Leslie Grace Chats Batgirl & In The Heights With ELLE

Leslie Grace sat down with ELLE as part of the magazine’s “The Rising Stars You’re About to See Everywhere” segment. The young actress is joined by a variety of other stars that look to be making their mark in the entertainment industry. Highlights from her interview are below.

On her feelings towards playing Batgirl in the upcoming HBO Max series of the same name: “I can’t believe Batgirl and I are in the same sentence. I’m so grateful to everyone that has placed faith in my potential. I’m working very hard and studying very hard to not let anybody down.”

On what will hopefully be a lasting legacy with her performance in In The Heights: “It’s so satisfying to see something you put so much love into, something that was a life-changing experience for you, bring joy to people. I feel like it’s a movie you can watch again and again. As the years go by, I hope it’ll be one of those movies you don’t get tired of putting on for your little nephew or niece—no matter how many times you’ve seen it.”

On connecting with Batgirl: “I can’t say much about what she is going to do, but Batgirl becomes her own hero. [Her origin story] is crazy dark, like a lot of other superheroes, but I like that she becomes Batgirl because she wants to make a difference in the world. She feels like people underestimate her as Barbara Gordon, and I relate to that. I’m the youngest of my siblings and sometimes I still feel like a little kid inside. When I really want to do something, and people underestimate me, I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m just going to do it and not say anything about it.’ It’s that energy of being self-determined. You can’t be afraid to be your own hero, and I think girls need to see that. We all need to see characters that are willing to be autonomous.”

You can check out even more from her interview here.