Former Colleagues Of 'Supergirl' In Littleton Remember Melissa Benoist Having 'Natural Talent'
LITTLETON, Colo. (CBS4) - Long before she was the bulletproof Kara Danvers, Melissa Benoist was a member of the Von Trapp family in a local production of the "Sound of Music."
"There was something special about Melissa, she had a little spark to her," Paul Dwyer, Benoist's old acting coach and director said of the child.
Dwyer cast her in multiple productions at the now closed Country Dinner Playhouse.
"She immediately started taking over leading roles," Dwyer said.
As she grew, Dwyer watched her go on to larger productions and explore more musical theater.
"She kind of went from doing children's theater to doing … professional theaters," Dwyer said.
As a teenager Benoist was cast in big roles at the Town Hall Arts Center in Littleton.
"She had tons of natural talent and she worked hard, her work ethic was impeccable," said Director Sharlene Wanger, who cast the Arapahoe High School student as Cinderella. "She took that role of Cinderella and wore it like Cinderella's slipper."
PHOTO GALLERY: 'Supergirl' Melissa Benoist Growing Up In Colorado Theater
Choreographer Debbie Stark praised Benoist's natural dancing ability.
"She was the easiest to work with, she took direction well,." Stark said.
Stark added that her dancing background will come in handy when taking on the physically demanding role of Supergirl.
In the show Benoist plays a character who by day is a mild-mannered employee and by night is a superhero. Her past colleagues say there's no one better to bring the iconic comic book character to life.
"Inside she had all that power, with her talent and abilities and for her to let all that out and be Supergirl, it's perfect," Wanger said.
"Knowing her she's not going to rely on a stuntwoman, she's going to want to do it herself," Dwyer said of Benoists role, adding that she will easily fulfill the role of an excellent female role model. "She's going to be a great representative, not just of that character, but also for young women that want to do anything in this world, because Melissa has shown that if you can dream it, it can come true."
Mark Taylor is a weekend morning anchor and reporter with CBS4 news covering a wide variety of stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkTaylor_TV.