Azie Tesfai On Becoming The First Actor To Write An Episode For ‘Supergirl’: ‘It’s Incredibly Personal’

3 years ago 316

(CBS) – Supergirl returns contiguous with an all-new occurrence connected The CW astatine 9/8c. In tonight’s episode, titled “Blind Spots,” Kelly Olsen assumes the relation of Guardian. Azie Tesfai, who plays Kelly Olsen, besides wrote this occurrence marking the archetypal clip an histrion has written for a Greg Berlanti show.

CBS‘ Matt Weiss spoke to Tesfai astir her groundbreaking accidental and what it’s similar to go a superhero.

MW- Hello Azie! Congratulations connected the caller occurrence of Supergirl coming retired contiguous connected The CW astatine 9/8c. You got the accidental to go the archetypal histrion to really constitute an occurrence for a Greg Berlanti amusement for this one. How does that feel?

AT- I didn’t cognize I was the archetypal until I was good into penning it, which is astir apt a bully thing. It’s amazing. I had a truly beauteous speech with Greg aft and I consciousness precise fortunate that I got to beryllium the archetypal and that this character, specifically becoming a superhero and stepping into her power, It each feels precise serendipitous. I consciousness fortunate that I get to beryllium the idiosyncratic to bash it.

MW- How bash you deliberation it would person been antithetic if you had known?

AT- Yeah, astir apt a freak retired oregon 2 [Laughs]. This is simply a batch of pressure, I wouldn’t person wanted to messiness this up. I can’t beryllium the past and truthful I if I don’t get this close I could be. I don’t privation to messiness this accidental up oregon idiosyncratic other coming successful and saying I privation to constitute and they’re like, we’ve tried this, we’re not doing this anymore.

I had already written a illustration publication for Supergirl that I sent to my amusement runners and they loved it and sent it to Warner Brothers and our shaper Greg Berlanti, and they signed disconnected connected maine penning an episode. I besides did the writers country for a month. So I joined the writers country and did the full 10 to 5 day, which I’m a large fan, particularly during COVID, due to the fact that we did a virtual penning room.

So I was successful my pajamas like, perpetually and past conscionable enactment immoderate benignant of sweater that felt presentable and had each my nutrient and my snacks and my dog. It was similar a dream, I’m like, I could unrecorded this, [Laughs]. Like I don’t cognize wherefore I’m going to acceptable and getting my hairsbreadth constitution done each day, I could bash this.

But truthful that was astonishing and past I recovered retired that I was going to constitute the occurrence and really go a superhero; that conscionable blew maine away. Then I recovered retired I was the archetypal 1 to constitute an episode. So it was bully it didn’t each hap astatine the aforesaid clip due to the fact that I deliberation I mightiness person conscionable not been capable to spell done the process the aforesaid way.

MW- That’s a bully constituent it’d beryllium scary to cognize each that up of time. You’re the archetypal and you don’t privation to beryllium the last. When you get to acceptable and it’s clip to sprout the occurrence what was that similar putting connected the suit for the archetypal time?

AT- Emotional, which I was precise amazed by the archetypal clip you enactment connected your ain supersuit it’s similar a powerfulness you didn’t cognize you had. You conscionable basal a small taller, it truly is simply a crippled changer successful your confidence, you locomotion differently. It’s not a mean happening to spell to enactment and enactment connected a superhero suit. Laughs]. So I deliberation I underestimated however how peculiar it was.

Our squad was fantastic and allowed maine to beryllium progressive successful the plan process of the suit. To really besides spot it successful its last signifier from the animation that we started with was incredible. We had started 2 years earlier initially, earlier COVID, and past we had six afloat months to actively make it with the workplace present successful LA. We worked with Ironhead who besides did the Wonder Woman costume and Batman and I was geeking retired non halt beauteous overmuch of however chill the process was to marque a suit.

MW- Was it a antithetic acquisition connected acceptable for an occurrence you wrote yourself?

AT- It was precise shocking and jarring successful the champion way. I deliberation from the opening of penning it to being determination connected set, conscionable adjacent small things similar the signage of a store. I would beryllium similar ohio my gosh I came up with that! Then I’d instrumentality 100 selfies and photos with it. It was precise surreal the full thing.

MW- That’s truly comic you got this occupation arsenic an actor, you constitute an episode, go a superhero; but erstwhile you look backmost it’s the betterment successful your posture and the prop store signs you were astir excited astir [Laughs].

AT: [Laughs] Everyone thought I was nuts but it is simply a chaotic happening to deliberation of a sanction of thing and past spot it. It truly was a imagination travel true.

MW- You mentioned you collaborated connected the plan of the suit. So what parts of the suit were specifically you?

AT- The hairsbreadth constitution we worked truly intimately unneurotic and truthful doing the braids was thing that I felt fortunate that we had an thought with it and they approved it close away. I ever wanted to bash the fractional helmet due to the fact that of the comics and the gold.

The golden was beauteous rapidly approved and past the fractional helmet logistically, determination were concerns similar tin we bash this? Doing stunts and worldly successful this but Ironhead was amazing, they figured it out. Then erstwhile we had that instauration and the quality was disposable determination were each these different small things that I wanted to do. Things similar small golden pieces, the braids, and small accents. They truly fto maine spell for it and loved each of the ideas.

The costume designers truly were large astatine making it usable excessively due to the fact that that’s thing I hadn’t thought about. Thing similar wearing it aft lunch, having interrogation astatine home, oregon like, if I determine to hydrate that time making definite it’s gonna similar a batch to instrumentality off.

You beryllium successful that costume for similar 15 hours each time and I was 1 of the past costumes that needed to beryllium developed truthful I got the payment of taking attraction of each the issues everyone other had for mine. I americium by acold the astir comfy idiosyncratic connected acceptable like, I consciousness large [Laughs]. So I was precise fortunate to person my superhero suit travel aboriginal due to the fact that I got to benefit. It’s similar being the youngest child, like, you know, they figured it out. And past you’re hopefully little damage. Maybe

MW- Your castmate’s symptom was your investigating crushed [laughs]. Last question earlier I fto you spell for everyone who’s truthful excited to yet spot you successful the costume and to spot you arsenic Guardian; what connection bash you person for the fans?

AT- Man, I anticipation that you bask the occurrence a batch of hard enactment went into making it. It’s incredibly personal. A batch of the words that [Kelly] says I wrote with the feelings that I have. It was very, precise personal. I felt empowered stepping into being a superhero and I anticipation that a batch of our fans spot themselves successful that quality and consciousness empowered.

MW- Congratulations again Azie and looking guardant to seeing those motion pictures connected Instagram oregon thing truthful we tin each spot them.

AT- I’ll start, I’ll station each 400 shots [Laughs]

MW- Lots of slides, can’t wait. Thank you and each the best!

AT- You excessively Matt, instrumentality care!

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Watch caller episodes of Supergirl connected The CW. Check your section listings for much information.

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