Before she took on the title ofPrincess Rhaenyra TargaryeninHouse of the Dragon, and before she wascast as the DCU’s Supergirl,Milly Alcockwas already giving award-winning performances. In her breakout role, Alcock starred alongside actor and musicianTim Minchinin a road trip series calledUpright. Not even 20 years old,Alcock gives a multifaceted performance as the young Meg Adams, who, by accident, literally crashes Lucky’s (Minchin) life. After getting cast in the show, Alcock, then 18, dropped out of school to fully pursue acting. While some might call that a risky move, it proved fruitful. With two full seasons, if you were a fan of Alcock during her short time onHouse of the Dragonor if you’re looking forward to her suiting up as a Kryptonian,Uprightneeds to be on your watchlist.
What Is ‘Upright’ About?
Uprightfollows Minchin’s Lucky, a washed-up musician who seems to be cursed with bad luck. In Season 1, he’s desperately trying to get to his hometown of Perth. His mother is dying of cancer, and he’s trying to transport an upright piano back with him to see her and his estranged brother. But after a car accident where he runs into a teenage girl in a truck,Lucky finds himself entangled with her as they make their way across the country. The girl in question is Meg, a spitfire teenager who sports a broken arm throughout Season 1 after her accident with Lucky. She convinces Lucky to take her with himon the road trip, not telling him that she’s a runaway, and instead only saying she is going to visit her mom.
Both Lucky and Meg are sarcastic and somewhat acerbic characters, mirroring each other despite their age gap. While initially annoyed by the prospect of traveling across the country with a foul-mouthed girl,the two inevitably develop a deep bond. As they share their own traumas and scars, they become more than just strangers and closer than just friends. The concept of afound familyalmost feels too pedestrian a description for their relationship; if platonic soulmates are a thing, that’s Lucky and Meg.
In Season 2, Lucky and Meg are reunited years after the events of the first installment and both characters are in a different place in their lives.Lucky is now a somewhat successful musician, while Meg is struggling after learning that she is pregnant. Going to Lucky, Meg convinces the two of them to embark on a new trip together where they rekindle their connection and heal some old wounds.
Milly Alcock Is All Attitude as Meg
While Minchin is fantastic as the jaded Lucky, if this was a story about him only, it wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining.It’s Alcock who brings an effervescence to each of her scenes. She offers not only levity but forces Lucky to contend with his own emotions. Meg forces him to mature and become both a father figure and a guardian to her. It’s only through meeting Meg that Lucky is able to grow. Alcock can go from being a sad girl mourning a major loss in her life to a crowbar-wielding menace in the blink of an eye. Meg is as comfortable cursing and flipping off criminals as she is crying on her own in the middle of the Australian outback.
Milly Alcock Was James Gunn’s Top Choice For Supergirl Before She Even Auditioned
The ‘House of the Dragon’ star will lead the upcoming ‘Superman: Woman of Tomorrow’.
There’s always a bit of an edge and sass to Alcock’s characters. Fromthe defiant young Rhaenyratoher stage performance as Abigail Williams in the West End’s run ofThe Crucible, her characters all have a punk edge of rebellion to them. Meg encapsulates that energy perfectly.She’s a rebellious teenager with a tough outer shell that takes a while to crack through. However, beneath that sarcasm, dry wit, and prickly personality is still someone who yearns to be loved and cared for. Fearless, she runs at every problem head-on and often forces Lucky to confront an issue even if he doesn’t want to.
As she matures in Season 2, we also see her grow without losing any of that fiery spark that makes her so entertaining to watch. Minchin, who is also a writer, director, and composer on the show, leans fully into Meg’s story in Season 2. Filmed after her time onHouse of the Dragon, the second seasongives Alcock more room to grow as an actor in weightier episodesinvolving her mother and her own journey through her pregnancy.
‘Upright’ Isn’t Afraid To Get Emotional
WhileUprightis undoubtedly comedic and irreverent, with Minchin and Alcock both trading jokes and bantering together as they drive across the country, it also isn’t afraid to get emotional. In Season 1, both characters aredealing with death in their livesand are in different stages of mourning. They find each other when they need the other the most, and through their journey, they slowly heal and become better people — not only for themselves but for their loved ones as well. In Season 2, both characters are dealing with their identity and parenthood. Meg must decide what to do with her pregnancy while searching for her mom and Lucky has to decide how to tell his daughter a life-changing truth.
The show has its supporting characters, butLucky and Meg are at the center of the story. There is a wealth of screen time given to heart-to-hearts, blowout fights, and daring escapes from the various shady figures they bump into. The show explores the type of catharsis that is addictive and inherently feel-good. You’ll be laughing and crying in equal measure as the episodes breeze by.The narrow focus and scope of the story allows for more character developmentand by the end of the short two seasons (only 16 half-hour episodes in total) you’ll wish you could go back and watchUprightall over again. Playing a character full of heart, courage, and tenacity, there’s no better example of Milly Alcock’s acting chops and range than her performance as Meg inUpright.
StreamUprightSeason 1 and 2 on AMC+ in the U.S.
