The Flash's Victoria Park Says the Cast Was Emotionally Exhausted After the Midseason Finale and Crisis
Victoria Park, the actress who plays Kamilla Hwang on The Flash, might not have appeared in the [...]
Victoria Park, the actress who plays Kamilla Hwang on The Flash, might not have appeared in the epic "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover (although Kamilla did get a name-drop), but she did join the rest of the series' cast in being somewhat exhausted after the back-to-back weeks of shooting a two-part midseason finale followed by the Crisis crossover. Her character, a former bartender who ended up ensconced in Flash family drama after she started dating Cisco (Carlos Valdes), was well and truly part of Iris West-Allen's team of reporters by the time the two-part "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen" aired in December.
She said that besides the physical toll that the crossover takes on the series regulars, the emotional stakes of the episodes -- that Barry (Grant Gustin) was facing his imminent death -- were daunting. Staying in that headspace for weeks at a time, she said, was a draining experience for everybody.
"I think they're more ready for it because all of the other series regulars, they had been doing crossover episodes since forever," Park told ComicBook.com. "And so, while this one is the biggest not only because of having an extra show, but then also story-wise, I think everyone's just been prepared. Every year has been bigger and bigger and bigger, and so everyone takes it in stride and keeps it professional. It was definitely insane, and as far as the emotional toll, having to be in those emotional places for so many weeks, after finishing all of those two episodes and then the crossover episode, everyone was like 'We need a vacation.'"
In the two-part midseason finale, which heavily featured Park, Ramsey Rosso (Sendhil Ramamurthy) made his move to defeat death -- by taking over The Flash and using his powers to fend off the other heroes while he hatched a scheme to infect everyone in Central City with a pathogen that would allow him to live in their bodies. Bloodwork's "zombies" were a staple of the two-parter, and there was some genuinely cool and creepy imagery, both from Barry's time under the influence of Bloodwork and from creepy stuff like a family dinner where everyone was oozing black, blood-like goop from their faces.
"It was definitely crazy to be a part of but really fun, at the same time," Park said. "To be a part of something, and feel like we are making something that's going to be really epic, as far as story is concerned, and then watching those episodes later and seeing how I feel. Everyone pulled it off really well, that makes it worth it. It's crazy, but I think the payoff is worth it."
The Flash returns with new episodes on Tuesday, February 4th at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
