David Corenswet stepped off the red carpet and into viral territory Monday night when he confronted a photographer who touched Milly Alcock’s back without her consent at the world premiere of Supergirl in Brooklyn, New York.
Video from the premiere shows Corenswet, 32, standing alongside Alcock, 26, and fellow cast members Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult when a nearby photographer placed a hand on the middle of Alcock’s back. Corenswet spotted the contact immediately, walked around with his hand raised and placed himself between Alcock and the press line, appearing to tell the photographer not to touch her.
The clip spread fast. The original post drew an immediate response: “Why tf would you put your hands on an actress at their movie premiere as a photographer?” — a question that resonated with hundreds of thousands of viewers, with the video accumulating nearly 775,000 views and over 8,000 likes.
Fans were quick to connect the moment to Corenswet’s on-screen role. “Bro’s superman in the movies & superman in real life too it seems,” one person wrote on X. Another added: “Good on David Corenswet for stepping in. A photographer has no business putting their hands on an actress at a red carpet event, or anywhere else.” Others drew a more playful parallel — calling it a “protective cousin moment,” a nod to the characters the two actors play in the film.
The premiere lands days before the film’s theatrical release, with Alcock taking center stage as Kara Zor-El in a story that pushes her far beyond her Superman-adjacent origins. Alcock was first introduced to the new DC Universe in the end credits of Superman and is now leading her own film, with Corenswet reprising his role in a supporting capacity. The two have spoken warmly about their working relationship. Alcock recalled Corenswet’s advice when she was preparing for the physical demands of the shoot: “He was like, ‘You’re gonna bruise.’ I definitely did. ‘You’re gonna feel proud of the bruises.'”
Alcock has also spoken candidly about the scrutiny that comes with inhabiting such a role as a woman. “It definitely made me aware that simply existing as a woman in that space is something that people comment on,” she told Vanity Fair. “We have become very comfortable having this weird ownership of women’s bodies.” Supergirl opens in U.S. theaters on June 26.
