Melissa Benoist: I want to inspire as Supergirl

Melissa Benoist “wants to do right by women” with her new role as Supergirl.

The 26-year-old actress beat hundreds of candidates to land the part of the superhero, also known as Kara Danvers, in the new television series.

And the stunning young star said is fully aware she has a responsibility to make her character as realistic and relatable as possible.

“I want to do right,” she told Entertainment Weekly magazine. “Of course this is a broad statement, but I want to do right by women. I want to portray someone they can relate to and look up to that’s not a trite or a shallow depiction. I want her to be complicated and flawed. I don’t want it to be campy. I want it to be grounded and human. That goes for anybody. It doesn’t matter what sex. It doesn’t matter if it’s women or men I inspire, I just want to inspire people in general to realise their strengths and their potential, and that you can do the things that you feel like are impossible to accomplish.”

While Melissa has had roles in TV show Glee and critically-acclaimed movie Whiplash, she is still relatively unknown.

With her part as Supergirl, Melissa is set to be thrust into the spotlight – a prospect she has mixed feelings about.

“I love my privacy and I love anonymity,” she said. “I know some of that’s going to be going away. But honestly, it’s a small price to pay for the kind of influence I’m going to be able to have with this platform that I’ll be able to do such amazing things with. I think it’s much more of a positive thing. Obviously, I’m scared. That kind of attention is overwhelming. I think it would be for everyone. I’m so happy that it’s this. I’m so grateful that I get to be in this position, playing someone people will look up to. Hopefully I’ll help people escape from things they’re afraid of or be able to face the things they’re afraid of.”