The Flash’s Candice Patton Talks Romance, Breaking Barriers, and the Daunting Task of Fame

Earlier this month, the following tweet popped up in my feed: “I wish that @JRadloff would interview @candicekp – no one would survive the charm overloads but man would it be worth it #TheFlash #IrisWest.” Little did any of us know at the time, but that simple tweet picked up so much steam that within hours, hundreds of Candice Patton’s fans were tweeting us to make the interview happen.

So, we made it happen. During a rare break in her shooting schedule from CW’s The Flash, Candice was able to make it to Los Angeles last week (from Vancouver), where we sat down for lunch at Joan’s on Third in Studio City. It wasn’t our first meeting (we have Warner Bros. to thank for that), but it was our first time really getting a chance to know each other and hear about Candice’s incredible rise to fame. It was also the kind of lunch usually reserved for your best girlfriends. At one point, yours truly’s digital audio recorder fell into Candice’s water (thank goodness I had my iPhone for audio backup!). After that debacle, I had the coordination of a newborn…I couldn’t even eat a forkful of fruit before I dropped it into the street. Candice started laughing so hard she almost choked on her chicken—it’s amazing the two of us came out of this lunch alive.

With that said, the Mississippi-born/Texas-raised actress and I bonded, so I wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s smart, savvy, sweet, and exactly the kind of leading lady the industry needs more of. Candice confessed that she’d love to follow in the footsteps of Zoe Saldana, and you better believe she’s well on her way. And to the fans, thank you for bringing us together—this interview is for you!

Glamour: What moments really shaped your career?

Candice Patton: I remember being interested in theater when I was in school, but I wasn’t always engaged in making it a career. I was a cheerleader in Texas, but I tore my ACL, so I was out for the rest of the season. That’s when I started putting more of my passion into theater. In college, CBS’ Young and the Restless did a nationwide casting search for a new male and female to join the show. They came to SMU and ended up picking me. So after I finished, the casting director said, “We’d love for you to stay on the show, what do you think?” I said I wanted to go back to school and finish my degree, but I’d contact her when I came back to LA. As soon as I graduated, I moved to LA and got in touch with her. She was teaching an acting class, and that’s how it started.

Glamour: Were you able to get back on Young and the Restless then?

Candice: No, because she left the show by then. I took her classes and met some actor friends, and one of them took me in to meet the manager that reps Taraji P. Henson, Halle Berry, and others. Basically, great leading ladies, especially African-American leading ladies. She walked me into his office and said, “You need to sign this girl, she’s going to be something.” And he did. I’m still with him today, and it’s those people that have really shaped my career out here.

Glamour: David Rapaport, the casting director for the CW, said that for the part of Iris West, they originally tested Scream Queens‘ Keke Palmer and Ciara Renee, who they eventually cast as Kendra Saunders in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Did you know that?

Candice: I knew that after the fact. There was one audition I went in for and Jordin Sparks was in the waiting room, and I thought, “What am I doing here?!” It was a time where I had tested for so many roles. I had gone in for How to Get Away With Murder and that didn’t go, and you just get to the point where you kind of burn out and don’t know if you can hear no anymore. Finally, The Flash just stuck.

Glamour: What was your audition for The Flash like?

Candice: The first time I did it, I felt like I bombed. There was a line about Channing Tatum, and I couldn’t remember his name to save my life. I just kept [messing it up], so I hope I’m in a movie one day with Channing! I will never forget his name! But yeah, I thought it was dead in the water, and it just happened that it was so early in the casting process, so a month or two later they brought me back in to read with Grant and do a chemistry read with him. Within two days, I booked it. It was kind of crazy.

Glamour: I heard you tickled him in the audition. True?

Candice: Yes. There was something about when I was reading the sides that Iris and Barry had this close relationship, and it’s hard when you’ve never met an actor before. How do you recreate that in two minutes in an audition? In that moment, the only thing I could think of to make him smile or laugh was to physically grab him and tickle him. They loved it because they thought it was really charming. That’s one of the few times it works to touch someone! [Laughs]

Glamour: You are absolutely stunning, but I heard that you don’t like photo shoots.

