Yvette Monreal has been a part of the extremely likable cast of DC’s Stargirl from the very beginning, playing Yolanda Montez a.k.a. Wildcat of the JSA. With tonight’s episode “Summer School: Chapter Seven” (see photos here), her character takes the spotlight and finally has to come face to face with the thoughts that have been haunting her since making some fateful decisions at the end of Season 1.
The episode airs at 8PM ET/PT on The CW, and here’s what she had to say. Follow @StargirlTV on Twitter for KSiteTV’s Stargirl updates!
KSITETV’s CRAIG BYRNE: What are you able to say about Tuesday’s episode for those who have not seen it yet?
YVETTE MONREAL: I feel like there are going to be a lot of answers as to why Yolanda has been feeling these emotions, and she’s going to see a familiar face that everyone knows, so I’m excited about that, and she makes some hard decisions. I don’t want to give too much away, but killing Brainwave took a really big toll on her, and she almost feels like she can’t go on anymore.
Is Yolanda frustrated that the others aren’t really asking her what she’s been going through?
Is she frustrated? Yes, of course, she is! You know, this is her new found family. She loves the JSA. She really sees them as, like, her brother and sisters. So, for her to feel like she’s going to this alone is something that she hasn’t really experienced with this group. This group has been there for her in ways that she hasn’t even been able to say about her own family, so this is definitely taking a toll on her and it’s getting to her.
What has the experience of playing a superhero like Wildcat been like for you, maybe in her happier times?
Oh my gosh, it’s been beautiful, and wonderful, and I love this character so much! I feel so blessed to be playing a character that I love this much. The fact that I have such a wonderful showrunner [Geoff Johns] who is exploring everybody’s backgrounds… he includes diverse people but also gives them background stories of [Yolanda’s] faith and her religion which is a huge thing in Mexican culture.. it’s wonderful. I love this character deeply, and I want to play her forever. If I could, I would.
Is there a DC super hero that you would love to see Wildcat meeting someday?
I mean, I am obsessed with the movie Shazam! It was really awesome. That would be great. I know Shazam and Stargirl’s character, they have something in the comics, so to be able to let them do a little cameo really quick, that would be awesome. I mean, it doesn’t really involve me, but I love the movie so much../ I don’t mind walking home from school with Courtney and she meets Shazam… that would be awesome, but that’s a dream.
Were you told that Yolanda would get such a deep story like this one before you started filming Season 2?
When I first had a conversation with Geoff Johns when I got the part, he did say that he wanted to bring Yolanda/Wildcat more to life. Because she was so short lived in the comics, he wanted to really explore that character. With Season 2, he decided that I was going to explore my faith a little more. He said I was going to have a really hard time dealing with Henry and Brainwave’s deaths and the decision with doing that, but he didn’t tell me that we were gonna dive as deep I’m seeing on the screen.
When I was reading the script, I was like, “this is so lovely!” It’s beautiful. There’s so much exploration into the religion side of everything, and I thought it was beautiful, and I had no idea it was going to go that deep. I’m very happy with it, being Catholic myself and all that.
You mentioned that you are aware Yolanda in the comics was kind of short lived. Are you aware of what her fate was, and who killed her in the comic books?
No, who was it? I’m kidding, of course I know, are you kidding me? Eclipso! That’s why he is the scariest person to me in the world of comics. He is so frightening. But yes, I am very well aware, and I am very sad that happened to her in the comics. We’ll just have to see how this plays out for her.Hopefully there’s a saving grace.
I am assuming there is a saving grace and everything’s gonna be fine, so is there anyone you would like the chance to work with more in Season 3?
I would love to work more with Starman. He’s the funniest, most awesome person in the world. Joel McHale is amazing as our Starman, and it would be fun to do more scenes with him.
What originally drew you to a role like Yolanda?
It’s funny, because I didn’t know that she was Yolanda Montez, the Wildcat of the DC Universe. I went out for a role called Cami. I just felt like it was a very grounding character. I played her very much like myself. I didn’t try to put on a character or anything like that. But when I spoke about the role was Geoff, I just really liked that he was going to bring a Latina DC superhero to life. And I thought “wow, I don’t really know many Latina superheroes on TV!” That is so inspiring, first of all, and second, to be that inspiring figure for people, for little kids, for our younger generation… that is a big deal, a big responsibility, but it was also really fun. I’m like, “oh my god. I’m going to be like Selena when I watched Selena in the movies!” you know? Because that was really the only thing besides telenovelas that I that I saw growing up. And with the gravity of the role, I was like “Wow, I’m going to be in DC Universe! That’s crazy! That’s huge!” I just feel it could be really fun and an honor to be one of the few Latina superheroes on network television.
How comfortable (or not) is the Wildcat costume?
The Wildcat costume took a while to get used to. There’s 20 minutes of putting on the undergarments and the suit, but you know what? It used to be 40 minutes, so I am thrilled with with how long it takes now, because it used to be much longer.
It’s very comfortable, actually! It’s one piece. When it’s cold, especially like we’re going to be filming in Season 3, t keeps me nice and warm. So, we love that!
Is there anything more you’d like to say to the fans who will be reading this?
I would like to tell the fans to buckle up. It’s going to be a crazy rest of the season. And thank you for supporting me… I love you guys!
A trailer for the September 21 episode of DC’s Stargirl can be found below.
