More than a year after finishingThe FlashTV show on The CW,DCstar Grant Gustin is opening up about his Arrowverse legacy. WhileThe Flashseriesbecame one of the all-time most successful shows inthe Arrowverse timeline, there was a lot of pressure for the show’s leading man. After starring in a long-running series that lasted nearly a decade, Gustin has reflected about how it felt to get that gig back in 2013.
On the latest episode of Katee Sackhoff’sThe Sackhoff Show, Gustin appeared as a guest, serving as a reunion between the formerThe FlashTV stars. During his interview,Gustin mentioned how he is still dealing with imposter syndrome about being tapped to portray the fastest man alive in the Arrowverse franchise,sharing the following:
I didn’t want to audition for the show because I thought I had no chance at getting it and then I got it. I still to, this day, feel I don’t know why it was me that got to do it.I still have imposter syndrome about the fact that I [got it] and I did it for ten years! And that manifested itself in all kinds of ways [at first] along with how hard the schedule was and being insecure about not feeling like I’m good a lot of the time. I was stressed a lot those first few years and really tired. [I] was not always the best version of myself - I feel like for the first…because it was a grind, it was nine and a half months [filming the] season, I was basically alone in Canada, it was my whole life. So there was no balance at all.
Grant Gustin Reveals His Early Over-Confidence In The Flash’s Success
Throughout his episode onThe Sackhoff Show, Gustin also took the opportunity to share what his mindset was when he first got started withThe FlashTV show. After making his debut inArrowseason 2,Gustin, who was in his mid-twenties when getting tapped to play Barry Allen, shared with Sackhoff that he felt very confident thatThe Flashwould run for quite a while. According to Gustin, knowing that the Scarlet Speedster was a massively iconic DC Comics hero, he held high hopes for how the Arrowverse would drama play out:
I think I was naive [to] the fact that it was going to run a long time. The contract we signed was six years, and I was like, ‘We’ll do six years!’ Because I didn’t know what I was doing, and I didn’t know that’s not like a thing that you should assume.But Arrow was popular, and it [The Flash] was a spin-off of that, and no offense to the character of Arrow, but we were about to make The Flash!It’s a little bit more well-known.
However, even with the massive recognition behind The Flash in the DC canon,Gustin clarified that he was also very aware that his CW series would present more challenges thanArrow. Gustin admitted thatThe Flash’sbiggest obstacle was trying to deal with a super-speeding protagonist, which made crafting storylines, at times, trickier to figure out without makingthe DC TV showtoo simple. For the Arrowverse lead, who was also working with established actors like Jesse L. Martin, Gustin revealed that he came to learn more to manage his expectations:
I also understood that’s going to be a little harder, and it was over the years, to keep it interesting and to tell a story about the fastest man alive and that’s a complicated power for TV and it creates a lot of struggles with plot to keep it consistent and realistic and interesting.And we did struggle with that over the years, but I was like, ‘If Arrow’s popular, we’re going to be popular.’ And I just remember Jesse Martin being like, ‘Bro, that’s not how it works. We’re lucky if we get renewed this year!’ [laughs] Even then, hearing that from someone like Jesse, that I trusted and respected, I was like ‘We’re fine!’
Our Take On Grant Gustin’s The Flash Comments
Everything Gustin shared with Sackhoff shows that working on the series all the way tillThe Flashseason 9came with a lot of lessons and growth for the actor.His time withThe Flashhas also allowed Gustin to navigate his career, and help inform him about what to expect as he takes on new gigs in the future. While time will tell if Gustin will ever reprise his role fromThe Flash, the Arrowverse audience can always relive the entire series through Blu-ray/DVD and streaming.
The Flash
Cast
The Flash follows CSI investigator Barry Allen, who wakes from a coma with super speed after a lightning strike. Collaborating with S.T.A.R. Labs, he adopts the identity of The Flash to safeguard his city, marking his journey as the Fastest Man Alive in this superhero tale.
