One of Ezra Miller's co-stars from The Flash shared how painful the experience was making the new DCU movie.
Amidst countless reasons for The Flash's massive theatrical delay, Miller's legal issues were chief among them as the troubled actor repeatedly found themselves in the middle of one controversial event or another.
And even while producers Barbara and Andy Muschietti made it clear that they never had plans to replace Miller as the Scarlet Speedster, the actor's problems were consistently a talking point as the film finally made its way to the big screen.
The Flash Actress Gets Honest About Making Movie
Speaking with Nylon, The Flash star Kiersey Clemons got honest about her experience making the movie with Warner Bros.
Clemons recalled consistently having to discuss the controversy surrounding co-star Ezra Miller, explaining how she had "to answer questions that aren’t [hers]" and how she wasn't going to do something like that "without consent" from those associated with Miller:
"I’m having to not just go through my personal experience of Ezra being my friend, but then also having to answer questions that aren’t mine. I’m not going to do that in the media unless it’s asked of me by someone who’s been hurt by that person’s actions. Otherwise, I’m speaking on something that isn’t mine without consent. I was getting asked before I was given permission, and also, no one [of Miller’s accusers] has given me permission to speak on their experience with Ezra."
This all comes on top of countless other reasons that The Flash faced delays, with the film originally set to hit theaters in April 2018.
Clemons admitted that for the last decade, she's "been smiling and giving so much grace" in order to keep her own peace of mind intact, even noting that the painful experience brought many more tears than smiles:
"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."
The actress even joked that there was some potion mixing or spell-casting going on behind the scenes considering how insane the entire production was:
"I mean, from my perspective, someone was over there mixing potions. Something was *happening.*"
After Rick Famuyiwa left his post as The Flash's director (one of the numerous director changes), Clemons wasn't even sure if she would actually still play her role as Iris West, with rumors about her potential recast being somewhat "humiliating" for her.
Even though she was cut out of the theatrical cut of Justice League, she was able to handle that better than her experience with The Flash, with those rumors making her feel "dismissed and replaceable:"
"I was freaked out because at one point, there were rumors going around online that I was getting recast, which is humiliating. 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."
The Struggles With Making DC's The Flash
It's no secret that making The Flash came with more than its fair share of challenges for Warner Bros., as Kiersey Clemons noted in November 2021 that "it felt weird" and "it didn't feel real" actually completing production.
She even noted more recently that watching Ezra Miller endure so much criticism through their controversy felt "really unfair" and that it was "hard watching that" for so long before The Flash hit the big screen.
Clemons isn't the only actor from this movie to comment on how difficult it was to watch the Miller scenario unfold, with Zod actor Michael Shannon also admitting that it was "difficult to talk about" after enjoying his experience with the leading actor.
And with the entire landscape of the DC Universe now set to change under new DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, Clemons' time with the franchise may be over, although this experience surely won't be one she forgets.
The Flash is now playing in theaters worldwide.
