The Big Picture

Welcome to a new episode of Collider Ladies Night with
Girls on the Bus
star Melissa Benoist.
During her chat with Perri Nemiroff, Benoist revisits lessons learned while making
Glee
and
Supergirl
.
While discussing
Girls on the Bus
, Benoist highlights her incomparable co-stars and the joy she experienced making the show.

Melissa Benoist stepped into the Hollywood spotlight in a big way via Glee. Then she cemented herself as a bonafide star and headliner with Supergirl. Now she continues to broaden her range and her industry skill set by starring in and producing the hugely entertaining political drama, The Girls on the Bus.

Created by Amy Chozick and Julie Plec, The Girls on the Bus is inspired by Chozick’s memoir, Chasing Hillary. It follows four female journalists played by Benoist, Carla Gugino, Christina Elmore and Natasha Behnam, who are on the campaign trail with aspiring presidential candidates. They all have vastly different backgrounds and goals, but find themselves supporting one another as they navigate career pressures, personal challenges, and frustrations with flawed presidential hopefuls.

As Collider’s Taylor Gates noted in her review, “[Girls on the Bus] handles serious topics, from sexism and racism to abortion and corruption, in a way that feels both raw and palatable while never taking away from the show’s watchability and enjoyability,” and I must agree. Powered by its perfectly assembled core four and their infectious charm, Girls on the Bus quickly earned my investment and heart. Given that, it’ll probably come as no surprise that the show’s cancellation was a massive disappointment. However, that’s not stopping Benoist from celebrating what she and the team achieved.

Benoist took the time to join me for a Collider Ladies Night conversation to recap her road to Girls on the Bus, to discuss her collaboration with her three top-tier co-stars, and to explain why the show’s cancellation will have zero impact on how she looks back on the experience of making it and the final product she and the team produced.

Benoist Didn’t Think She Could Make It in Film & TV
Image via Max

Even if you’ve only seen a single project of Benoist’s, it’s undeniable she’s prime for the screen. Not only does she rock a natural, effervescent screen presence, but she’s also an ace at giving her characters an unspoken, internal depth. However, even with all that talent, Benoist didn’t think becoming a screen actor was within reach. She explained, “I never thought that TV and film were going to be attainable for me. It just felt like such a far-off dream. I was always so enamored by it and watched the Oscars every year and loved the magic glamor of it, but I never thought that that was gonna be in my future.”

When did that mentality start to change? When Benoist moved to New York City. “I knew I had to get myself there. I went to college there, which I would recommend for any aspiring artist of any age, whether you want to do TV, film, or theater.” She continued, “It is a city that is so difficult for artists starting out, and it teaches you how to survive, and how to believe in yourself, and how to hustle, but it’s so inspiring. I found myself there as an adolescent.”

Benoist studied at Marymount Manhattan College, a place she adored for being “a small, tight-knit community in such a big city.” Benoist was also grateful for the opportunity to study with such exceptional faculty, particularly John Basil. She explained:

“I think what the faculty there did really well, especially with the professors I was lucky enough to have, was to show us that
embracing ourselves is the key
. I had one professor in particular, who sadly just passed away — his name was John Basil, and he was a professor of Shakespeare — he was brilliant and so supportive, and he actually pulled me aside. I did
As You Like It
with him, and I was Rosalind, which was one of my most favorite roles I’ve ever played. He was like, ‘You’ve got this. You’ve got to just be you.’ And I know that sounds like such a simple sentiment, and we hear it all the time, and yes, it might be trite and corny, but it’s
so
true for artists.”

Sure, the sentiment might be corny, but there’s a reason why it’s perceived that way. It’s because that simple sentiment needs to be repeated frequently because it can be an extremely challenging thing to do and believe in wholeheartedly. “It’s very hard to do. It’s so much easier said than done.” Benoist added, “But thank goodness for people like John Basil. That’s the true meaning of teaching, to my mind — showing people their potential.”

