Belfast-based singer-songwriter Winnie Ama secured a role in the DC Studios film Supergirl after a chance encounter with the director. Ama, who performs her 2020 solo track What Are We
in the movie, underwent specialized training to sing the song in the fictional Bilquis language.
From a Bar Performance to the Leavesden Set
The journey for Winnie Ama began with a simple question posed by the film’s director after a performance in a bar: Would you like to be in my film?
While the opportunity was the kind of moment many artists dream of, it arrived with significant professional demands. Two weeks after the Belfast singer’s chance encounter with the film’s director, she and her pianist were invited for an official audition. I had never acted before, so I was sweating quite a lot, but we made it, and we got the part in the room,
Winnie said. We went for fittings straight away, and it went from there.
She was cast to play a singing alien in the new Supergirl film, which was released last month.
Stepping onto the film set at Leavesden proved to be a physically demanding experience. Ama described the transformation process as extensive, noting that the hair and makeup application were applied by hand and took about four hours, and at the end of the day, the crew would scrub her down. Her schedule during production required a 4:00 a.m. wake-up call to travel to the set in time to get her Bilquis costume on.
Translating What Are We
for the Bilquis Language
The role required more than just acting; it necessitated the adaptation of Ama’s original 2020 solo release, What Are We,
for the world of the film. The production hired an alien language specialist to help her translate the song into the language spoken by the inhabitants of the planet Bilquis, where her character performs in an alien bar when Supergirl visits.
We went through each word and each syllable to make sure that the pronunciation was perfect for Bilquis,
she said. Ama noted that the specialist involved in the project had significant experience in the field, having previously developed languages for other franchises. He told me about the structure and the origins of the language that he created, which was so cool, because he’s the guy who created other alien languages like [Star Trek’s] Klingon,
Ama said. Being a Bilquis alien was so much fun, I’ve always wanted to be an alien.
For more on this story, see Winnie Ama Lands Supergirl Movie Role After Chance Encounter With Director.
Thematic Alignment in the Supergirl Narrative
The song choice was not arbitrary. What Are We
serves a specific narrative purpose within the movie. Ama explained that the song is about conflict, and there is a lot of conflict in the film.
The DC Studios Supergirl film, directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Milly Alcock, follows a reluctant superhero on a quest to save her dog, Krypto, teaming up with a bounty hunter named Lobo, played by Jason Momoa. Ama observed that the lyrics mirror the superhero’s journey, specifically focusing on the discomfort of addressing unspoken tensions in relationships. Supergirl is navigating a lot of conflict and trauma – and in the song I’m really questioning what it’s like whenever you start to question a relationship, whether it’s a friend or someone you live with where you just fundamentally disagree and there’s some elephants in the room that you have to navigate,
she noted.
A New Perspective on the Superhero Genre
Beyond her own involvement, Ama expressed a belief that the film distinguishes itself from previous entries in the genre. We’ve had so many different versions of Superman and not that many about Supergirl,
Winnie said. For Ama, the project represents a departure from traditional superhero tropes. I think this film is really important because it’s not your traditional superhero, she’s like a real person with real emotions,
Ama said. I think it’s quite ahead of its time.
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