Candice: I hate them. I have my insecurities, and some days you don’t want to be photographed. You notice all of your flaws even if others don’t notice them. Photo shoots also feel very vain because it’s all about you and your looks and your face. I feel I work better on camera. Even when fans come up to me on the street for a photo, I’d almost rather go for coffee with them instead. [Laughs]. It’s the God’s honest truth! There’s an expectation that people have of you to look a certain way because you’re on TV, and I don’t look like that every day. So it can be very daunting.

Glamour: This might be my favorite fun fact of all: You worked at Bubba Gump Shrimp, but you quit after two days because you hated memorizing the names of shrimp.

Candice: There’s so many shrimp names on that menu! And here’s the thing: I don’t care about shrimp! I remember when they were testing me about the shrimp, what’s on the shrimp, how the shrimp is prepared, what’s it marinated with, and I remember thinking, “I hate this. I can’t do this, I quit.” Didn’t even make it through training! [Laughs] That was one of those moments that you realize you have to make [acting for a living] work because I couldn’t [memorize shrimp for a living]. I can not spend my life learning about shrimp!

Glamour: But how do you know when to walk away from something? So often we’re told to hang in there, tough it out, but at what point do you say no?

Candice: Yeah, that’s tricky. Listen, I had money in my bank account at the time. If I didn’t, I probably would have kept that job. But I had commercial money—not a lot, but enough to pay my rent and get groceries. I said, “Candice, if you can just book a commercial every month or every two months…just something, and sustain the life you have now, then do that instead of trying to live a life out here that you don’t necessarily want or need.” I think for me, with acting, it was always something I knew I wanted to do, and anything that wasn’t in line with that goal was very easy to walk away from.

Glamour: Was there an actor that you looked up to when you were younger?

Candice: Lucille Ball. Every night I would watch I Love Lucy before I went to bed. There was something so charismatic and charming about her, and I remember thinking, “Gosh, I wish I could do that every day.” I remember watching Halle Berry win the Oscar and thinking, “It’s now possible for me. It’s now a possibility that I could be there.” And now, years later, I’m working with her manager, and it’s all sort of in its own alignment.

Glamour: Heroes was actually your first foray into sci-fi. Did you ever see yourself as making a splash in the sci-fi world, even back then?

Candice: Yes and no. Only yes because I love the superhero genre. But I never really saw myself in those movies and those TV shows, so it never really dawned on me that I could play the Lois Lane of a TV show or movie. I mean, Zoe Saldana, who I look up to, is someone who gets a lot of those roles, and I’ve always looked up to her. She’s been leading the way in that genre. That’s why representation matters, and that’s why fans are so vocal—because they want people to recognize that my being cast in this role is so important for so many people. While it may seem silly, it means a lot. Even Priyanka on Quantico—all these ethnicities want to see themselves represented. It’s been one way for way too long. It doesn’t mean that those white male and female roles need to go anywhere—they don’t, we just need more of something else. It makes you feel seen.

Glamour: You said you have to be a crazy person to come to Hollywood and do this.

Candice: You kind of do. [Laughs]

Glamour: So what made you acknowledge that, but at the same time say, “You know, I’m going to do it anyway?”

Candice: I don’t think I knew at the time how crazy I was or would have to be to do it. There were definitely moments when I could have walked away. I think what makes it crazy is that you are putting yourself in a position where you’re being judged constantly by other people. Years of that, you can start to believe, “Is it me? Is there something fundamentally wrong with me? Am I not pretty enough? Am I not skinny enough? Talented enough?” If you don’t have the fortitude to keep your eye on the prize, you can slowly give up on your dreams out here very quickly. I’ve seen a lot of my friends do it. You have to have a crazy amount of hope and self-confidence. That’s why I couldn’t memorize shrimp. I couldn’t do anything else [but act]!

Glamour: Since your fans are responsible for making this interview happen, I asked them to send me questions that they’re dying to know. So let’s do just that!