Melissa Benoist: “Fame Is Really Scary to Me”
Image via Fox

Soon after Basil showed Benoist her potential, the world got to see what she’s capable of in one of the biggest hits on television at the time, Glee. Benoist joined the ensemble in Season 4 as Marley Rose, a shy student who dreams of becoming a singer. What’s it like essentially being thrown into the deep end by having your first major television role require joining a show at its peak? Here’s how Benoist described it:

“In my experience,
Glee
was already so established. It was already a part of the zeitgeist. It had this aura about it. I joined, and
it was so much more difficult than I anticipated it being
. Also, I’ll just say it,
fame is really scary to me.
[Laughs] That was overwhelming. It’s overwhelming to all of a sudden feel eyes on you, and I’m not just talking about in day-to-day life. I mean the awareness that people are watching you and watching your work. That was a feeling I didn’t anticipate. I’ve since gotten more used to it, but it was foreign back then, and overwhelming.”

While Glee did come with some challenging learning curves regarding the reality of being a major part of a very popular TV show, Benoist also credits the production with putting her personal career goals into perspective. “Slowly but surely, I started to hone in on what I wanted to tell in stories.” She added, “I just gained more confidence and self-awareness and adaptability. That all happened on that first job.”

‘Glee’ Showed Melissa Benoist She Could Headline ‘Supergirl’
Image via The CW

That confidence Benoist gained while working on Glee proved vital for her next major television opportunity. Soon after Benoist’s Glee run concluded, she scored the chance to play one of the most iconic characters in pop culture, Supergirl. A dream job indeed, but one Benoist wouldn’t have had the faith she could take on without her experience making Glee.

“What I learned on
Glee
was that I was a really hard worker and that I could do really hard things, because the schedule on that show was grueling because there were so many moving parts. It was fun but tough. I’m sure if you’ve had anyone else from the show on here, they’ve said the same thing. You had to rehearse the dances, you had to prerecord the songs, then you had to film the songs, and filming the songs were a lot longer. They took hours and hours and hours. And then you also had the scene work. I knew that
Supergirl
was going to carry a lot of pressure, and the responsibilities were going to be immense, and I think that
my experience on
Glee
gave me the belief that I had the ability to carry
Supergirl
.
”

And carry Supergirl she did. After six seasons, there’s no denying Benoist’s portrayal of Kara Danvers is iconic and will be remembered forever, but as happens with many beloved superhero roles, the time has come for the Supergirl torch to be passed once again. After Benoist’s run wrapped up, Sasha Calle played the character in The Flash, and now House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock is set to make her debut in the role in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie.

Since Alcock’s casting, and Calle’s as well, Benoist has hesitated to offer any acting advice for portraying the character, but during our Ladies Night interview, she did weigh in on bearing the weight of the iconic nature of the role.

“I think what always drove me working on that show was the audience and who I knew
I
was making the show for. And of course, I know that she is an iconic character that spans many generations of fans, but the people that
I
was making that show for while we were making it were young women, and
if I kept that in the forefront of my mind, it always made everything palatable
.”

‘Girls on the Bus’ Features A+ Casting

Related Carla Gugino and Melissa Benoist Are the Best Duo in ‘The Girls on the Bus’ From journalism rivals to partners-in-crime, their friendship sticks out from the rest.

Having a strong compass, like Benoist had while making Supergirl, is of the utmost importance while making any show. Another vital piece of the puzzle, one Benoist had on Supergirl and now has again on Girls on the Bus? A top-tier ensemble around her.

Benoist’s character, Sadie McCarthy, a print journalist who’s trying to bounce back after becoming too invested in a particular candidate during the previous election cycle, functions as the anchor of the show. Benoist proves to be quite the force in that respect, but there’s also no denying the fact that her work is further elevated by the folks around her.

Past Ladies Night guest Carla Gugino plays Grace Gordon Greene, an industry veteran who serves as a mentor figure, but also must start acknowledging the use of new media. On the polar opposite end of that spectrum is Natasha Behnam’s Lola, a social media influencer on the campaign trail for the very first time. While she has more followers than most, she comes to realize that that doesn’t guarantee she get the respect she thinks her work deserves. And finally there’s Christina Elmore’s Kimberlynn, the sole conservative of the bunch who not only must navigate a primarily Democratic realm out in the field, but also works to find her voice as the only Black woman working at a predominantly white network.

