Filipina-British actress Eve Ridley soars high in 'Supergirl'

Some girls just have all the luck…and the fun!

Eve Ridley, a 14-year-old Filipina-British actress, landed her first movie role as Ruthye Marye Knoll in the latest DC Universe film “Supergirl” with Milly Alcock (Supergirl) and Jason Momoa (Lobo).

Inspired by the Tom King comic series, "Supergirl" features Eve as Ruthye, a young alien farmhand who seeks revenge after her father’s murder at the hands of Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).

Ruthye becomes friends with Supergirl, who joins her on her mission to seek justice.

Talented, charming, eloquent, and mature for her 14 years (she turns 15 on December 13), Eve born in Tyneside, England, to parents Matthew and Monalisa Ridley. She has a brother, Aidan Ridley.

Asked about her Filipino roots, the smart Ridley explained, “So my grandma grew up in the Philippines and my mom is half Filipino."

"I really want to go to the Philippines someday," she says, adding she hasn't had the chance to visit yet. "It looks like such a beautiful island country. I really want to go to one of the beaches there. They look so tropical and gorgeous. I really want to learn Tagalog as well because, you know, I get to communicate with family over there.”

Ridley, who also performed onstage as the young Eponine in the “Les Misérables” UK Tour couldn't help but point out the difference between film and theater.

“I've never done stage before, which was, you know, a lot of fun. It's very different to screen. But I mean, they're fun in their own ways. I think stage can be sometimes a little bit harder because it's live and you don't get to retake anything. But I would love to meet all of the original cast, and I'd love to do stage again,” she said, revealing she's never met fellow kababayan Lea Salonga.

And has she tasted Filipino food already, we asked the petite beautiful girl.

“Yeah, I have. Buko pie. One of my friends in school gave it to me. And it's the most delicious thing I've ever tried!” She exclaimed.

Not related at all to actress Daisy Ridley, Eve developed an early interest in the performing arts and participated in local theatre groups. She trained at the SA Academy in the North East.

She began her career as a voice actress in the Channel 5 animated series “Peppa Pig.” She made her TV debut in an episode of the BBC One medical soap opera, “Casualty.”

Ridley also appeared in the science fiction series “3 Body Problem,” the fantasy series “The Witcher,” and is set to have a voice role in the animated series “Blue Eyes Samurai.”

Ridley talked more about her experience in being part of “Supergirl,” her first movie, working with lead star Milly Alcock, being part of the DC universe, and her feelings when she first tried on her costume.

In exclusive interviews, we also talked to Milly Alcock (Supergirl), Jason Momoa (Lobo) and screenwriter Ana Nogueira.

Eve Ridley (Ruthye Marye Knoll)

Congratulations on being part of this DC universe. How did you prepare for your role, for the fighting scenes and also for being a badass girl here?

That was two months of stunt training, before we started filming. And I've never done any of that before. So, I did martial arts, boxing, sword stuff, training everything, wire work. It was the most fun. I love every member of the stunt team. And you know, I felt comfortable doing the routines. By the end of it, I was teaching people to set the routines and sword tricks. I would do it a million times again if I could.

Doing the fight scenes was so much fun. I didn't even know that I had to do any stunts on this production. So, I was so excited to get started.

How was your bonding with Milly Alcock?

She is the best. She's like a big sister to me. I love her to bits. She was always there for me on set. We actually exchanged phone numbers. I texted her yesterday. It is quite nice that we stay in touch. She was always teaching me things on set because I came onto this production with no previous knowledge. It's my first movie, so it was really good to have her there. She's such an amazing actress, and I've learned stacks from her. So yeah, I'm really happy.

Milly is such a dream to work with. I really look up to her. She's taught me so much so far and she's such an amazing actress and I think Kara's such a strong and emotional character, and she really takes on all of those emotions and really showcases her talents. So yeah, I've loved working with her.

Your first movie is a big movie. Did you feel any pressure when you joined the group?

Sometimes. But then again, Milly was always there, and she's always messaging me, you know, how do you feel, Eve? Are you worried about anything? Do you have any questions? So, I think as much as I was under pressure, she made it a lot better, which was nice.

What was the best experience you got from this journey?

Learning how much goes on behind the scenes, because coming onto this production, I didn't think as much goes into a movie as it does. I would watch the credit scenes, and yes, a lot of people are involved, but I didn't think just how much each person did and how much of an impact each department makes in the movie. I'm grateful for that. I really feel like it was quite eye-opening to see that.

How did you feel when you wore your costume for the first time?

Amazing. I think looking in the mirror, I felt it was quite a surreal moment. I got to step into Ruthye's shoes and really transform myself into who I thought Ruthye was, which I thought was quite nice. The costume is beautifully crafted by Anna (Sheppard), the costume designer. I think her work is absolutely amazing, and I was grateful to be put in that costume.

