Naomi Star Kaci Walfall Breaks Down Those Season Finale Twists and What’s Next

The season finale of The CW’s Naomi aired on Tuesday night, capping off a batch of unique and genre-bending episodes of DC television. The series has chronicled the relatively-new comic addition of Naomi McDuffie (Kaci Walfall), an ordinary teenage girl whose life is profoundly changed when she learns she has superpowers and ties to the multiverse. Across the season, Naomi’s status quo and allegiances have been put to the test, culminating in an ordeal that will forever impact who she is as a person, and maybe a superhero.

To coincide with Naomi‘s Season 1 finale, ComicBook.com got a chance to chat with Walfall about all of the biggest reveals and twists of Naomi’s two-episode finale. We also spoke about the show’s differences from the source material, Walfall’s hopes for Season 2, and dream DC crossovers. Obviously, spoilers for the final two episodes of Naomi‘s first season below! Only look if you want to know!

Fan Response

ComicBook.com: What has it been like seeing the fan response, now that the majority of the season has aired?

Kaci Walfall: It’s been great! Just getting DMs and things like that. Actually, I stay off of most things, but the people that do direct message me — and my mom tells me about it — especially earlier in the season when I was on those things. It’s been great.

Diverging

Now that we’re coming towards the end of the season, it’s become clear how different and expanded-upon the show is from the source material. When we spoke last, you said that you’ve read the comics religiously. How has it felt to kind of have the show stand on its own, and allow you to put your own stamp on Naomi?

It’s been cool. I always still stay respectful to the source material, but I also think, that from the beginning, the creators and everyone has said that the comic book is also just an inspiration. So we’re able to build a new story while always staying respectful to the material.

Keeping the source material in your mind, were there any moments over the course of the season where you were surprised with where the show was going?

I think I was most surprised towards the end, definitely. And earlier in the beginning, when I had questions where I was like, “Is this going to happen?” And they were like, “No, but this is going to happen.” I was shocked about things like that, especially her whole relationship with her parents. You see that that is so different in the comics. I think that that is very shocking, especially just to discover that new spin within the character.

Naomi and Annabelle

The penultimate episode gives us so many great moments with Naomi and Annabelle. What was it like to play that, and how do you think it reflects their friendship across the season?

It was a lot of fun to play. I think what I really enjoyed, actually, was the conflict that they had in episode — I think it was Episode 8. Naomi and Annabelle had a fight, and it was so interesting, because throughout the season, you meet Annabelle at the party, and it’s almost like they’re best friends, but they’re not the closest that they’ve been throughout the season. They’re just best friends who go to high school together. Now, I almost think that at this point, Annabelle is Naomi’s family, and Naomi’s family is slowly getting smaller and smaller when she learns to trust. But Annabelle, I think, is forever in her family, and probably one of the only people she can genuinely trust right now.

Birth Parents

We also get to see Naomi have a conversation with her birth parents. Given the significance of that whole discovery, and how that has evolved over the season, what was it like to play that scene, and how do you think it impacts Naomi as a character?

Playing that scene was actually really interesting, because it was hard to film. As an actor, I always try and stem things from my personal experiences, and I’ve never experienced anything like that. So getting to truly go within the layers of the character — I had a Zoom with Carl Seaton, who’s the director, and I had a Zoom with DeMane Davis, who’s the producing director, specifically about that scene. I had scheduled a Zoom about that, because I spent 10 hours working on that.

It was interesting to film because I didn’t know that the scene like that was coming, and I’m glad I didn’t, because I think I would’ve possibly portrayed the character differently, knowing that she’s eventually going to meet her parents. But that was a fun scene, and I think it’s also a very pivotal scene, because she is constantly looking for self-confidence within herself to be this hero. I think that her meeting her parents and her parents telling her that she has power truly [impacts that].

Scooby Gang

I love how the finale kind of book ended the premiere, by having the whole plot with Naomi and her friends teaming up to save all of the adults. What was it like for all of you to film that, especially given how it parallels the premiere and how you all have grown as friends over the course of filming the show?

It was a lot of fun to just film that whole scene. I wasn’t in it, too too much, because Naomi’s fighting the battle of herself when they’re actually in the warehouse. But I watched the scenes, I was on set for some of those scenes, and it was so fun to see how everyone’s grown and how as we’ve gotten closer and these characters have gone closer. None of these characters, — except Annabelle, Jacob, and Naomi — were really all close with each other in the beginning. There was conflict. People didn’t like other people, Lourdes doesn’t go to school with them. But Naomi and her conflicts have kind of drawn them all together, and it was really beautiful.

I don’t break as an actor. I try and stay very focused on set. I don’t like to do that, because the character has a whole different headspace. And for somebody like Naomi, she’s always very serious. So I think one of the first time I ever broke throughout the season was in the scene when the Scooby gang catches Naomi leaving. I think it was almost because it was our last week on set for that episode, and everybody’s energy was up. So I think that it’s just so great, because I love those people so much and the relationship that we have. I’ll look at Aidan, and I’ll start laughing or something like that. So that was the only time I broke, but it was just because we’ve gotten so close that I know that [they] bring joy to me. So those scenes were really fun to film.

