If you frequent Collider Ladies Night, you’re well aware that I’m a big proponent of filmmaking families — frequent collaborators who stick together and also add new additions to the family every step of the way. Mike Flanagan’s “Flanafamily” is a big one, and it’s a topic that keeps popping up with Molly Gordon, who’s recently found great success collaborating with close friends on films like Theater Camp and Oh, Hi. Yet another top-tier filmmaking family? The one James Gunn started and continues to thrive with, and that family has a member you’re going to be seeing a whole of in the coming weeks, months and years. It’s Mikaela Hoover. In celebration of the release of Superman, in which Hoover plays Daily Planet gossip columnist Cat Grant, she took the time to swing by the Collider Ladies Night studio and recap her journey to joining three of the biggest franchises of all time – DC, Marvel and, most recently, One Piece. It’s a list of accomplishments that certainly can be traced back to Hoover’s natural talent, but as we often discuss on Ladies Night, in film and television, finding someone who sees you and what you’re capable of can be essential. Hoover found that in Gunn.
How Mikaela Hoover Met James Gunn

From making internet shorts to working on the biggest film franchises of all time …

Before they were making gigantic studio blockbusters together, Hoover and Gunn collaborated on internet shorts. Hoover first met him while auditioning for one called Humanzee!, a mockumentary-style piece released in 2008.
“This sounds crazy, but I’m a little witchy — when I met him, it was like, ‘Oh, there you are!’ Like he was a family member that I had done life with already. I felt like, ‘Oh, I’m home.’ You know those people that you meet and you’re like, ‘Oh, there’s that comfy, cozy feeling,’ and you’re like, ‘Where have you been?’ I mean, he is a big brother to me. But right away, I felt that.”
Hoover laughed and continued the story of her audition:
“The way he tells the story is, I was so bossy. I was like, ‘I want to do that again.’ And he’s like, ‘Okay.’ Then I did it again and then I was like, ‘No, no, I’m gonna do that again.’ And he was like, ‘But it was good the first time, or second time.’ But I kept doing it, and that’s what got me the role. It was not the way that I delivered the lines. It was the in-between of me bossing everybody in the room around and telling them I wanted to do it again, and the personality that he saw in that.”
Not only did Gunn immediately see something in Hoover at that moment, but Hoover saw his potential as well, and her foresight was spot-on.
“I told James early on — and again, witchy, I’m a little weird — I was like, ‘You’re gonna be one of the biggest directors in the world.’ I knew. And I told him. He will attest to that. There is an energy to James that anyone that is around him just feels this presence.”

James Gunn May Be a Studio Head Now, But He’s Still “Just James”

“You want to work with people that you trust and that are reliable and that you love and that you want to see win in life.”

From the very beginning, Gunn started assembling a group of friends and team of collaborators with a shared sensibility. Hoover explained, “James always felt like a bit of an outsider. A lot of our friend group always had that. We never really felt like we belonged anywhere.” Hoover found that belonging with Gunn and co. 17 years ago with Humanzee! and Sparky & Mikaela, a show Gunn created with his current DC Studios co-chairman and co-CEO, Peter Safran. After making Internet shorts in Gunn’s living room, Gunn and Safran are behind what’s bound to be one of the biggest blockbusters of 2025. One might think all of that notoriety and the additional resources would change how a filmmaker operates, but not Gunn. While revisiting the Superman press day, Hoover noted, “A lot of those questions in the junket were like, ‘How has he changed?’ And I’m like, ‘He’s still James.’” She added:
“It’s so crazy when people are like, ‘Oh, he’s the head of a studio now.’ I’m like, ‘He’s still just James.’ I have so much respect for him professionally, but also, I’ve been lucky enough that he’s now, like I said, my brother, because when you work together on so many different things, it’s everything — every profession, you meet people that you really connect with and you really love, and you want to continue working with them because that’s what life’s about, is surrounding yourself with good people and creating and doing the things that you love.”
Hoover continued by zeroing in on the critics of working with friends in film:
“I’ve never understood the internet bullies of, ‘You’re just putting this person in because you’re friends with them.’ No. You want to work with people that you trust and that are reliable and that you love and that you want to see win in life. What else is the point of life besides doing that? And people are like, ‘But you want to give other actors opportunities.’ James gives other actors opportunities all the time! I mean, there’s always new, fresh faces in his stuff of people that he’s discovered. He’s so good at that, as well.”

Hoover Is Forever Changed By Working with Rachel Brosnahan

Image via DC

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“These are two people who have met their match.”

When you find an ideal friend and collaborator, of course, you want to stick with them. But then comes one of the very best parts of establishing a filmmaking family – using that original foundation to lift even more people up in this industry. And that’s what Gunn does with every single project. It’s something Hoover has been part of and greatly benefited from in a multitude of respects. She began:
“With Superman, that cast was my favorite. It was summer camp while we were there. And now, we’re all on a group text chain and we all see each other. I spent the fourth with some of the cast members. James has a knack for pulling together the best humans. Again, yes, acting’s very important to me, and it’s my life, and I love it so much, but what’s even more important is the people that I surround myself with. Life is short and precious, and I’d rather be surrounded by people that I love and that are special and great than assholes and you’re just working. So, I feel really blessed and, in a way, safe in that way.”
With every new addition to the family also comes the opportunity to learn, and Hoover found a beacon in that respect on the Superman set. The film’s Lois Lane, Rachel Brosnahan.
“On the first day of Superman, I had never met Rachel, and she had such a glowing reputation, but you never know until you’re actually there, and Rachel set the tone for me on this movie more than any human. I will forever be grateful and have gratitude for how she treated me on that set. She lifted me up so much. She never made me feel like, ‘Oh, you’re a small role in this project, so I’m gonna act above you.’ None of that bullshit that a lot of actresses can do. She set the tone not only for this movie, but she set the tone of how I want to be and how I want to treat other actresses. I sound like I’m just glowing about everyone, but they really are — when you meet them, you know. You’re like, ‘Oh, this is why.’ She is one of my favorite humans, and I have been so blessed to have a friendship outside of Superman with her. There were times in the trailer where we would just talk, and people would come in and be like, ‘It is time to go home. Why are you still here?’ But we just got along so well.”

Image via Warner Bros.

When we hit the final question of Collider Ladies Night, the point in the show when I ask the guest to pinpoint a personal achievement from their latest project that they’re most proud of, Hoover did play by the rules and give herself some credit, but then she veered right back to the community that forms on a James Gunn set.
“I’m really proud of myself that it was the most present I’ve ever been on any set. Instead of getting overwhelmed that it was Superman and it was such a massive thing and letting my nerves get the best of me, I was very present and I was very grateful. I think gratitude goes such a long way. I journaled a lot and I hadn’t ever really journaled like that. Again, I’m really proud of the friendships that I made on that movie because I know that those friendships will carry through for the rest of my life, so they’re very valuable to me and I’m proud of that.”
Looking for even more from Hoover? Collider Ladies Night has you well covered in that department! While this particular article focuses on her journey alongside Gunn, our full interview also covers her passion for horror and two wildly exciting projects she has on the horizon – Beef Season 2 and voicing Tony Tony Chopper in Netflix’s live-action One Piece. Hear about all of that and so much more in the video at the top of this article, or you can listen to our Collider Ladies Night conversation in podcast form below:

Superman

Release Date

July 11, 2025

Runtime

130 Minutes

Director

James Gunn

Producers

Lars P. Winther, Peter Safran

Superman is playing in theaters nationwide. Get Tickets