Haley Lu Richardson Reflects on Her Batgirl Audition, Still Wants to Play a Superhero

After years of anticipation and speculation, DC’s Batgirl movie is finally off the ground, with production currently underway for an exclusive release on HBO Max. In the Heights star Leslie Grace is currently cast in the titular role of Barbara Gordon / Batgirl, after being on a reported shortlist that included actresses Haley Lu Richardson, Zoey Deutch, and Isabela Merced. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Richardson broke her silence on the process of auditioning for the role, and revealed that the audition process led to her getting a personal email from actor J.K. Simmons, who will be returning to portray Commissioner James Gordon in the film.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry that I disappointed you,” Richardson explained with a laugh. “I really tried, let me tell you. I really did try.”

“Yeah, it was exciting regardless, and I did get a nice little personal email from J.K. Simmons out of it, which was really nice,” Richardson continued. “Getting the role would’ve been pretty cool, but I told myself that his email meant more to me than getting the role. So I tried, but I’m not Batgirl at the end of the day. I’m trying to think of what freaking superhero I can play now because aren’t they all done already? Haven’t they all been made?”

Richardson clarified that she didn’t audition alongside Simmons in her experience on the film — and that she would be open to portraying another comic book character, if the opportunity arose.

“No, I actually didn’t,” Richardson revealed. “I never auditioned with him. I did a tape and then a meeting and then one with the directors. So I actually never met J.K., but I did receive that nice little note from him, which made me feel really good. So I didn’t get to do any of the fun stuff. I just had to do sh-tty auditioning. But it would be pretty fun to explore something like that, and it would also be fun to figure out how to ground a comic book.”

“Well, yeah! I’m right there with you,” Richardson said of portraying another comic book character. “My dance skills, my flexibility and my athleticism need to be utilized. Are there any superheroes that are dancers? Thank you, though, for rooting for me.”

Batgirl is directed by Bad Boys for Life‘s Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi, with a script written by Christina Hodson, whose work includes Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and the upcoming The Flash movie. The film is expected to also star Brendan Fraser as Firefly, with Michael Keaton reprising his role as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Ivory Aquino as Alysia Yeoh, and Jacob Scipio, Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, and Ethan Kai cast in currently-unknown roles.

Batgirl is set to be released at a later date exclusively on HBO Max.