SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for "Prom Again!", the latest episode of Supergirl.
Crisis averted! In "Prom Again!", the latest episode of Supergirl, a young Cat Grant almost changed the timeline as the Super Friends know it when she found herself abducted by aliens in 2009. Along the way, she ran into the Danvers sisters and a time-displaced Nia Nall and Brainiac-5, only to discover their alien alter egos. Fortunately, Nia and Brainy were able to set things right with a little time travel magic, but not before Cat offered a glimpse of the media mogul she will become by Supergirl Season 1.
Speaking to CBR, Supergirl guest star Eliza Helm broke down this new piece of Cat Grant's origin story and what it says about her character. She explained how Nia's vision of a pink tiger links to a statue in Cat's CatCo office, while also sharing her vision for Cat's journey to becoming a media legend in her own right. She also recalled how Alex Danvers actor Chyler Leigh's direction helped her bring an alien space ship to life, discussed whether or not we'll see young Cat again on the series and more.
CBR: What is one of your favorite moments or scenes from this week's episode?
There's a moment when we connect the pink cat with our cat and we see the origin story of that. I think that is so iconic, with the big pink cat in the CatCo office, that it's really fun to go back and see that and how it all started. You really get to see CJ come up with the idea for CatCo. So that's really fun.
The writers do a really good job of weaving that into the fabric of this episode and making it really natural, but also allow the fans to say, "Oh my gosh, that's how it started!", which is so fun, as a fan.
Last week, Cat flew solo for most of the episode, but she really gets to get in on the action and work with our main characters in next week's. How did that impact your experience on the Supergirl set?
Oh, it was so fun. Yeah, the first half was largely alone, and the second half, it just felt so -- it was so ensemble-based. It almost felt like a theater production. And of course, it was directed by Chyler [Leigh], who knows the cast so well and knows that crew so well. But everyone was so on the same page; it was such a safe space to play, and it was so much fun.
What is one of your favorite memories from set?
From set? I think one of the most interesting things, for me, was we were trying to create the spaceship. Of course, it's all CGI -- or most of it is CGI. What I was looking at was CGI and I had to create something with my eyes, create the spaceship with my eyes and reveal with this, which is essentially just imagining it in space. Chyler was so helpful and you could just tell that she had done that before, that she had been in my very shoes. I thought that was really wonderful. She came up and just helped paint it out with me and sculpt the emotional moments around the physical things. That was really wonderful and I could see her expertise. Then, of course, just hanging out! The cast got really close, so just hanging, backstage.
What are the odds we might see young Cat again sometime this season?
Hmmm! I don't know! I don't know about this season. I know people are talking about a spinoff with the Midvale girls and with CJ. I think that would be really fun. But I think, mostly, it's pretty self-contained.
What would be your dream story arc for this version of the character?
Yeah, that's a great question. I guess I'm curious about what happens after she has the idea for CatCo, because you're right, she is a gossip columnist and Perry White is really keeping her down and not letting her do the reporting, and the real journalism that she wants to do. So I guess I'd be interested to see what happens when the rubber meets the road, and how does she create the company that becomes CatCo?
Supergirl stars Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers, David Harewood as Martian Manhunter, Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers, Nicole Maines as Dreamer, Jesse Rath as Brainiac-5, Azie Tesfai as Kelly Olsen, Julie Gonzalo as Andrea Rojas and Staz Nair as William Dey. New episodes air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.