Supergirl Crew Say Lexi Alexander’s Episode Is “Badass,” Want More Female Directors

"People assume that women don’t do action, which, of course, is an insult, not just to women, but also to action.”
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If you aren’t already super psyched to see Lexi Alexander’s direction for Supergirl, you’re definitely going to be after you hear what the show’s crew has to say about her awesome soon-to-be-seen work on the series.

The Mary Sue attended a Supergirl set visit as part of the 2016 Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter Press Tour on Monday, and we just had to ask about Alexander’s upcoming episode, especially knowing that they were just wrapping shooting it that day. And let’s just say that the cast and producers not only loved working with her, but also loved what she was able to achieve with her episode, the fourteenth of this first season and the debut of Jeff Branson’s villain Major Jailer.

“She’s amazing,” Supergirl executive producer Ali Adler told TMS during a panel featuring other producers and the main cast. “We didn’t have time to bring her back [this season], but we love the work she’s doing and it’s incredible to see her physicality on stage. She really has a specific point of view.”

EP Andrew Kreisberg went on to say that he was a “huge fan” of Alexander’s films Punisher: War Zone and Green Street Hooligans and that’s why he brought her on to direct an episode of Arrow last year. “She did an awesome job,” he told TMS. “And now she’s doing–I think everyone would say–a kickass job [on Supergirl].”

(Note: Before Kreisberg could go on, the cast, including Melissa Benoist, Kara herself, interrupted, in unison with one word: “Badass!”)

Speaking of badassery, apparently Alexander’s episode has some really amazing stunt work, including a particularly legendary scene that will demonstrate her aforementioned physicality expertly. “Lexi and John Medlen, who’s our stunt coordinator, designed one of our coolest fight scenes,” Kreisberg noted. “One word: chains.”

Sadly, Adler told TMS that Alexander is the only female director set for the second half of the season following Jamie Babbit’s “Childish Things,” which airs next Monday on CBS (Global in Canada!), and Karen Gaviola’s “Hostile Takeover” from earlier this year. They wanted to get Babbit back for another episode this year, but, like with Alexander, the timing didn’t work out. That being said, she’s really hoping to get more women and diverse talent behind the camera next year.

“I like to represent gender and race and across the board I want our directors, our writers and our cast to look like the rest of the world,” Adler explained in a one-on-one chat following the panel. “I was speaking to Lexi about it and people assume that women don’t do action, which, of course, is an insult, not just to women, but also to action.”

“It’s just been exciting to have [Lexi],” she added. “She’s a machine.”

Sadly, TMS didn’t get a chance to speak with Alexander during the set visit, but judging by her tweets on Monday, it seems as though she was as pleased with the Supergirl cast as they were with her.

https://twitter.com/Lexialex/status/686623128965922816

If only we could have been a fly on the wall during that inspiring convo. We’ll just have to settle for freaking out over Episode 14 whenever it airs.

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