Although actor Keiynan Lonsdale did not originally audition for Wally West on The CW's The Flash, he ended up landing what is possibly the role of a lifetime. In DC Comics, Wally is actually the superhero Kid Flash and grows up to become the next version of The Flash.
Of course, West is still a new character on the series, but all signs point to an eventual reveal of a potential new speedster: not only does the character have a need for speed (including an involvement with illegal street car racing), but he's also the son of Joe West, who's part of the team behind The Flash.
We spoke to Lonsdale about his role on the series and what viewers can expect from Wally in the future.
How did you get the role of Wally West on The Flash?
I first auditioned for the role of Firestorm on Legends of Tomorrow, and maybe about a week or two after that, I received a call saying that the producers from The Flash wanted me to come in and read for the role of Wally West. And that was kind of it. And I went in, maybe three or four times, until my final audition where I read with Candice Patton. And yeah, it kind of went from there.
When you were cast as Wally West on the series, were you familiar with the comic book character, and how did that affect your take on the role?
I hadn't read the comics before auditioning, but when they told me it was for Wally West, I did my research and I found out who Kid Flash was. It's been cool because I did some research and I get to know a character that has a lot of history and be on a show that's doing so well, it's been really awesome.
Comic book fans tend to get a little crazy when it comes to casting live-action superheroes. What kind of response have you seen since you took on Wally so far?
Well, it's been really cool. It's been mostly positive. I think this character has a lot of fans because they grew up with him being The Flash. It means a lot to them. I think most people were really excited. As with anything, there was also some negative that came along the way, but I don't really take too much of that too seriously. It was mostly fine. I think, also, obviously, they cast Wally as a mixed race character: that kind of fostered a bit of discussion among a lot of fans, which, I think, is good: some people agreed with it, some people disagreed with it. But for the most part, people were really supportive.
Wally has a complicated relationship with Iris and Joe, especially because of the drag racing. How will those relationships progress this season?
I think you'll see Iris really coming head to head with Wally, them kind of competing — their energy: they're both very strong-minded people, and with Iris being a reporter, she sees danger in that and she doesn't want that for her brother. And he's also not ready to have a big sister to tell him what to do. So that creates some interesting moments. It's fun to play: hopefully, it's as fun to watch.
Wally isn't really the biggest fan of Joe. He's not going to be for Joe being out of the picture his entire life. But at the same time, we see that they're going to work together on that. And they're going to take it really slow and, I guess, start out as friends.
What about Wally's relationship with Barry? How will we see that coming about this season?
The relationship with Wally and Barry: it's not pleasant. Wally really sees that Barry is in his place, and he's not necessarily afraid of making that known. But eventually, obviously, the goal is to have them work together in the future. It's been a cool ride as we're filming stuff now: we're getting to where our characters are coming across one another more and more and so it will be a good progression. I think it will be quite interesting for the fans to watch.
What's it been like working with the cast of The Flash?
It's so awesome. It's really rare to join a cast, especially a cast that already has their own dynamic, and for everyone to be really amazing and friendly and kind — I don't want to take that for granted. I feel very lucky to have joined such a good group of people and they made me feel really welcome, even some of the cast that I haven't got to work with as much. Everyone's just super cool, and it feels like an actual family. It's great.
So in the comics, Wally becomes Kid Flash and then later, The Flash. Will we see your version of the character suit up anytime soon?
I hope so. My honest answer is that I really don't know. I would imagine that, and I hope that I get to know something about it soon, but things are being kept pretty under wraps, even with me. But I'm sure the day I do try on my suit, I'll probably be posting some kind of big smile on my social media: that will probably be the hint.
The Flash airs on The CW on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST.
