In 1984, Helen Slater became the first actress to portray the character of Supergirl on the big
screen. This opportunity came via the blockbuster film of the same name, which was a spin-off of
the main Superman series starring Christopher Reeve in the titular role. Sadly, Supergirl
didn’t prove as successful as its parent film, though the film retains cult status
today for its campiness. No sequel was ever made, but Helen continues to act to this day. In fact,
one of Helen’s recent roles saw her play the character of Supergirl’s mother on the CW series.
Join Facts Verse as we take a look at how Helen Slater is no longer the Supergirl you remember.
Helen Slater Was the Original Supergirl on the Screen
For the majority of modern viewers, the defining portrayal of the character of Supergirl on the
screen comes from the 2015 CW series, which ended its seven-season run just recently, in 2021. In
that series, Melissa Benoist played the character of Supergirl. However, there was another actress
in the series that had played the character of Supergirl previously. In fact, the actress tasked
with playing Supergirl’s adopted Earth mom on the series also happens to have been the first actress
to every portray the character of Supergirl herself. This actress would be Helen Slater!
Over three decades before the television series Supergirl premiered on the CW, the movie Supergirl
appeared in theaters. The movie, which starred Helen Slater in the titular role, was released in
1984. It was a spin-off of the Superman series of films starring Christopher Reeve, and its filming
overlapped with the filming of Superman III. Though filming of the two productions overlapped,
Christopher opted out of making a cameo as Superman in Supergirl. However, he did show up to
pay a visit to the set. During this visit, he had some words of caution for the young Helen Slater.
According to Helen Slater, Christopher Reeve warned her during the production
of Supergirl that there was a chance that her becoming known to the public as a superhero
would diminish her future career prospects. Christopher was seeing the same thing happen
to himself at the time, which was why he kept coming back to film sequels to 1978’s Superman:
The Movie even if they lacked the quality of the original.
Was Christopher Reeve’s Warning Correct? Christopher’s harsh warning could’ve upset Helen,
but she was instead endeared by his decision to approach her. The two remained friends up
until Christopher’s passing. Unlike Superman: The Movie, Supergirl wasn’t successful enough
to spawn any sequels. Helen claims that this allowed her to escape the same fate
as Christopher Reeve. Still, bigger and better roles failed to follow in the wake of the movie.
While the sequels to Superman: The Movie are all looked down upon to some degree,
DC Comics fans reserve a special ire for the failed spin-off that was 1984’s
Supergirl. The film does retain a small base of fans thanks to just how terrible it is,
though. In fact, there are some who refer to the movie as a so-bad-it’s-good
cult classic! However, this certainly wasn’t the intention of anyone involved.
Supergirl was the first big movie that Helen Slater auditioned for, and she proved the perfect
fit for the part. Sadly, the movie didn’t do the actress justice. Helen has recalled how her mother
helped her get the role of Supergirl. Helen had just recently graduated from high school,
and she had told her parents that she wanted to take a year off before heading to college. During
that year, it was her intention to see if she could get work in the entertainment industry.
How Helen Got the Role of Supergirl As the first big audition that Helen secured,
the young woman took the Supergirl thing incredibly seriously. With her mother’s help,
Helen fashioned a cape so that she could show up to the audition in character. Helen had mixed
feelings about doing so, but her mother encouraged her. Helen has recalled feeling embarrassed when
she showed up to the audition and no one else was dressed up in character. However,
standing out was what she had intended to do! The move ended up paying off,
as Helen was cast in the role soon after her first audition.
Though that homemade cape helped Helen Slater get the role of Supergirl, the
actress claims that she didn’t hold onto it. Besides fashioning her own homemade cape,
other things that show how seriously Helen Slater took the role of Supergirl include
the intensive training regimen that she followed in the days leading
up to filming. Helen was given a personal trainer by the studio, and it was the same
personal trainer that was responsible for beefing up Christopher Reeve to play the part of Superman!