One of Girls on the Bus’ greatest assets is the fact that all four main characters are so drastically different. And even better? They scored a group of wildly talented actors with sky-high chemistry to bring them to life on screen. Benoist explained:

“They are all incredibly intelligent in their own regard.
Carla has soul oozing out of her
, and her life experiences have just made her this beautiful, expansive person. Natasha is similar, but what I think makes her singular is that
I have never met a young person that is so self-assured
and so at peace with who she is, who has so accepted herself in a way that I didn’t have when I was that age, and it’s so admirable. She’s such a free spirit and just full of joy.
And Christina, I am not joking when I tell you, I think she is an angel on earth.
She’s so intimidatingly smart. I mean, she went to Harvard for undergrad. She’s the kindest, most accepting, understanding, empathetic person you’ll meet. Can you tell that I love them?”

Not only does Benoist love her co-stars on a personal level, but she also shared a great appreciation for how they elevated her own work while filming Girls on the Bus. She took a moment to offer up a specific example of an especially electric moment with Gugino:

“The first thing that comes to mind is a scene with Carla, with Grace Gordon Greene, where they’re coordinating this story that they’re working on together, and Grace wants to file the story and Sadie’s not ready. She’s saying, ‘Wait, wait, wait, wait. Let’s not tell our editors yet because this is important.’ And
Carla’s just the bomb
. [Laughs] She’s
so
incredible. I felt this with her all the time, that she would just make choices that I never would have thought she was gonna make. We could be so present with each other that bouncing off of her just felt really natural. I got so mad at her in this particular scene, and it was just a great meeting of the minds of these two really smart women who were equally valid in their points of view kind of sparring. That was a really fulfilling scene to shoot.”

The Heartbreak of Cancellation Can’t Take Away from the Joy of Making the Show
Image via Max

At the end of May, unfortunate news broke. Max opted to cancel the show.

As we’ve always seen in this industry, but perhaps more so than ever recently, quality content isn’t always rewarded at the box office, or when it comes to at-home viewing numbers. A great challenge on the artist’s side of that predicament is never letting a cancellation devalue the stellar work that’s created, and it made me mighty happy to hear that Benoist refuses to let that happen with her work on Girls on the Bus. Here’s how she put it.

“I consistently remind myself, as heartbroken as I was that we weren’t getting a Season 2, the experience and the process of making the show, learning what I learned about producing, forging the friendships that I made with these women, and not just them, but with the crew. We had a fantastic crew, and with the other cast.
The experience was so full of joy and so fulfilling to me that nothing’s gonna take away from that
. So I just hang on to the joy.”

In addition to that everlasting joy, there’s also no forgetting that Girls on the Bus is a powerful show featuring smart and talented women, crafted by smart and talented women. Here’s how Benoist put it:

“I’m so incredibly proud that I was able to be a part of a group of smart women, not just producing the show, writing the show, writing a show about smart women, and playing in scenes where I felt like a smart woman. And
I’m fully multidimensional, flawed, confused, like a real, living, breathing woman
surrounded by women that were all trying to do the same thing. I was really proud that we were able to somehow find a single goal that all of us really believed in.”

Looking for even more on Benoist’s time working on The Girls of the Bus, what it was like making her Broadway debut, and more? Be sure to catch our full Collider Ladies Night conversation in the video at the top of this article, or you can listen to the interview in podcast form below:

The Girls on the Bus Four female journalists who follow the every move of a parade of flawed presidential candidates, finding friendship, love, and a scandal that could take down not just the presidency but our entire democracy along the way.Release Date March 14, 2024 Creator Amy Chozick, Julie Plec Cast Natasha Behnam , Adam Kaplan , Rose Jackson Smith , Hettienne Park , Peter Jacobson , Scott Cohen , Kiva Jump , Max Darwin Seasons 1

TheGirls on the Bus is available to stream on Max.

Watch on Max