Eve Ridley reveals how she brought Ruthye to life in ‘Supergirl’

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Zachary Lee: To my understanding, you read Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s comic, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, as preparation. Was there anything from Ruthye’s characterization there that you carried over as you brought Ana Nogueira’s script to life?
Eve Ridley: When you read the comic book, you see how much of an adventure it is. It’s easy to connect these characters, and there’s a lot in the comic book that, while it might not have made it onscreen into the movie, I definitely channeled into my performance. Our director, Craig, gave us the freedom to put ourselves into the characters' shoes and do what we thought was right in the moment.

ZL: We don’t see a lot of the dynamic between you and your onscreen family members, played by Ferdinand Kingsley, Emily Piggford, and Bruce Lennox, but in your performance, we witness the pain Ruthye feels about having lost them.
ER: It was a lot of fun to work with them. We all look so similar, to the point where when I met them for the first time, I was like, “You actually could get away with being my family.” A lot of our scenes didn’t make it into the final cut, but I think with what the audience is seeing, it's showing a lot about why Ruthye is so upset with what's happened to her family and why she’s so determined in her quest for revenge. Of course, seeing your family murdered is tragic in and of itself, but it hits harder for Ruthye. She lives on a deserted planet; she stays at home all day, and she doesn’t go off-planet to venture out of where she lives. She lives with her family, and so when she leaves, everything is new because she hasn’t ever had to experience life without them by her side.

ZL: You talked about Craig giving you the freedom to experiment for certain moments, which is a gift given the scale of a project like this. What’s an example of that?
ER: I think a lot of it came out in the emotional and crying scenes. When a character is crying and they’re in a state of hurt, I reflect on how people often blurt out words without thinking when they’re upset. In the cave sequence with Milly, there were several takes at different emotional registers. We took it to different levels, and there were some moments when we were more restrained, calm, and collected, but there were also other takes where we fell to the floor and started sobbing. I think we definitely have to experiment with how much emotion was needed, which was a gift. 

ZL: Costuming is important for any film, but especially for superhero films. How did Anna Shepherd’s costume design work help you understand Ruthye at all? I noticed, for example, that in the comic, Ruthye wears a tiara, but onscreen, you have different metal adorning you.
ER: What’s interesting is that the costume I wear is the second draft version. Originally, it was meant to be red and brown. For the first few fittings, I did wear a sort of crown. What I love about how the costume came together, though, was the emblem you see Ruthye wear prominently. It’s a way of showcasing her family’s work, and it’s close to her heart; that’s always what I thought about, at least whenever I was wearing that costume. 

I think the look of the costume communicates so much of her personality. It’s baggy and edgy, and as Ruthye likes to fight, I think those things were important to communicate through what she wore. 

ZL: It also looked really warm to wear, and notably, it seemed like you were only filming on planets that looked really hot.
ER: The fur on the hood, I was sweating. We filmed it through the summer as well, and the furry boots and the thick coat weren’t the best combination [Laughs]. It did come in handy when we filmed in Iceland, though. 

ZL: One thing that I found quite funny throughout the film is that so many of the characters are eating: Matthias is rarely without food. The food is all cuisine not of Earth, though, so I’m wondering what those eating scenes were like.
ER: What’s funny is that the scene where Kara and I were eating popcorn, that wasn’t even popcorn. They could have used it, but the team wanted to make the food, as you were mentioning, look more out of this world. They used soy crackers and painted them purple. Milly liked them, but they weren’t for me, which turned out good, as in the scene where I eat them, I’m not supposed to like them. 

ZL: You’re on record as saying that you love horror films. There are certain sequences, such as when Ruthye is being hunted by Krem, that have that tinge of horror. I’m wondering what draws you to the horror genre and if working on this film helped scratch a horror itch for you.
ER: In some ways, yes! I love the genre, and I think what draws me to it is the ways those films can thrill you in unexpected ways. For those types of films, there are times when you know that a jump scare is coming, but you don’t know exactly when, which can keep you on your toes. That’s the best part. I think about James McAvoy’s outstanding performance in Split. I remember taking notes the entire time and how the multiple characters he played spoke to the unpredictable nature of horror films. 

ZL: As scary as Krem was, though, you embodied a confidence in Ruthye that was unwavering. I think of the scene where Ruthye spat in Krem’s face, which must have been fun for you, probably not so for Matthias.
ER: What was it originally meant to be? I think in that sequence I was meant to hit him. But while filming, Craig randomly said, “Spit on him.” At first I was like “No, I can’t do that!” [Laughs.] I was so worried because we had to shoot a few takes. There was one take where, when I spit, it landed on Matthias's eyelid, and it was dripping down. Thankfully, I didn’t use my actual spit. I was just using water. 

What I admire about Ruthye is that she’s vulnerable and also knows when to show her emotions. If showing her emotions will get her out of that situation, she'd be more than happy to do it. But she knows what she's capable of, and she knows in that scene that she can take down a Brigand and she will get out of there. In that moment, I was thinking a lot about what my gut would do in that situation. I would punch that guy! I tried to channel that emotion as I was in Ruthye’s shoes. I kept thinking, “Don’t be scared, because she wouldn’t be scared.” 

ZL: A stunt piece I love was when Ruthye and Kara are in the bar, and you’re being dragged in your chair. I’m curious what kind of training goes into a sequence like that, which seems so simple but I’m sure is complex in its own ways.
ER: It’s funny because I fell over so many times. The sets are beautifully designed, but the floor wasn’t even. So when Milly was dragging me, I was going uphill, and when the alien was dragging me, there was a bump in the ground, and I was going all over the place. 

ZL: I think what’s inspiring about something like Supergirl is that it’s a film that encourages everyone—particularly women—to embrace imperfection. With that in mind, though, I’m wondering about some of the cinematic influences or women on film and TV who might have been that encouragement for you.
ER: I would say working with Jess Hong. She is a role model to me. She's the first person I worked with for a longer period of time because I've never been on a production from day one till the end. It helped me when I had to have a similar experience to Supergirl. She just inspired me to keep going, and she said, "You don't have to be perfect. Just be yourself, and that will get you to where you want to be.” 

ZL: I’m sure working on this film and doing this tour has brought lots of changes and newness. Who or what is helping you stay grounded in this season?
ER: Definitely my family. They're so supportive, since the day I was 6 years old, dressing up in the playroom in my house, performing a dance, and singing a song to them from Cinderella. They’ve encouraged me to keep going. 

ZL: You have had a long career of doing voiceover work. I know Supergirl is your debut film. I’m curious what you’ll be bringing from this experience into your future voice work, such as the second season of Blue Eye Samurai.
ER: I think that I'm taking a lot of imagination away from this project. With voicework, sometimes you're not with other artists, the way you might be with other people on a film set. You just have your imagination, and you don't get the reference or the videos until later on, when it's all being drawn out. I think about how I had to work with Krypto. I had to pretend that a dog was licking me while it was in the air. It can feel silly when there are all these people around you, but the film helped me trust the process more.