Kiersey Clemons was first cast to play Iris West in The Flash back in 2016, and over half a decade later, she’s finally made her theatrical debut as the character in the long-awaited DC movie. This follows two years after Clemons was first seen playing Iris in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which was originally released exclusively to Max subscribers. However, while the actress’ overall experience on Justice League wasn’t exactly a cakewalk given how she was cut from the theatrical version, there was an element with The Flash that ultimately made this project more “humiliating for her.”
When Clemons was added to The Flash, director Rick Famuyiwa, whom she’d previously worked with on 2015’s Dope, was attached to helm the Scarlet Speedster’s solo movie, having succeeded Seth Grahame-Smith in the position. Towards the end of 2017 though, Famuyiwa left The Flash due to creative differences, and it was at this point that Clemons started hearing that someone else might replace her as Iris. She explained to Nylon:
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.
Like Willem Dafoe, Ryan Zheng and more, Kiersey Clemons was among the actors who was removed from Justice League’s theatrical cut following Zack Snyder leaving the production and Joss Whedon taking over for extensive reshoots. By this point, The Flash not only wasn’t going to make its 2018 release, it was also undated on the upcoming DC movies calendar, and would remain that way until Andy Muschietti was hired as director. So there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding The Flash during this time, and unfortunately for Clemons, she found herself questioning whether she’d be in the movie at all. That combined with not getting to team with Famuyiwa again was worse for her than learning she wouldn’t be seen in Justice League.
Fortunately, by March 2021, just a week before Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released, it was reported that Clemons would still appear in The Flash. A little over two years later, The Flash has finally arrived in theaters, nearly a decade after the DCEU incarnation of the project was announced, and following years worth of controversy surrounding Ezra Miller, its lead actor. With so many complications, the actress expressed relief in the interview that this movie is finally behind her, saying:
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.
Clemons also joked that she’s been telling people that The Flash is cursed, saying that from her perspective, “someone was over there mixing potions. Something was happening.” Given The Flash’s underwhelming box office performance and the DC Universe Chapter One slate ushering in a new shared continuity, the odds aren’t looking good right now for the actress to reprise Iris West in The Flash 2. Which is a shame, because she didn’t have much screen time in the first movie, and since Andy Muschiett has confirmed Ezra Miller would lead the sequel if it’s greenlit, it would be nice to see Barry Allen and Iris develop a deeper relationship like they have in the comics.
For those interested in Kiersey Clemons’ wider body of work, she also starred in the movie Somebody I Used to Know and the TV show Swarm, both of which were released to Amazon Prime Video subscribers earlier this year. Looking ahead, her upcoming projects include Susie Searches, Praise Petey, The Young Wife and Godzilla and the Titans. Keep track of what lays ahead on the cinematic front with our 2023 release schedule and 2024 release schedule.
