Nicole Maines on playing TV's first transgender superhero in Supergirl: Dreamer is who we need right now

Transgender activist Nicole Maines plays Nia Nal, a.k.a. Dreamer, in Season 4 of Supergirl. Recently, in an interview with Collider, Maines opened up about her reaction on discovering that she had been finalised for the role and the importance of introducing the world to a transgender superhero. [caption id=“attachment_5404391” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Nicole Maines in a scene from Supergirl. Maines, a transgender activist who won a discrimination lawsuit over using the girls’ bathroom at her school, is making her debut as the character Nia Nal on the superhero series. Image from Facebook[/caption] Maines said that during the confirmation of Dreamer, she was shooting for a vampire film which included late night shoots. So she was fast asleep when the news was given to her by her managers. She said that she’d often have to pinch herself to make herself believe that she was actually on the sets of Supergirl. “I can’t believe that I get to do this with so many lovely people, and they’re all so friendly, welcoming, talented and professional. It is an amazing environment to get to bring this character to life in,” added the actress. Nicole mentioned that the one thing that she was most excited as well as concerned about was bringing Dreamer to life. The actress said that Dreamer was the kind of superhero that the world needed at the moment yet at the same time since it was a first of sorts, Maines felt slightly nervous. Sincerely hoping that her audiences see Nia’s human side, Maines added that normal representation of trans characters on screen has become mandatory. “It’s not the biggest part of a trans person’s life. It is one facet of their identity, but it’s one lens of many to look at issues and experiences that we go through,” said the actress. Supergirl airs on Sunday nights on The CW.