Before Leslie Grace landed the role of Barbara Gordon in the upcoming HBO Max Batgirl feature, Haley Lu Richardson (Split, Columbus) was in contention for the part along with Isabella Merced and Zoey Deutch.
While speaking to THR about her new film After Yang, the actress revealed that she "tried her hardest" to secure the gig, and still hopes to play a superhero one day - providing there are still some decent characters left!
"Yeah, it was exciting regardless, and I did get a nice little personal email from J.K. Simmons out of it, which was really nice. Getting the role would’ve been pretty cool, but I told myself that his email meant more to me than getting the role. (Laughs.) So I tried, but I’m not Batgirl at the end of the day. I’m trying to think of what freaking superhero I can play now because aren’t they all done already? Haven’t they all been made?"
It's true that quite a few of the major female superhero roles have been taken at this stage, but there are still lots of other great characters out there in the Marvel and DC Universes.
"My dance skills, my flexibility and my athleticism need to be utilized," she adds. "Are there any superheroes that are dancers?"
There are plenty with dance backgrounds, including Elektra, Kitty Pryde and Dazzler. Which hero/villain do you think Richardson would be best suited for?
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.