Leslie Grace is opening up about landing the role of Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, for HBO Max’s upcoming film.
The 26-year-old In the Heights actress and singer called her casting a “crazy shock” in a new interview.
Speaking to ET, Leslie revealed that the whole experience was “mind-bending. It’s still mind-bending to think about it, and we’re about to embark on this insane journey.”
She said that she learned that she got a role in the “Zoom, because COVID world. The directors and the studio were on, and they kind of try to make it a surprise. They tried to make it like I was doing a final test, and then they sent me an email saying, ‘I’m Batgirl’ and had me read it. And I was just like, ‘I’m not reading that! I don’t know what’s happening right now!’”
The email really threw Leslie for a loop, and she thought she was “was doing a follow-up test. I had self-taped and I had read, did a chemistry read and I thought we were doing another read, like an in-the-moment read, and then they just had me read that line.”
“It was insane. It was beautiful. It’s a blessing,” Leslie says. “I’m so excited about the character. I’m excited to nerd out with all of the comics. I’ve already been doing so much research on it and I’m excited to learn how to kick some butt, too, because your girl, she’s going to have to get rough and tough to be Miss Barbara Gordon. So, I cannot wait.”