Interviews
Interview: Jessica Parker Kennedy Previews Tonight’s “Impulsive Excessive” Flash Return
Interview with Jessica Parker Kennedy who discusses tonight’s Flash return episode “Impulsive Excessive Disorder”
Published
3 years agoon
![](https://flashtvnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/FLA806b_0224r.jpg)
The Flash is back on a new night tonight – Wednesdays at 8PM starting March 9 – and in addition to the show being back, Barry and Iris’ kids Nora and Bart are also returning! “Impulsive Excessive Disorder” pretty much picks up where the Season 7 finale left off, and we see what happens when Nora and Bart go back to the future!
To promote the episode, FlashTVNews was able to speak with Jessica Parker Kennedy who has played Nora a.k.a. XS on the series for several seasons now. You can read the interview below!
FLASHTVNEWS’ CRAIG BYRNE: It is safe to say something is wrong when Nora and Bart get back to the future?
JESSICA PARKER KENNEDY: I think it’s safe to say that, for sure. It’s definitely a sense of like, “oh, crap, let’s panic now and figure out how we can fix this!” Something is definitely wrong.
How has the dynamic of doing the show changed with Nora now having a brother?
It’s her having a brother, but then also being a different version of herself, a version where she was raised with her father, she was raised from when she was a child knowing she had powers, and her relationship is better with her mother. So ultimately, she’s a lot more secure in herself. It’s a lot more about proving to herself that she can save the day as opposed to like, proving herself to her dad or her mom. And with Bart, she has a tremendous amount of love and respect for Bart, and she wants to keep him safe. There’s also definitely an element of like “why are you so impulsive? This is not practical. This is high risk for us.” I think she wishes she could keep a tight leash on her brother, but he definitely isn’t about to let that happen.
What is it like working with Jordan Fisher?
He is delightful. He’s one of the busiest, most high-energy, high-vibration people that I’ve ever met. Unlike Bart, he’s not a particularly impulsive person. He’s someone that is grown up and he’s able to think things through before he does them, but he definitely is a lot like Bart, just in terms of his enthusiasm… his enthusiasm about life in general, and staying busy, and doing a lot, ad having fun. And he’s a wonderful, kind, very special person.
Can you talk about this journey back to the past and what they see there?
This is farther than they’ve gone back before. We get to see a character from the pilot who used to be around, which is very cool, which was very surreal for me filming it… I got to sort of be a part of the OG crew, which is really neat. So they definitely get to see very special moments that I think the audience are going to really love, with a true “blast from the past” moment. I think they’re going to really enjoy it.
Can you talk about the outfits the two of you are wearing in the past?
I know that my idea of my outfit was to blend in as much as possible, of course, and Bart’s idea of blending is not the same as mine. I make a comment that he’s gone back to more like 1882, or something like that. He’s just a bit ridiculous. But you know Bart… he’s forever confident in his choices.
What was it like to meet and finally work with Rick Cosnett?
Oh, he’s such a honey. I really love him. He’s just a gentle, lovely, kind, compassionate person. We got along instantly, and I wish I could work with him all the time. I would love it if he was in another episode, and we got to work together again, because he’s just lovely.
Are you able to say if you’ll be in more episodes beyond this one this season?
Anything is possible on the show. Maybe there’s a reason for them to come back and have to sort of pick up more pieces yet again. It’s very hard when you futz with the timeline; things never quite go back exactly the way they’re supposed to.
Shouldn’t Iris be about to give birth to Nora sometime soon?
That’s a really good question. I thought that would be a really cool episode, with Nora in the past hanging out with her mom while she was pregnant. That would be a really trippy episode. I think you should pitch that. I would love that.
How might Nora respond to seeing herself as a baby?
I think she just thinks she was the cutest baby that ever lived. Nora would be the kind of person that would be like, “oh, can I babysit myself?” I think she would think it was the neatest thing ever.
Would she also say “can you please not let Bart babysit for me?”
100%. She would say “don’t let Bart anywhere near me.” It’s a baby. Absolutely. Nora definitely loves and respects her brother, bit there’s an element of her that like “he will accidentally burn the whole house down.” There’s definitely that anxiety and fear that she has when it comes to her brother, for sure.
Since getting the role of Nora a few years ago, have you seeked out any of the XS comic book stories?
I have. I actually had one of the comics that I auctioned off for a charity that I worked with, and it was so cool, seeing this early 90s version of her with her funky ponytail ND biker shorts that she has.I don’t know a ton about her storylines through the comics, but I certainly know what she looked like, And it’s just crazy to me that I get to play a character that was in a comic book to begin with. I know we’ve changed it – it’s certainly not exactly the same on the show as it is in the comics, but it’s still neat to be a part of something that was on paper first.
If Eric Wallace came to you and said “we’d like to spin off Nora and Bart,” would you want to do it?
