Milly Alcock accepts that there will be a backlash to her playing the title role in Supergirl.

The 25-year-old actress will portray Kara Zor-El/Supergirl in the forthcoming DC Universe blockbuster and is prepared for an intense fan reaction after starring in the Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon.

In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, Milly said: "It definitely made me aware that simply existing as a woman in that space is something that people comment on.

"We have become very comfortable having this weird ownership of women's bodies. I can't really stop them. I can only be myself."

Meanwhile, Alcock explained that she is not bothered by criticism of the superhero genre by esteemed filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott.

The Australian star said: "I get it. They've been around for f****** ever making phenomenal films. Not every film is for everyone. The beauty of art is that you can be selective."

Milly explained that she "bullied" herself into joining the DC Universe having previously vowed not to work on major franchises again after playing the role of a young Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon.

She said: "I was so s***-scared that my life was over at 22. And, of course, it wasn't.

"I kind of bullied myself into it."

Supergirl director Craig Gillespie previously described the movie as "really an anti-hero story" and will see the heroine battling "a lot of demons".

The 58-year-old filmmaker said: "This is really an anti-hero story. She's got a lot of demons, a lot of baggage coming into this, which is very different from where Superman is in his life."

DCU co-CEO James Gunn added Supergirl was not perfect "at all".

He said: "So many times female superheroes are so perfect. She's not that at all… Like male superheroes have been allowed to be for a while."

The official synopsis for Supergirl - which is slated for release in June - reads: "When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice."

Gunn previously likened Supergirl to his Marvel blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy as it does not "religiously" follow its source material, Tom King's 2022 comic book miniseries Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

Speaking on Variety's Awards Circuit podcast earlier this year, the 59-year-old filmmaker said: "I think it's a space fantasy, which is like Guardians in a way, but it's based on the Tom King book, but it doesn't follow it religiously, but it has a lot of the core of that there."

He added: "We're not adapting Woman of Tomorrow religiously. We're taking elements of it […] The tone and the general approach and the structure are inspired by it, but we are not telling that story."