YVETTE MONREAL PURRS ABOUT WILDCAT
Stargirl is set to premiere on the DC Universe subscription service this Monday, May 18th, followed by a The CW premiere on Tuesday, May 19th at 8pm. Based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name, created by Geoff Johns and Lee Moder, the series follows Courtney Whitmore, (Brec Bassinger) heir to the cosmic staff, as she leads a new generation of superheroes as the titular Stargirl.
The pilot episode of Stargirl is incredible, but Courtney’s best friend, Yolanda Montez (Monreal) -heir to the mantle of Wildcat- is hardly in the first episode. Barely a cameo. The lovely Yvette tells me that Yolanda will slowly but surely be established, but she doesn’t really come to fruition until the 4th episode, when she reveals her costume and majestically dons her costume and mask.
MONREAL AS WILDCAT
In the comics, Yolanda is the goddaughter of original Wildcat Ted Grant, a man widely hailed as one of the best fighters in the DCU. Yvette quickly points out the differences in her character:
“He's not my godfather in the show. He is the Godfather in the comic book, but in the show he is a very famous and prestigious boxer. In my family we watch boxing, so he's a big inspiration for me. No no he's not my godfather…In the series Courtney (Bassinger) finds a group to join her in the Justice Society and I'm one of those people because I am a natural boxer and that's one of my strengths. So she sees me as a great asset.”
It’s not just boxing skills that get Yolanda noticed. The fascinating Monreal explains that Wildcat is also a metahuman:
“I have cat-like abilities. I can jump really high. My claws, they can break through pretty much anything. I can crawl up buildings. I have everything that a superhero cat would have,(my claws are) kind of like Wolverine but instead of my knuckles (they extend) from my fingers.”
YVETTE AS YOLANDA MONTEZ
The passion Yvette elegantly expresses for her latest role is infectious as she conveys one last final thought
“I would just say that this, this show is for everyone, I mean it's very family-oriented. I feel like it transcribes to kids and adults so I feel like it's in a very special, special series to all of us. There's a lot of heart behind it, and we all worked so hard to do our best. So I hope that everyone likes it.”