Supergirl star Chyler Leigh, 38, is opening up about her character Alex Danvers’ sexuality, while also acknowledging some similarities between Alex’s life and her own. In a candid post on the Creating Change website, an organization that she helped co-found and seeks to provide “encouragement and inspiration to help you become the change you want to see in the world”, the actress wrote, “[Alex’s] journey of self discovery is something that I can personally relate to.”
“When I was told that my character was to come out in season 2, a flurry of thoughts and emotions flew through and around me because of the responsibility I personally felt to authentically represent Alex’s journey,” she wrote. “What I didn’t realize was how the scene where she finally confessed her truth would leap off the pages of the script and genuinely become a variation of my own. IRL.”
“My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest each take we filmed, every time presenting another opportunity to get those honest words out of my mouth,” she continued, while also inviting readers to relive Alex’s coming out scene from Season 2, which you can watch above. “Though they don’t exactly match my personal dialogue, the heart behind it surely did. From the director, the press, the media, the cast, and the fans, I’m still told that it was the most realistic coming out scene they’d ever witnessed. And to steal from Alex’s words, that’s because there’s some truth to what she said about me.”
“Here’s the kicker though,” she continued. “Since that episode aired, I was told from dear friends (and even avid watchers of Supergirl) that they would no longer watch the show because of the fact that Alex’s journey took a turn from their less than acceptable beliefs. Soon after, they began to distance themselves and eventually my family and I were outcast, marking the loss of many folks we loved. However, after the initial sting, I don’t hold a grudge towards the negative response, because as I said, we all have had a hard time in one way or another with acceptance (whatever the subject may be) whether towards ourselves or others.”
“It’s been a long and lonely road for both my husband and myself but I can whole-heartedly say that after all these years, he and I are still discovering the depths of ourselves and each other, but throughout our journey we’ve learned to be proud of who we are, no matter the cost,” she concluded.
Before taking on the role of Alex Danvers on Supergirl in 2015, Chyler played Dr. Lexie Grey on Grey’s Anatomy between 2007-2012. She’s currently married to actor Nathan West, whom she tied the knot with in 2002, and they share a son and two daughters (born 2003, 2006, and 2009).