Posted in: Flash, Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: kiersey clemons, the flash movie

Kiersey Clemons On The Tough Road Getting The Flash To The Finish Line

The Flash star Kiersey Clemons talks about her experience in the DCU saying that it all "made me cry more than it made me smile."

The Flash had a very long and messy road to theaters, so it makes sense that the box office has been messy now that the film is finally out. It isn't surprising to hear that the experience for the actors involved wasn't exactly perfect either. There were many ups and downs and false starts when it came to The Flash, and then even more drama once the film was made and was trying to get released. Kiersey Clemons talks about coming onto the project to play Iris West and how she specifically came on to work with director Rick Famuyiwa whom she had worked with before on Dope. Famuyiwa was the second director to try and come onto the project but ended up leaving due to the visions not lining up with what DC wanted at the time. Clemons spoke to Nylon about wanting to do The Flash because of Famuyiwa and auditioning with Ezra Miller.

"I specifically wanted to do The Flash because I felt safe and respected being led by Rick in such a big world," she recalls. "When I read with Ezra… In the audition, we're sitting on a rooftop, taking in a sunset. It was this dance where at the end, I just laid my head on Ezra's shoulder. At the same time, they were going to lean their head, and it was this moment where all of us in the room were like, 'Oh, wow, this is magical. Make this Iris West and Barry Allen.'"

All that promise started to fall apart as the film began to run into trouble. Once it became apparent that Justice League was going to be recut and everything started to fall apart as a veiled attempt to course-correct any issues people had with Batman v Superman mid-production, did things start to get worse for Clemons. As more and more directors were signed onto The Flash and then walked away from the production and there were so many re-writes, she talked about the recasting rumors that started to pop up, which hurt more than her scenes getting cut from Justice League. 

"I was freaked out because, at one point, there were rumors going around online that I was getting recast, which is humiliating," she says. "It was more embarrassing and hurtful than getting cut out of Justice League, which I was able to understand more than the rumors of being recast. They had to cut the movie down; that's how it goes. With The Flash, I was so young and was so excited, and the director that I was supposed to be on with was gone. And so, I felt dismissed and replaceable."

Clemons scenes were eventually restored in Zack Snyder's Justice League, and The Flash made it to the big screen last month. While that might seem like a good thing, Clemons admits that the entire experience has not exactly been something that has left her with good memories citing that this "made me cry more than it made me smile."

"Now that the movie's out, I feel like for the last nearly 10 years; I've just been smiling and giving so much grace. I think it was to protect my peace of mind. Now I can finally say and admit this whole thing made me cry more than it made me smile. I think I only smiled over this thing at the premiere."

Things with The Flash were always going to be messy, but to hear that the cast was impacted by all of this stuff just as much is really sad to hear. There are always nightmare productions, but that isn't something that is usually sitting in a holding pattern for years like this one was. In fact, that holding pattern was so apparent that Clemons joked to the reporter at Nylon that she thought The Flash was cursed, saying, "I mean, from my perspective, someone was over there mixing potions. Something was happening." If the film is indeed cursed, we can consider these box office numbers to be the killing blow to a production that has left seemingly everyone involved worse off.

The Flash: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Warner Bros. Pictures presents The Flash, directed by Andy Muschietti (the IT films, Mama). Ezra Miller reprises their role as Barry Allen in the DC Super Hero's first-ever standalone feature film. Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he's looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry's only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?

The Flash ensemble also includes rising star Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon (Bullet Train, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), Ron Livingston (Loudermilk, The Conjuring), Maribel Verdú (Elite, Y tu mamá también), Kiersey Clemons (Zack Snyder's Justice League, Sweetheart), Antje Traue (King of Ravens, Man of Steel) and Michael Keaton (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Batman). It's in theaters now.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!