Milly Alcock (Supergirl) and Ana Nogueira (Screenwriter)

Milly and Eve on 'Supergirl'

Milly, talk about being part of this universe and also portraying a laid-back, fun-loving Supergirl.

It's been such an extraordinary journey getting the privilege to be a part of this universe and get the opportunity to play Kara and her complete kind of nonchalant, but incredibly, I don't know how to say the right words, but she's got such a heart of gold. Like she's got so much humility and so much humanity for someone who isn't human. So, that is just such fun to play. And it's been a real delight.

Ana, was there any reason for making the script with Supergirl as a wisecracking heroine with punk rock characteristics?

Well, a lot of it came from Tom King's comic run “Supergirl: A Woman of Tomorrow,” and he introduces her that way, that she's on this other planet to celebrate her birthday, where she can feel the effects of alcohol and can have a good time. That was so exciting to me when I read that, because I just felt like the whole world of the character opened up. It felt like somebody whom I could have a lot of fun writing, and also somebody whom I could put on a journey, like she had somewhere to go.

It's such a great arc.

Ana: Exactly. Like it really gave her something to go through. And that's always the most exciting thing.

I'm from the Philippines. I want to know how you bonded with Eve in this movie.

Milly: I adore Eve. We love talking about Eve. We found out she just saw the film yesterday. So, I need to call her immediately. But I think that she is such a wonderful human being for someone so young. She has such a grounded sense of self. She's so incredibly professional but also has such light on her. I want to applaud her parents for raising such a beautiful daughter like her. She's astonishing.

How was it working again with David Corenswet (Superman) and Krypto the Dog?

It was really fun working with David. It was quite interesting because he's obviously done this journey before. So, there was something quite nice about having a point of reference for someone to be like, what do I do? How do I do this? And ultimately, we're related in the universe. So, there's also something nice about not feeling completely isolated.

And working with Krypto has been such an interesting experience across both films because in “Superman,” Krypto was a motion capture actor. So, they had like an actor who I assume has studied animal physicality or like things like that. So, you're interacting with a human who's barking at you, which can be quite strange to me.

And then we had a dog on set sometimes for reference. Then I would just be using my imagination and miming, which was quite fun as well. We had an animatronic dog that would breathe for some sets as well when it needed to be static. So, it's been quite an interesting journey with all the different dogs.

How was it preparing for the fight scenes?

Preparing for the fight scenes was actually really fun. It's always really exciting to develop skills for a job, and I was surrounded by an absolutely exquisite team. Oh my God, the stunt department on this team is phenomenal. The work that they have done is so beautiful. It's so exciting and real, and there are so many technical elements to it. These people are the real superheroes like Mickey, my stunt double, is, oh my God, hands down. Nobody can move like her. She is insane. She's really cool. She has great hair.

Jason Momoa (Lobo)

Jason, how did the hair, costume, and makeup define your portrayal of Lobo?

I relied heavily on the makeup and hair, props, and wardrobe. There's no way I could ever be anything like Lobo. I'm not going to be that big. It's heavily reliant on a bunch of artists to bring him to life. But you gotta be for the whole process of it, which is great. You get to transform. It's like the green screen. If I were to be in a green suit and then everyone digitally turns me into something else. It's the same kind of thing. I still have to play pretend and find out who that is, but it's definitely helpful to have that kind of makeup.

How much hand did you have in costume and everything? Like you had a hand in the claws on the gloves or the heavy, bulky chain necklace?

Listen, they present a lot of stuff and you're like, oh, that's great. Stretch that. This one works. That's not going to work. There are a couple of requests I had, like necklace pieces, hands, things like that. But I'm not nitpicking too much. I think every character is different. Some things I'm fully involved with. Sometimes, they give you the drawings, sometimes they show you. But if something doesn't work, I think everyone, our amazing artists, can move with it and change it, but everyone on these kinds of films are Uber fans.

So, everyone's excited, and it's really cool because you're looking through these red people who are looking back at you, and they're artists who create it. They get to see them come to life. So, everyone's got these big nerdy grins. We're all kind of geeking out.

And when I put it on like, are you walking to set? And it's just like, I am Lobo and you've got the chains that are moving. Everyone's kind of like, whoa. And you walk on, and you’re the main man, you're the boss.

How was it working with these two young, talented ladies, Milly Alcock and Eve Ridley?

It was fantastic. They did an amazing job. So yeah, the whole cast, I had a great time. Director Craig's (Gillespie) fantastic. It was a perfect little family. I got to come in a little bit and just cause some havoc. But the movie's fantastic, fun and for everyone, and I think everyone's going to be really happy.

What was the most memorable scene for you?

Great question. The first scene, I think that goes for anything that I've done. Like even “Aquaman” was the same. The first scene of being on camera and playing the character is definitely the most poignant. That was riding the space hog, coming through a big blaze of fire. There's a big fireball behind me, and I slide into the frame and pull the cigar and say my first line. Then I get off and throw the gut hook. And it was like, this is awesome. — LA, GMA News