A costumed figure is somewhere out there, whizzing underneath the moonlit sky, propelled by the sheer force of her Kryptonian abilities and unwavering determination. Her eyes emit bursts of fire and she defies natural laws. Our 28-year-old heroine is Sasha Calle, and while today over Zoom she’s not Supergirl from DC’s The Flash, she’s still symbolically wearing the cape, eyes on an inconceivable set of goals and aspirations.

At 18, Calle packed her bags, moved to Los Angeles, and attended ADMA, The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Conservatory of Performing Arts in Hollywood. Her intention was to pursue music, but her studies included a trifecta of singing, acting, and dancing. Surprising to Calle was the excitement she felt in the process of performing.

Post-collegiate studies, Calle did everything in her power to pursue this passion. But like many Los Angeles thespians, she faced adversities. “I was fucking broke.” She laughs: “I had like three jobs at the time. I would go on auditions four or five times a week around that time, and for a year and a half that was my life. Work, audition, work, audition. I definitely did over 100 auditions. I was really resilient. But I knew that the right thing would find me.”

And she was found! Calle was cast as the fiery, self-assured Lola Rosales in the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, for which she earned a Daytime Emmy nomination. Calle likens her 276-episode soap opera run to live theater with little planning and a lot of memorization. She brought an undeniable boldness to Lola, a kind of no-bullshit attitude that made her stand out from the rest. The role was a marker of her acting prowess and success to come. “My character was something that was very different,” Calle emphasizes. “In that world, I think that we were the first Latine family in that soap opera. We got the chance to bring that flavor and strength and vulnerability to the show.”

The fierceness hinted at in her portrayal of Lola turned out to be a good precursor for her first film role as Supergirl in DC’s The Flash. From then on, all felt plausible for Calle as she broke barriers by being the first Latine actor to play the superhero. “I didn’t grow up with that, seeing people like me on screen,” she stresses. “And, you know, I felt like that kid who was like, ‘I’m going to do this,’ and people were like, ‘Are you crazy? That doesn’t work that way.’ It was a huge shock factor to a lot of people but to me, I knew that again, impossible is possible. I really hope we continue to see that on screen because Latines are very beautiful, strong, complex, nuanced human beings that deserve a seat at the table.”

To get the job, Calle went up against hundreds of actors with no clue about what role she was auditioning for. When she landed the part, her reaction was visceral. As her name went viral, she felt unsure. “At first I was like, ‘What’s happening?’ But now, it’s really beautiful. Everyone who comes up to me comes from a very sincere and genuine place of feeling represented.”

Fans are proud of Calle for her success and championing of Latine representation. She beams as she recalls a couple following her out of a restaurant to share their appreciation of her work. Instead of being bogged down by the perils of paparazzi and frantic fans, Calle carries herself with acute awareness of her influence. “I have more pride than anything else,” she remarks. “It’s insane how many people you see wearing superhero merch—we all grew up with this. And to see someone as a superhero who looks like you and feels like you is very important. You have to put everything you have into the character and let it go and hope that people can feel it and everyone will take it in their way.”

Portraying a superhero in the DC universe is a daunting task. For Calle, it was less intimidating given she felt connected to her character. “She was very close to home for me,” Calle says. “She had to grow up very fast and then was placed somewhere that was unknown for her. It was like being an alien in a new place or being the new girl in a new school or country. There was a lot of responsibility on her shoulders.”

While most actors would be equally intimated by the physical work that goes along with this kind of role—jumping off balconies or punching villains—Calle saw this as a welcome challenge, working hours with her team so she could do her own stunts. Given years of boxing lessons and a stunt class in college, Calle had a leg up on the average actor.

Calle is set to star in two upcoming films. The first being In the Summers, which follows the emotional fallout and journey of two Latine sisters who visit their father who is struggling with addiction. The second is On Swift Horses, a 1960s story of gambling, racehorses, and a love triangle. Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, and Will Poulter also star. “I initially didn’t want to read the script because I knew I would fall in love with it,” she recalls timidly. “And then I tested for it and I was like, ‘Okay I have to read the script now.’ I felt so close to my character who is a very strong woman who has to find vulnerability.”

As for other avenues, Calle emphasizes that music is still her biggest dream, a pursuit she’s been working toward constantly. “I just feel so seen and understood by music and that’s how it all started,” she reflects. “Music is a way for me to express my emotions and understand them without anybody judging them. I started writing about my life and it feels like a vessel for my voice and my emotions.”

For Calle, the storytelling aspect of songwriting felt alluring and lends itself to a certain degree of control—her words, her lyrics, her story. “With acting it’s different. I find a way to connect with the character and then merge but it’s a controlled environment and it takes so much more than just me,” she says. She draws inspiration from the storytelling present in disparate genres: Jazz, R&B, Latin music. When I ask her if she’s going to release something before the end of the year, she laughs nervously but says she expects a debut EP of hers to release at the top of 2024.

When I bring up the possibility of producing or writing in the future, Calle says she feels like a sponge: “I still have a lot to learn.” For now, she’s hoping to delve into more roles putting women at the front of the story. “As women of color, I think we have really beautiful stories to tell and experience like the rest of the world. I just want to tell stories that haven’t been told or touched on.” 

Photographed by Jonny Marlow at Early Morning Riot

Styled by Oliver Vaughn

Written by Joshen Mantai

Hair: Virginie Pineda at The Visionaries Agency

Makeup: Cedric Jolivet at The Wall Group

Flaunt Film: Jason Bergh

1st Assistant: Christian Koepenick

2nd Assistant: Jai Crocker

Film Assistant: Matija Milicevic

Production Assistant: Khami Auerbach