251. Supergirl Star/Writer Azie Tesfai

“Supergirl” is in its 6th and final season on the CW. Since Season 4, Azie Tesfai has played James Olsen’s sister Kelly Olsen. Her character’s arc includes a relationship with Supergirl’s sister Alex Danvers and her new quest as the superhero vigilante Guardian. Tesfai makes her debut as Guardian in the 12th episode of season 6, an episode which Tesfai herself co-wrote. Doing this made Arrowverse history as the first actor in any Greg Berlanti-produced series to pen an episode on any of his shows.

Desfai is the first Eritrean/Ethiopian actress to play a superhero EVER. Azie added some personal touches to the episode, including her character exiting an Ethiopian restaurant with her mother’s name in the opening scene of the episode, an homage to her Ethiopian mother, who had life-long dreams of opening her own Ethiopian restaurant. Azie was also very involved in every element of creating her costume for the Guardian—making sure to utilize the gold of her Eritrean roots.

Tesfai is best known for playing homicide detective Nadine Hansan in the critically acclaimed, Golden Globe-nominated series “Jane The Virgin,” which ran for five successful seasons on the CW.

Tesfai is also the founder and CEO of Fortuned Culture, an accessories line that was launched with TOMS Shoes Marketplace and sold in Bloomingdales. 100% of proceeds from each piece benefit charities in Ethiopia, Mexico, and Cambodia. Each piece symbolizes the human needs that people desire: health, love, faith, wisdom, balance, and more and with each purchase, these needs are fulfilled for someone less fortunate.