I think with anything in terms of my career, if it was the right time and the right story, I would say yes to anything that made sense for me to deal with; if all of the elements happened perfectly at the same time. It’s certainly a neat idea. I think there’s definitely an audience for that; we’ve had some really good feedback with with Nora and Bart together. So it would depend on a whole bunch of factors. But I’m open to to most things, if it sounded fun and it made sense.
What has been your biggest takeaway from the experience of doing this series?
I think it just feels really special to become a family member on a show that was so established already. I very much feel like Nora is a big part of the show and very much in the gang, and that’s a really nice feeling. From the first day I was ever on that set, I was very much welcomed with open arms by every single person I worked with. I’ve never had an uncomfortable day there, so I very much feel like a part of the Flash family, and that’s a pretty, pretty big honor.
What do you have to say to the fans about why they should tune in on Wednesday night?
It’s a really a lovely, delightful episode. The stakes are always high. There’s definitely some serious stuff that is going on, but it’s a really special, sort of offbeat, off-brand episode, I think, for for the show. Maybe not off-brand, but it’s very much Bart and Nora carrying the episode, and they’re having their own little adventure. That’s a uniqueness that we haven’t seen before on the show. I also think the fans will like the the sort of “blast from the past.” They get to go pretty far back into the past, and I think that’ll be really fun.
Our thanks to Jessica Parker Kennedy for doing this interview! Photos from tonight’s episode “Impulsive Excessive Disorder” can be found here.
Interviews
The Flash: Speaking With Tom Cavanagh Before Tonight’s Finale
Tom Cavanagh discusses his return as the Reverse Flash in the series finale of the Flash airing March 24
Published
1 year agoon
May 24, 2023![](https://flashtvnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/FLA522c_1261b.jpg)
Tom Cavanagh was a part of The Flash from the start, first playing Harrison Wells-but-actually-the Reverse Flash, and then giving us a myriad of Wells throughout the multiverse. He’s also proven himself to be a fantastic director, helming multiple episodes of The Flash as well as fellow CW superhero staple Superman & Lois. Tonight, he’s back in front of the camera, playing Barry’s arch enemy once again.
FlashTVNews spoke with Tom Cavanagh in the days leading to tonight’s finale, and here are some highlights of that conversation:
How did it feel to be back? “I think the emotions are probably very different for somebody like myself or Carlos Valdes who decided to leave after Season 6; myself with the knowledge that [I have] this parachute of the fact that I play the Reverse Flash and he’s gonna come in every four or five months and blow up Central City and try and kill the Flash. It was a tremendous situation for me, because that’s exactly how it played out. I got to come back, and see my friends, and put on the suit, and enjoy that. It was just a grand circumstance anytime out to see the crew and the cast and put on that suit.”
On the importance of bringing the Reverse Flash back for the series finale: “It was understood that when we got to the series finale, that we have to include the Joker to the Batman; or in this case, Reverse Flash to The Flash.”
Would he like to play Reverse Flash again? “Reverse Flash, for me, was just a joy to play, as an antagonist or arch-enemy. There’s charisma to that character, and I delighted in. I would suit up again in a heartbeat.”
Cavanagh has pitch for a return on a possible Reverse Flash spinoff project. “Here’s my pitch: What if Reverse Flash, with all his villainy, fell for a civilian and then suddenly that complicated his agenda? Where would he go with his paramour, and how would it affect him? Would he then be able to carry through on his designs of destroying Barry? The reason we didn’t do that on The Flash was because you’d need to call that show Reverse Flash. We’ve got The Flash, which I wholeheartedly support. That being said, I think there’s room in the multiverse now that The Flash is over for us to explore that. And so, that’s my pitch for a Reverse Flash spinoff.”
Is Eobard afraid of any of the other speedsters? “Heck no, and that will be readily apparent in the finale.”
Was it fun to play Eobard insulting Eddie and Hunter Zolomon in the finale? “Poor Teddy Sears. Poor Rick Cosnett. Grand humans, all. And then, they roll on camera and it’s just, like, me taking shots. Teddy would quote them back to me a month later and I’d ask ‘who said that?’ ‘You said it!’ It’s so fast and furious, that I can’t keep track sometimes. I have to say, there’s one descriptor for those guys: It’s ‘tolerant’.”
Any final words for the fans who have followed the series for nine years? “I think it’s great that you bring that up, because often times, when a show has run a long time, a lot of the concentration is on the people who are the face of the show on camera, but off camera is the audience. They are the reason we were even given these nine years. It’s never lost on me. I remember [Superman & Lois and former Flash showrunner] Todd Helbing saying this: ‘These people invite us into their homes for an hour a week, and it is such a privilege and a responsibility. We want to let them know that we don’t take it lightly.’ That would be the message that I would like to basically parrot. Certainly, we’re grateful for the audience showing up week after week, which gave us those nine years. And even though I’m sure we didn’t always succeed story wise, it’s important for us to let the audience know that it was not from lack of trying. We understood that they were the reason we were there, and we were always doing our best to try to tell stories that they would enjoy, and keep coming back.”
