Candice Patton has a lot to live up. Playing Iris West on The Flash is a responsibility – and a pressure – she doesn’t take lightly. Just ahead of the season 1 finale on Tuesday, The CW held their upfronts in New York to talk about the 2015-2016 TV season, which will see their DC TV Universe lineup expand by one, plus new seasons of hit series The Flash and Arrow.
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We caught up with Patton on the red carpet, with a special guest appearance by her TV dad, and found out what she thinks of Iris’s role going forward, now that she knows the truth about Barry Allen (in more ways than one). She even gave us an exclusive tease that will make some fans ask big questions.
Candice, you were put in a unique position, with Iris finding out Barry’s identity twice. What was it like doing that episode, then rewinding time and having to play your character as if she didn’t know again?
Candice Patton: It’s hard, because I think, shooting episode 15, and having Iris find out, I was just like “Oh, I just want her to know, then we can move on from that!” So having that reversal happen was frustrating for the fans, and a little frustrating for me, but it makes for such great television. I feel like, even in that moment, people were more concerned that Iris and Barry kissed, rather than the fact that she found out who the Flash is! (laughs)
Oh, here’s dad!
CP: Oh my gosh! (hugs Jesse L. Martin, her dad on the show).
Jesse L. Martin: How are you baby?
So, there’s no familial love in the West family here, huh?
JM: No, not at all! (laughs) Okay, sorry!
CP: (to Jesse):Okay, I love you!
(to me): Sorry!
No, it’s nice to see that! So obviously there’s a real bond that’s formed there.
CP: Oh my god, I love Jesse. He is one of my closest, dearest friends now, and I’ve really lucked out being able to work with him every day. He’s such a titan as an actor, and I’ve learned so much from him. On top of that, he’s an incredible person and I’m so lucky to have him as a friend.
So obviously Iris has been a little more on the outside this year, but who are you looking forward to exploring her relationships with in season 2, now that she’s more a part of the inner circle?
CP: Yeah, I’m hoping, I’d love for her to have a friendship with Cisco. I think they have a really interesting dynamic. Cisco is so fun, and I think there’s some of that in Iris, too, that we haven’t gotten to see. I think she’s actually a little bit light-hearted and fun and happy-go-lucky, and I think it’d be interesting to see those two interact, specifically with each other!
Grant actually said Cisco as well to me…
CP: Yeah, I think Cisco is the go to character! He’s the fun one!
Obviously, there’s now this overwhelming sense of destiny that comic book fans already knew and thought about, but now the characters have to think about. How does that change the way that you approach Iris in day-to-day life? Isn’t that something that’s just hanging over her now?
CP: Yeah. It is and it has been for me since I knew I was going to be on the show. I think everyone knows Iris West iconically from the comic books as the future wife of Barry Allen! So that’s always been over my head. Whether or not we’ll ever get there on our show? I don’t know.
But I don’t live with that everyday, thinking about that. I kind of take the scripts as they come and deal with that challenge. So who knows? I think it would be nice to see us stay true to the comic books; I think that’s what fans are hoping for. I don’t know though, we’ll see!
What has been the biggest surprise for you, coming into this comic book show, this superhero series, and this bigger superhero world that DC Entertainment and The CW are building?
CP: It’s the fans. I had no idea that The Flash already had such a built-in fandom that was so huge and so passionate, and then to have the new fans, people who knew nothing about The Flash who came into it through our show.
It’s just, it’s interesting to walk outside and have people call me Iris West! It’s amazing!
It’s also amazing for me, as an African-American actress, I will forever be known as Iris West to a lot of young girls, and that is amazing. That’s amazing. Not only that, but she’s been reimagined in the comic books as African-American, and Wally West has, too. That gives access to comic books to such a diverse group of people and that’s everything I can hope for.
Very cool. Can you give us one little tease for the finale? We still have one more episode of this season to air!
CP: Ohhh… Um, maybe I can say this and not get in trouble… Things are not that done with Eddie and Iris.
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