Demi Moore and Melanie Griffith both showed up to try their luck. But when this particular drama student stepped into the room, something clicked.
She had prepared seriously. She even sought out advice from a well-known Superman actor about what it actually felt like to play a superhero — just to convince herself she could do it.
She was the first to present herself for audition, and she got the part. “Oh I start crying like I’m just — you know my whole life changed,” she later recalled on the “Inside of You” podcast, describing the moment she was told she’d landed the role.
The actress attends the premiere party for “Soul Man” at the Hard Rock Cafe on September 10, 1986 in New York City.
Within weeks, she was on a plane to London, where filming would take place at Pinewood Studios. What followed was a gruelling physical transformation — swimming three times a week, horseback riding, weight training, trampolining.
By the time cameras rolled, she had added roughly 20 pounds of muscle, and she needed every bit of it.
The actress stars as the titular superhero in the film “Supergirl” in 1984.
On Set with Hollywood Royalty
The supporting cast was formidable. Peter O’Toole and Faye Dunaway — two Oscar-calibre names — were signed on, and though the young actress held her own, life on set was not without its turbulence. O’Toole’s struggles with alcohol were an open secret, though she remembers him warmly.
Dunaway was a different story. The “Network” star, still bruised from the critical savaging she received for her portrayal of Joan Crawford in “Mommie Dearest,” was reportedly desperate to prove herself.
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