According to Helen, she gained 20 pounds of muscle and reached 140 pounds as a result
of her training to play the character of Supergirl. This training ran the gamut from
traditional weightlifting to horseback riding. The intensive training paid off, as Helen could
be seen doing much of her own wirework in the film. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be
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Supergirl Wasn’t Worth Helen Slater’s Energy Though Helen Slater put a lot of work into
preparing for the role of Supergirl, the final product wasn’t worthy of her sacrifice. Helen
may have done some considerable stunt work for the feature, but her acting left a good
deal to be desired. Critics lambasted Helen’s performance in the film at the
time. It seems that critics greatly preferred the campy performance of Faye Dunaway in the
villain role. Though neither performance was considered to be especially great, it
was determined that Faye was at least having fun with how horrible and campy the film’s script was.
Because of Faye Dunaway’s go-for-broke performance as Supergirl’s villain, she remains one of the
biggest reasons that the film maintains some semblance of cult status. Sadly, there aren’t
nearly as many people who have come to appreciate Helen Slater’s
performance in the titular role. Despite this, Helen proved a perfect Supergirl in many ways.
Nowadays, the aforementioned Melissa Benoist has overshadowed Helen Slater in
the role of Supergirl. The poor reception of 1984’s Supergirl led studio executives
to believe that the character simply didn’t work on the screen. However, the boom of comic-book
films and television series during the 2010s paved the way for the character of Supergirl to return
in a big way in 2015. That year, the CW series Supergirl premiered and became a big success.
Helen Slater Keeps Showing Up in DC Comics Adaptations
Some might think that Helen Slater would’ve been bitter about another actress taking on the role
of Supergirl and receiving much more acclaim than she did several decades prior. However,
Helen was anything but jealous of Melissa Benoist. Part of this
goodwill may have stemmed from the fact that producers chose to pay homage to
the 1984 film by casting Helen in the role of Supergirl’s adopted Earth mom.
Helen Slater’s return to the world of Supergirl via the 2015 television series was a beautiful
moment for the actress, and it gave her a unique perspective on the growth of the superhero genre.
Today, the notion of a female superhero is much more acceptable than it was during the
1980s. While producers were afraid to take the concept of Supergirl too seriously in 1984,
the CW series proved that audiences were willing to accept a more serious take on the character.
In addition to playing Supergirl’s adopted Earth mother on the 2015 CW series, Helen Slater had
also returned to the world of DC Comics previously on a few other occasions. For one thing, she
voiced the character of Talia al Ghul in several episodes of 1993’s Batman:
The Animated Series. For another thing, she appeared in three episodes of the hit 2000s
show Smallville as Superman’s biological mother, Lara-El. In the many years between the 1984 and
2015 iterations of Supergirl, Helen Slater remained a reliable presence on both the big
and small screen. Today, she is still continuing to act sporadically as she enters into her 60s.
Helen Slater’s Other Work Besides 1984’s Supergirl,
there are also a number of other iconic films that Helen Slater has appeared in
over the course of her career. However, Supergirl remains the only film in which
the actress was granted the opportunity to play the titular character. Helen
appeared in supporting roles in 1986’s Ruthless People and 1987’s The Secret of
My Success. The prior film starred Danny DeVito and Bette Middler, while the latter film starred
Michael J. Fox. Both films are considered 1980s classics today. Supergirl fans that
have never seen them will certainly get a kick out of watching for Helen Slater’s small appearances.
Nowadays, Helen Slater has other endeavors she’s passionate about
outside of acting. These include some charitable endeavors, as well as her
self-published music. Helen has published numerous albums that feature her singing,
and these albums can be purchased from the actress herself via her website. As far as charitable
causes go, the organizations that Helen Slater chooses to champion include Heal the Bay and
Tree People. The prior organization is dedicated to the preservation of coastal areas, while the
latter organization is dedicated to the planting of trees and gardens in urban environments.
Though Helen Slater is no longer considered by the majority to be the definitive Supergirl
on the screen, there will always be those who hold a special place in their hearts for the actress’s
portrayal of the character. This is especially true of Helen Slater herself, as the film proved
the actress’s entrance into the Hollywood sphere. Helen might not be quite as popular today as she
was immediately after Supergirl’s release, but she’s still stunning! Fans that only know Helen
from the film may not recognize her currently, as she is a much wiser and more experienced woman.
Though 1984’s Supergirl is considered to be nothing more than a joke by most fans
of DC Comics, there will always be those who hold a special place in their hearts
for Helen Slater’s portrayal of the titular character. Now it’s time to hear from you:
did you know that original Supergirl actress Helen Slater is still around and that she
played the character of Superman’s biological mom on Smallville? As always, like this video
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