Leslie Grace made her acting debut this summer as Nina Rosario in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s big-screen version of In the Heights, which follows the sueñitos, or little dreams, of the Latinx community in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. For her second major film role, the 26-year-old Bronx-born actress is back in Gotham, this time as Barbara Gordon in Warner Bros. Pictures’ Batgirl, slated to premiere on HBO Max in 2022. While plot details are being kept under wraps, Grace exclusively revealed over Zoom that in the film Gordon becomes “her own hero.”

Playing Gordon is the opportunity of a lifetime for Grace, who says she relates to her character’s self-determination. “I can’t believe Batgirl and I are in the same sentence,” she says. “I’m so grateful to everyone that has placed faith in my potential. I’m working very hard and studying very hard to not let anybody down.”

Below, Grace, who is featured in ELLE’s Women In Hollywood issue, talks about what she learned working with Lin-Manuel Miranda on In the Heights, and how she “manifested” her role in Batgirl.

On making her acting debut

I still have a lot to learn, but with In the Heights I knew I was entering into an area that I love. It required getting to know myself as an individual, because very much like Nina, I’m attached to my block, family, community, and to where I feel supported—where I can be myself. But at some point you have to venture out into the world and share your gifts in spaces that might not feel as comfortable as home.

On leaving a legacy with In the Heights

It’s so satisfying to see something you put so much love into, something that was a life-changing experience for you, bring joy to people. I feel like it’s a movie you can watch again and again. As the years go by, I hope it’ll be one of those movies you don’t get tired of putting on for your little nephew or niece—no matter how many times you’ve seen it.

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On learning from Lin-Manuel Miranda

People who are successful or really great at what they do don’t always have enough time to be nice. But Lin showed me that you can be kind and genuinely supportive. He didn’t give us much advice [before shooting In the Heights], because he really wanted us to feel like we were at liberty to make these characters our own. He was there like a supportive dad, but he didn’t crowd us with loads of direction. He was there every step of the way to give us context about what the songs meant and what was based on his actual life for inspiration. I think the best way to learn from people you respect is to observe them.

On manifesting a role in Batgirl

I always loved the idea of superheroes, but I didn’t grow up in a typical Dominican home reading comics or watching the animated series on TV. So now I’m doing all this research and nerding out learning about parallel universes. It’s funny, though—I have a best friend named Nadia, whom I’ve known for like 16 years. We met when my family moved to Florida and we lived in the same neighborhood. We’ve been like sisters ever since. We always got into trouble as kids, so we started calling each other Batman and Robin. I had a black Jeep, so we called it the Grace-mobile. When Nadia found out that I got the role of Batgirl, she was like “All this time, we’ve been manifesting this.”

On connecting to the character of Barbara Gordon

I can’t say much about what she is going to do, but Batgirl becomes her own hero. [Her origin story] is crazy dark, like a lot of other superheroes, but I like that she becomes Batgirl because she wants to make a difference in the world. She feels like people underestimate her as Barbara Gordon, and I relate to that. I’m the youngest of my siblings and sometimes I still feel like a little kid inside. When I really want to do something, and people underestimate me, I’m like, “Okay, I’m just going to do it and not say anything about it.” It’s that energy of being self-determined. You can’t be afraid to be your own hero, and I think girls need to see that. We all need to see characters that are willing to be autonomous.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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