Many of you know Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt from DC Studios' Peacemaker. She played a crucial role in the show’s success and helped remind people that superhero projects can be just as deep and emotional as any other movie or show. What you may not have known is that she and James Gunn’s dog, Ozu, heavily influenced Supergirl's dog, Krypto.
The Superdog made his DC Universe debut in 2025's Superman, which was written and directed by Gunn, and now he's back in this summer's Supergirl, which stars Milly Alcock as the Girl of Steel. And we here at Bam Smack Pow had the opportunity to speak with Holland about the film, Krypto, and Ozu's influence.
Holland is partnering with Milk-Bone ahead of Supergirl's release, and it's clear that seeing Ozu in Krypto on the the bring screen brings her so much joy. “I am so emotionally connected to it," she told me. "It’s amazing to get to see my own dog sort of come to life on screen as Krypto.”
The Peacemaker star also opened up about how she learned something that a lot of people who rescue dogs understand, and that it’s not easy to bring a new dog into your home after they had a different and difficult previous life. “He’s learned a lot, and this is where Milk Bone treats come in and I give him a lot of treats to learn all of the ways to be a better boy.”
As she reveals, Ozu was rescued from a hoarding situation, and that things were both good and bad when he came home. “He lived in a pile of multiple dogs in a backyard, so he only knew dogs. He instantly imprinted on our other dog, Lola, and they became best friends. But he was kind of like keeping us at arm's length. He wasn't sure that we were enemies in some way. So it took a long time for him to warm up to us.”
If you’ve seen 2025’s Superman, then you probably understand why Krypto was influenced by Ozu. But Holland explained exactly when the lightbulb lit up. “When we originally got him, James [Gunn] was in the process of writing Superman. And, that’s where Krypto originally showed up, and he said, ‘What would it be like if this dog, who is tearing everything apart, had superpowers? What would that be like in our lives?’ And so that’s what really inspired Krypto in Superman.”
"He ate James' laptop! He just chewed right through his laptop. We learned very early that we can't leave anything around him."Jennifer Holland on Ozu's early days
I asked Holland what audiences would get from Kara and Krypto’s relationship and she offered up a great answer, which really provides us with an insight into what to expect from the movie, but also of the importance that dogs have in our lives, saying:
“Hopefully, they get that the relationships that you have with animals can be so centering that they can make you feel at home wherever you are. And they can be your found family. If you feel far from your loved ones, whether it’s physically far from them or because you don’t have the best relationship with them, whatever your situation in life is, you can create a found family through your relationship with your dog. And that’s a beautiful thing.”
“They can be such emotional centers in our lives, and they really just love us. And we’re able to have these relationships them, that are so special. And so that’s one of the beautiful things that you can take away from the story.”
"It’s created the genesis of the story between Supergirl and Krypto, which is really how she’s still connected to her homeland. It’s the emotional sort of center of the story of the film, Supergirl, is with her dog, Krypto. "Jennifer Holland
Supergirl dives into Kara Zor-El's past and explores how she is still struggling with Krypton's demise all these years later. While Superman would prefer that she return home to Earth, she struggles with feeling home anywhere. As the trailers clearly indicate: Home isn't a place for her, it's Krypto. And as the film goes on, she must come to terms with her grief and channel that into who she wants to be - not just for Krypto, or Superman, but for herself too.
With such a complex story at its heart, I asked Holland what she hoped people would feel like after seeing Supergirl. Her answer is another reason why people should see and support this project.
“One of the undercurrents of Supergirl is that you don’t have to be perfect in order to be appreciated and loved and useful in life. That you can be messy and you can be flawed and that you’re still okay. And that’s one of the things I think is really amazing to take away from the story of Supergirl. Even if you’re a super girl, you can still be human. You can still have flaws. And she is so much more than many of the other superheroes, and I think that’s what makes her incredibly relatable.”
Supergirl is in theaters now. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow’s social media pages on Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter for more reviews, news, and more on DC Comics' latest project.
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