Lexi Alexander on Directing Supergirl and Creating “the Next Step in Her Fighting Style”

Before becoming a go-to director for all things superhero, Lexi Alexander was a competitive martial artist and stuntwoman. So, once she began focusing on directing, most of the opportunities she’s received as a director have been in large part for her fighting expertise, which makes her a no-brainer choice for directing a superhero story. After directing her feature film, Punisher: War Zone, and directing the “Beyond Redemption” episode of Arrow, Alexander has now worked with the Girl of Steel.

In a recent interview on Supergirl Radio, my co-host Rebecca Johnson and I had the chance to talk to Alexander about directing next week’s episode of Supergirl, titled “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.” She discussed a lot of really awesome stuff, including:

• the fact that she’s basically redefined Supergirl’s fighting style on the show, and that Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg told her that they’ll be using her fighting blueprint from here on
• that Berlanti Productions genuinely values having female directors and directors of color as part of their mission across their shows (Note: for those keeping track at home, Alexander is one of three women who’ve directed on the show so far in fourteen episodes)
• how the cast and crew on Supergirl really are as nice as they seem (and if you know Alexander, you know that she’s not one to give unmerited effusive praise), as well as how tireless and talented Melissa Benoist is
• what “the American Way” means to her, and why it was so cool that an Arab woman got to direct an episode of this show centered around an American pop culture icon

Check out this week’s Supergirl Radio, where you can listen to the full interview! Then, make sure to tune into “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” when it airs on CBS on February 22nd!

(And then don’t forget to come back here for my sweet, sweet Supergirl recap)

(images via Lexi Alexander/Twitter)

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Teresa Jusino

Teresa Jusino (she/her) is a native New Yorker and a proud Puerto Rican, Jewish, bisexual woman with ADHD. She's been writing professionally since 2010 and was a former TMS assistant editor from 2015-18. Now, she's back as a contributing writer. When not writing about pop culture, she's writing screenplays and is the creator of your future favorite genre show. Teresa lives in L.A. with her brilliant wife. Her other great loves include: Star Trek, The Last of Us, anything by Brian K. Vaughan, and her Level 5 android Paladin named Lal.

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