Candice: Awesome!

Glamour: @angellbearr asks: “Is the show ever going to give us Iris’s point of view?”

Candice: I don’t know that they will happen any time soon, only because the show is called The Flash, and it’s about Barry Allen. We are all kind of auxiliary characters to him. We definitely see everyone’s point of view, but I think it’s important to remember that the show is about Barry.

Glamour: @clement_regina wants to know: “Will her story line bring her on a separate journey than the rest of Team Flash?”

Candice: Interesting question. I think this season we will definitely see Iris explore the family side of her life, the mystery behind her mother, etc. I’m hoping later this season we will see her more focused on Picture News and her reporting. So yes, I think that’s a possibility.

Glamour: @CandicanesU asks: “What does Candice love the most about Iris West, and which episodes this season might showcase those qualities best?”

Candice: I think the episode [tonight]. We’ll get to see some bad ass Iris, and then there’s a couple episodes dealing with family shortly after that, which are really kind of Iris-focused. I love that Iris is a woman growing into herself.

Glamour: From @WestAllenAF, “What is her favorite part of her working day and who does she enjoy hanging out with the most from the cast and why?”

Candice: My favorite part of my working day is hanging with my hair and makeup team. They keep me energized and motivated. I enjoy working with Jesse [L. Martin], who plays my dad. He’s really funny, and we’re always finding funny videos online to joke and laugh about.

Glamour: @johnnycintrble wants to know: “Is she looking to do any movies over future hiatuses or is she concentrating on the show?”

Candice: Oh my gosh, yes, yes, yes, yes, Johnny, yes. It’s my dream. I want to do features so badly. Especially independent features. It’s just so hard with our shooting schedule since we shoot nine months out of the year. So it would have to shoot during those few months we’re on hiatus, but I’d love to make it work.

Glamour: @WestallenSource wants to know if we will get more scenes of Barry and Iris bonding and being best friends?

Candice: Yeah, I think so, especially this year. We see Barry romantically involved with another lady this season, which kind of clears the air for Barry and Iris to get back to just being each other’s support system.

Glamour: @xbellenoirx would love to know what are your favorite shows beside The Flash that you’re currently watching?

Candice: The Good Wife. I’m obsessed with that show, but I’m behind. I love Louie on FX. I think he’s really smart and funny. I’m catching up on Empire. Game of Thrones, The Fall with Gillian Anderson. I really want to get into Mr. Robot on the USA Network. And I just binged Narcos, which is incredible.

Glamour: @johnnycintrble asks: “What’s been your favorite Westallen scene to film so far and why?”

Candice: That’s a great question. I think everything from the pilot in the first episode. That’s kind of the most raw you see Barry and Iris. That was our first show, and we were putting everything we had into these characters. They were really magical scenes. So for me, it’s the pilot.

Glamour: @iriiswest wants to know: “What do you like to do on your down time? Favorite spots in L.A.?”

Candice: I’m quite a loner. I realized that I’m very introverted, and I get energy by being alone instead of being with other people. So in my downtime, I’m usually alone, watching Netflix with a glass of wine, or taking a bath. I like to do that. And in L.A., I just got into Soul Cycle. There’s another workout studio I’m obsessed with called Swerve on Third. I really like South Beverly Grill in Beverly Hills, Kreation, etc. I love hiking in Runyon Canyon. To me, L.A. is home.

Glamour: From @brookedaviz: “What’s the dynamic between Iris and Barry going to be like this season? Will Iris & Laurel ever meet?”

Candice: I don’t think there’s any plans for Iris to cross over as of yet, so I don’t know if we’ll see scenes between Iris and Laurel [at this moment]. And then the dynamic between Iris and Barry, I think is more of them being friends and confidants and looking to each other for advice and guidance. I definitely think you’ll see the friendship with them blossom more.

