In the next episode of The CW series Stargirl, entitled “Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E Part 1,” the Injustice Society of America is right on the trail of Courtney (Brec Bassinger), Pat (Luke Wilson) and the new Justice Society of America team, in an effort to keep them from thwarting their evil plan. With an inevitable showdown between the JSA and ISA coming, and the ISA one step closer to accomplishing their mission to transform the world, Stargirl and her friends will be tested to the limits.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, Brec Bassinger talked about the excitement of getting picked up for a second season, the chaos of the Season 1 finale, how much of a test this mission will be for the new JSA, the beautiful family dynamic, the best part of getting to play a superhero, the most challenging fight scenes, and what she’s looking forward to, with Season 2.

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Image via The CW

Collider: Congratulations on the Season 2 pick-up! How did you find out that you’d be returning? Who was the one to tell you, and how did you react to that news?

BREC BASSINGER: Our showrunner, Geoff Johns, is the greatest human ever. I’m very close to him and I speak to him very frequently. He was so nice and he kept me updated, throughout the whole thing, with any good news, any bad news, and what it was looking like. Throughout the process, I was up-to-date on things. It was so funny, he would tell me, “Okay, I’m 99% sure that we have a Season 2.” And I would call my mom and she’d be like, “Do we celebrate?” And I was like, “I don’t know. He said 99%, so I’m not really sure.” And then, finally he called me and was like, “We got a Season 2!” And I was like, “Okay, so now I celebrate.” It was this build-up, and then I was just like, “Okay.” As an actor, our jobs are so inconsistent and our lives rely so much on our next job, and everything else is just so up in the air. So, it gave me so much of a sense of peace, just knowing where I was gonna be, what I was gonna be doing, and who I was getting to work with. Geoff is just amazing. So, I’m very excited to get started.

What can you say to tease these last two episodes, without spoilers?

BASSINGER: Well, the very opening of Episode 12 has my favorite fight scene. Barbara (Amy Smart) gets into the action, which is just the best thing, ever. And then, specifically in the finale, there’s this epic battle with Solomon Grundy, and there’s so much chaos.

The new JSA is still trying to figure out how to work together to be most effective, and they’re learning the full extent of this evil plan that’s going on. How much of a test would you say this mission will be for them, both individually and as a team?

BASSINGER: In the episodes leading up to this, individually and personally, they’ve all been through so much that they’re in this raw state that helps them, in a sense, because they have this drive and motivation that’s coming from that. They’ve seen true evil, and that just gives them the drive to make them want to stop it, even more. Like you said, they’re still new to all of this, but that being said, it was really cool, in Episode 10, to see them all work together. My mom texted me and said, “Wow, you finally look like a true group of heroes. I love seeing this.” I was like, “Thanks, mom.” But, they are. They’ve learned so much. Even though they’re still considered newbies, they’re learning to work together as a team, and it’s in just the nick of time.

Courtney has already lost classmates, she’s learned that her father is kind of a jerk, and she’s got the ISA after her. Do you think she has any regrets, at this point? Do you feel like she’s thought about anything that she wishes she could have done differently?

BASSINGER: I’m sure that there are things she wishes she could have done differently, but I think she’s one who definitely believes in fate and destiny. From the very beginning, those have been her mantras, and I feel like she still sticks with those. Even though she might not have seen what her destiny was, she still believes in it. Her priorities are a little different than being like, “Oh, darn, I should’ve done my supersuit like this instead.”

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Image via The CW

I really love the family dynamic on this show and what a big part of the show that it’s been, whether it’s Courtney and her mother, Courtney and Pat, or even some of the moments we get with Courtney and Mike. What have you most enjoyed about exploring that bond and really getting to dig into that family dynamic?

BASSINGER: I love the growth between her and Pat, throughout the season. It’s like night and day, from the first episode to the last episode, in how they interact with each other. Throughout her life, while we’ve seen that her and her mom, and her and her stepdad, we’ve always felt Courtney’s lack of a father figure and this feeling of abandonment. And even though she’s felt that really hard this season, seeing Pat finally fill that father figure role is so beautiful. And I have two older brothers, so seeing her and Mike’s relationship develop has been really great. I love it. And Trae [Romano], who plays Mike, is just the funniest person, ever, so I love any scene I get to do with him.

What’s been the best part of getting to play this character over the course of the first season? How has she and her alter ego most inspired you?

BASSINGER: Probably the way she always sees the best in people. That inspires me. I want to be more like that. Also, her love for the world. Sometimes it gets her into trouble, but her childlike optimism is just so beautiful. Being in L.A., it’s so easy to get jaded, that you need to be reminded that it’s okay to be a naive, optimistic person.

Was there a fight scene that was most challenging or difficult to do?

BASSINGER: There were a couple that were hard, for different reasons. Back to the very beginning, in the second episode, the fight with Brainwave was probably my most challenging, just because it was all so new to me. On the day we were filming, they were throwing new choreography at me and it was just very overwhelming. And so, that one, in particular, was the most challenging for me, mentally and physically. But throughout the season, I felt like there were like certain moments about each fight scene that were hard. The Sportsmaster and Tigress fight scene was challenging because it was our first time, as the JSA, being together. While it was so fun, it worked because it was our first time, as the JSA, working together, and it was also our first time, with us four actors, working together as a superhero group. We were figuring it out while they were also figuring it out.

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Image via The CW

What are you most looking forward to, with Season 2? With the way that everything is left, at the end of this season, and with how things are set up, what are you most looking forward to getting to do, next season?

BASSINGER: I’m genuinely so excited about everything, but right now, I’m thinking about the JSA and getting my team back together, and getting to work with Cameron [Gellman], Anj [Washington] and Yvette [Monreal] again. We have so much fun, all of us in our supersuits and sweating, but loving every second of it. I just can’t wait to get that team back together.

Do you know when you get to start shooting and get scripts to read?

BASSINGER: I don’t really know. I’ve heard sometime in 2021. I’m really excited.

Stargirl airs on Tuesday nights on The CW.

Christina Radish is a Senior Reporter of Film, TV, and Theme Parks for Collider. You can follow her on Twitter @ChristinaRadish.