post, Alcock shared his post, writing: “Ahhh thank you”.

Playing Kara Zor-El, [aka Supergirl], Alcock will mostly likely first feature in a supporting role in Superman: Legacy, before getting her own feature film, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, according to multiple reports.

An ‘edgier heroine’

Variety reported that Gunn and his joint DC Studios boss flew multiple actors to Atlanta for “old-fashioned, onscreen auditions” on the Superman: Legacy set.

“The actors also donned the Supergirl suit and boots, which is an atypical move in the superhero audition process,” it wrote.

“Gunn was looking to move away from previous depictions of the Girl of Steel … and is aiming for a less earnest and more edgy version of the iconic super heroine.

“In the new iteration, Supergirl travels across the galaxy to celebrate her 21st birthday with Krypto the Superdog … Along the way, she meets a young woman named Ruthye and winds up on a murderous quest for revenge.”

Added Gunn on Threads: “Milly was the FIRST person I brought up to Peter [Safran] for this role, well over a year ago, when I had only read the comics”.

“I was watching House of the Dragon and thought she might have the edge, grace and authenticity we needed.”

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A post shared by Milly (@millyalcock)

Two years ago, when Alcock first learned she scored the pivotal role of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, she was washing dishes in a Sydney restaurant and living in her mother’s attic.

She had already won the Casting Guild of Australia’s rising star award in 2018 for the TV drama Upright, starring alongside singer-songwriter and actor, Tim Minchin (Matilda).

She went on to be nominated for best comedy performer at the 10th AACTA Awards in 2019.

At the time, the undiscovered Alcock had about 27,000 followers on Instagram.

Fast-forward to her breakthrough role on 2022’s Dragon, and suddenly Alcock, 22, was catapulted to international stardom.

Her life changed overnight, from drinking wine with undergraduate friends in small apartments to fame and fortune with fashion magazine photo shoots, Prada perfume ads and Greek holidays.

She appeared in just five episodes of House of the Dragon – which reportedly had a budget of $20 million an episode. And her Instagram numbers climbed daily to 1.4 million.

For the role, Alcock received a nomination for Critics’ Choice Television Award for best supporting actress in a drama series last year.

A second season of Upright followed and then she headed back to the UK where she played the lead role of Abigail Williams in the Arthur Miller play, The Crucible at the Gielgud Theatre in London’s West End.

Training to be a Woman of Steel

In a cover interview with the Australian edition of Harper’s Bazaar in April last year, Alcock, who was raised in Sydney’s inner-west in an “non arty family”, she revealed her preparation for House of the Dragon was “gruelling”.

She had to learn to ride horses … and ultimately dragons.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” she said at the time. “It was this feeling of all your dreams having come true, but now you’ve actually got to do the thing.”

When the project was announced a year ago, Gunn revealed Supergirl’s back story.

“[She] was raised on a rock, a chip off Krypton, and watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life, and then came to Earth when she was a young girl,” wrote Deadline.

“She’s much more hardcore; she’s not exactly the Supergirl we’re used to seeing.”