Brutus

We finally get to see Naomi have a big showdown with Brutus. How do you think that that changed Naomi as a character? It feels like kind of the most significant kind of superhero fight that she’s had yet.

Yeah, It’s significant in a way where it’s not super physically-significant. You’ve seen her do super speed. You’ve seen her do this big blast. But I think that it’s definitely the most significant fight that she’s had — not physically — because she’s able to see the hero within herself, and she’s been fighting this battle this whole season. It’s just been her denying it. It’s been her not believing in herself. But now when she figures out that she can beat the most powerful person that she’s ever come into contact with, ever heard about. [The person] who killed her parents — who she thinks killed her parents. She sees [the power] within herself and sees that she is able to do it. At first, he scares her, because she thinks she can’t. But in the end, she realizes that she can.

Excited

Speaking to what you were saying about Naomi’s personal journey of coming into terms of her abilities and her role as a superhero — what are you most excited to see viewers respond to with regards to that storyline? 

I’m really excited for viewers to see a scene where she really settles into herself. It’s probably the car scene with Zumbado, Dee, and Naomi. Dee was the first person to ever tell her who she is. And there, with Dee and Zumbado, as they’re united, that becomes her chosen family. I’m really excited for people just to see that scene, to see different sides of each character, and then also see Dee leaving. Well, not leaving, but just leaving in that circumstance right now. They become so close, and to see that, and then also to see her relationship with Zumbado become so close — I’m really excited for people to see that scene.

Parents

I do have to ask about the twist with Greg and Jennifer because, as you said, it’s so different from the comics, and it’s such an interesting note to kind of leave the season on. When did you first find out about that part of the storyline, and what was your reaction to it?

I’ve known about that the whole time.

Oh, wow.

I had lunch with Miss Ava in LA, before I had booked the role. I was testing for the role, and I guess her telling me this was definitely a good sign of me booking the role, because you don’t tell somebody this if you think that they’re not. [laughs[ So I first heard about that, and heard that her parents weren’t good from Miss Ava while I was still testing for the role. I hadn’t gotten it. And then, when we were shooting a pilot in Atlanta, Jill Blankenship told me more about the fact that her parents kidnapped her, and they’re not good people and they killed her birth parents. I knew about that, but she was like, “You cannot tell anyone.” That was the thing. So I had to keep the secret from my cast members and from everybody, up until it was revealed in the script.

Reading that scene for the first time, and reading how Naomi really has to see that her parents are — they’re crazy. She has to come to terms with the fact that she’s lived with these people for 16 years, and their intentions aren’t [good] intentions.

That’s so interesting that you knew about it from the jump. I never would’ve expected that. How was it to have to play with that aspect, knowing that in the back of your mind but not letting it show on screen at all? Was that kind of a struggle?

It wasn’t a struggle, because I kind of blocked it out in my mind. I also didn’t know when it was going to come — Jill didn’t tell me if it was going to come in the middle. She didn’t tell me if it was going to come in Episode 2. She didn’t tell me if it was going to come at the end. So I was always kind of waiting for it.

But actually, more than anything, it helps to build this relationship where you think that they’re so close, and she trusts them so much. I remember we were shooting a scene in Episode 4, and it was the episode where they find out that she’s a superhero and that she has powers, even though they’ve known her whole life, but you find out. They start acting very weird, and I remember doing a scene in the kitchen, and I told DeMane Davis, who was directing that scene, “I don’t want her to seem upset with her parents. I want her to seem like things are weird, but I don’t want her to be seen upset with her parents.” Because even from the pilot, they have this almost perfect relationship where you look at them and you’re like, “This is just so untrue. How can you have a relationship with your parents and a teenage girl that is just so perfect?” And then you realize that it’s not perfect and it’s a facade, especially from the parents.

Season 2

If the show gets a second season, what are you most excited to explore with her as a character?

I think what I’m most excited for her to explore is her independence. In this season, she’s learning. She has to go do training with Dee. She has to lean on other people a lot. But I would be really interested in seeing her being independent, in the sense of just her being independent — maybe a little bit away — from her parents. Being independent, knowing that she’s a hero and not needing anyone’s words to tell her that she is, And also just relationship independent, too. I would like to also see how she is like that. I’d be really interested to see just her independence and her coming into her own superhero.

Costume

Are you hoping that, if you get a season two, that will lead to the costume?

I think that the costume in the comics is great, so I would be super excited to see that. But I also know that Naomi is a different hero, and I know that Miss Ava and Jill always have something really smart under her pocket. So I think, not forcing that on her in this season, and letting her [come into her own as a hero] because she truly has to realize that she’s a hero before she does any of that.

Crossover

Now that you’ve played Naomi for a season, what would be your dream crossover within the DC world?

Well, if Supergirl was still around, definitely Kara. But currently, I would definitely say The Flash. I geeked out when I got to do the running in Episode 11, the prom episode, when I got to do the super speed. I remember I watched a video of Grant Gustin, maybe it four years ago, running on a treadmill for The Flash. I thought that that was the coolest thing ever, that that actually was before what came out of the screen. So I would definitely say The Flash.

Oh, wait! And of course, Superman. Am I kidding? That was Kaci’s dream crossover, but Naomi’s dream crossover would 100% be Superman.

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The first season of Naomi will be available to stream on HBO Max on a later date.