The Flash series finale airs tonight on The CW.
Interviews
Flashback: Revisiting Our Earliest Flash Cast Interviews
FlashTVNews revisits our earliest interviews with the cast of The Flash.
Published
1 year agoon
May 24, 2023![](https://flashtvnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/wbcomiccon2014_black_4770.jpg)
The final episode of The Flash airs tonight (May 24) at 8PM ET/PT on The CW… and we’re feeling pretty retrospective right now. Sure, we have a new interview with Tom Cavanagh that will be posted this afternoon, but beyond that, we’re thinking about the long run that got us here.
FlashTVNews had the opportunity over the years to interview almost every series regular in the show’s 9-season run, at one time or another. Whether it was at a Comic-Con, a carpet for a crossover, or the very first Flash appearance at the Television Critics Association press tour… we were there. Below you can find some of those interviews, starting from the TCA Press Tour and moving down the list. Sadly, we never did get to do video with such folks as Brandon McKnight, Jon Cor, or Kayla Compton… but if you want to see how the cast was talking about the show in the early days, this may be a treat for you. And again, the series finale “A New World, Part Four” airs tonight at 8PM ET/PT.
Candice Patton (Iris West):
Jesse L. Martin (Joe West):
Tom Cavanagh (Eobard Thawne/Various Wells):
Carlos Valdes (Cisco Ramon):
Rick Cosnett (Eddie Thawne):
Grant Gustin (Barry Allen… the fastest man alive!):
Danielle Panabaker (Caitlin Snow):
John Wesley Shipp (Daddy Flash):
Teddy Sears (Zoom/Jay Garrick/Hunter Zolomon):
Jessica Parker Kennedy (Nora West-Allen):
Keiynan Lonsdale (Wally West):
Danielle Nicolet (The Seal Cecile Horton/Virtue):
Michelle Harrison (Nora WHY DID I SAY THAT NAME):
Patrick Sabongui (Captain Singh):
Interviews
The Flash: Eric Wallace Would Be Open To Continuing The Story
Flash Showrunner Eric Wallace discusses the possibility of Flash audio adventures after the series is done.
Published
1 year agoon
May 20, 2023![](https://flashtvnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/FLA905b_0144r.jpeg)
Could there be a continuation of The Flash after Wednesday’s final episode? It’s possible.
Before he landed on The Flash, Showrunner Eric Wallace had been involved with Big Finish Productions’ audio continuations of the classic gothic TV soap Dark Shadows, having written or co-written three stories for the studio. Stories like the ones told by Big Finish can keep a franchise alive – they were the leading source of new Doctor Who stories during the “wilderness years” between the 1996 Paul McGann TV movie and Christopher Eccleston’s debut in 2005’s “Rose.”
When we spoke with Eric Wallace prior to the launch of The Flash Season 9 earlier this year (well before the current writers’ strike), we asked him if he’d have any interest in writing Flash audio adventures one day, and in addition, which character from Dark Shadows lore he would “borrow” to meet Team Flash if he ever could, a very nerdy question that might only be understood by a fraction of the audience reading this website.
“Yes, I would love to,” he confirmed. “Not immediately.. give me a year off, I need a break… but I would love to write a Flash audio adventure at some point in the future, to tell the stories that I wasn’t able to tell during this particular moment.”
As for the second part of the question, asked only for fun? “I already know what the answer is, but I’m gonna qualify it: I would want to bring over Barnabas Collins, but I think the more appropriate character to come on to this show is Quentin, because Quentin is a man out of time, much moreso than Barnabas is. Barnabas was locked in a coffin and then woke up after 200 years and is dealing with past baggage, so obviously, he would have a lot to talk about with Barry Allen. But Quentin is a man of the past who was thrust into modern times, and actually starts to adjust, but a curse follows him, so he can’t ever have a future, so seems to me that there’s a definite story between Quentin and Iris, right there.”
And that’s not all: “Having said that, Julia [Dr. Julia Hoffman] and Reverend Trask are my next two favorites. I have to sneak them in too somehow,” he said, making us wonder why we never managed to get the actors David Selby or Jerry Lacy on The Flash TV show as Max Mercury or a character in that vein.
In the months since this interview was conducted, Grant Gustin has also addressed his Flash future beyond May 24:
“I think regardless of if I put the suit on again or not – and I love this – I’ll be associated with this character for the rest of my life, so if anybody wants to call me about The Flash, I will take the phone call and hear them out,” Grant said in a recent interview with EW.
Maybe this means May 24 won’t be the end after all…
![](https://flashtvnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/flashclassicbluray-80x80.jpeg)
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