Anna Daniels
It’s understandable if you didn’t immediately recognize Benoist — most would be much more used to seeing her as bubbly, bright-eyed, and boisterous Kara Danvers, a.k.a. Supergirl, on the CW. Since 2015, she’s been the foremost face of the CW’s massive Arrowverse television series lineup alongside Stephen Amell as Green Arrow. You name the DC show besides her own self-titled Supergirl, she’s been on it: Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow. She also portrayed her villainous extra-universal alter ego, Overgirl, for the “Crisis on Earth-X” Arrowverse crossover.
In taking the role as Rachel for Waco, Benoist described herself to Collider as fortunate for the timing working out against her very, very busy superhero schedule: “[T]here were a lot of logistical challenges. There was a finite amount of time, and somehow, it just fit. I was lucky that it worked out the way it did.” It’s a radically different kind of character, and that personality departure was intentional on Benoist’s part. “[The difference] certainly was a part of the appeal. I was initially just fascinated by the Branch Davidians,” she explained. “This doesn’t really apply to Rachel Koresh because she was born into the church and that was all she had ever known, but I was fascinated by the psychology of how people get to that place — a place like Mount Carmel and an FBI stand-off for 51 days. That was the initial appeal.” That appeal turned into brilliant work, since Waco went on to be nominated for three Primetime Emmys, but she confessed that the dark and violent themes of the miniseries did present a surprising transitional period upon returning to Supergirl. Not that anyone can blame her; it’s a testament to her skill as an actress to have the wherewithal for both characters.
Written by: Looper