Glamour: The Iris Defense Squad @liyyyah_ asks “What is the hardest thing she’s ever had to overcome?” I say, probably lunch with me. [Laughs]

Candice: Lunch with Jessica! [Laughs] I don’t know. This business, I think. It’s always an uphill battle that I don’t think you ever quite overcome. You’re always battling insecurity and wanting to succeed just a little bit more. I’m learning to be content with where I am in my life and enjoying the journey.

Glamour: So @honeybunstoken wants to know which actor or actress in the Flarrow verse would you like to work with?

Candice: Definitely Diggle, played by David Ramsey, because I just want to look at his muscles all day. I feel like that would be an easy day at work!

Glamour: Interesting question from @RaRUPE4, who asks: “How much input do you have in Iris’s wardrobe and overall styling?”

Candice: I got heavily invested in what Iris wears, probably early on in season one. I don’t know why I care about her clothes, but I do! I’m a clothing kind of girl! I would pull up Pinterest boards and send things to our costume designer of what I thought she’d look great on depending on where she’s at in her life.

Glamour: Let’s talk your workout regimen! @blaugranes15 says “She looks incredible, how does she stay in shape?”

Candice: It’s off and on. I have moments where I’m a workout fiend, and some months where I’m struggling to get to the gym. But I find I’m much happier when I’m active. I love cycling, yoga, Zumba-type classes where I can just dance and be stupid and not care.

Glamour: This might be my favorite: @candicekpfan asks, “Does she have someone special? Coz my bro is single and I’d die to have her as a siz in law.”

Candice: A siz in law, I love that! I’m so terribly single. I’ve been single for so long. It’s so hard to meet people. It’s terribly hard. I never see the guys in Canada because I’m always working. I’m definitely looking!

Glamour: This question is so important from @PurplePinkSkies: “What would Candice’s advice be for black women and other women of color interested in working as actresses?”

Candice: Work hard, obviously, and don’t let your race or people’s idea of your race stop you. I’ve never let that stop me from doing anything.

Glamour: @allmyfaveshows asks, “Have you found the transition from being unknown actress in the business to a rising star on a successful show daunting?”

Candice: Yes, and yes. It’s terrifying. It’s a lot of pressure. It’s a lot of attention that I don’t think I was prepared for. I usually roll up to CVS in my pajamas with pimple cream on. [Laughs] The moment you think no one knows who you are and no one is recognizing you, someone says, “I love your show!” and you feel the pressure to be what they see on TV. A lot of people look up to you to be their role model, and I’m not perfect. I’m still a work in progress myself.

Glamour: This is so cute: @solasregrets wants to know how you approach getting into character/memorizing lines because “she doesn’t have any bloopers so she must be good at it.”

Candice: [Laughs] I take my job very seriously, so I try very hard not to flub on lines. It’s not a faux pas, but I try to nail it every single time, because for me it’s about growth and being a proficient actor.

Glamour: @themerriberri wants to know what has been the most surreal experience you’ve had since you started on the show.

Candice: Comic-Con was pretty surreal. Any of the conventions. People care what you have to say, and they’re excited to see you, and it’s overwhelming because we’re kind of isolated in Canada. You don’t realize how big the reach is.

A photo posted by Candice Patton (@candicekp) on Jul 13, 2015 at 9:38am PDT

Glamour: This question I know everyone wants an answer to, and it comes from @iris_westallen: “How long must we wait for Barry and Iris to be a couple?”

Candice: These are questions I want answers for as well! I have a feeling it might be a while. We’re hoping to be on the air a long time, and they’re such an iconic couple that you can’t give it away too soon.

Glamour: @Capricious1901 wants to know how different and similar you are from Iris.

Candice: We are very strong, determined women. I would say Iris is a little more outgoing. She’s less concerned with what other people think about her.

Glamour: We hear a lot about being powerful, but how would you describe a strong female character, asks @mme_knight.

Candice: I think any female character that is passionate in the pursuit of [what they want to do] is a strong female character. Also, a woman who stands up for whatever she believes in.

Glamour: @MarieIridescent wants to know your skin care routine. She says, “That’s need to know information!”

Candice: It changes, but right now I’ve really gotten into Korean skincare. They have a 10-step ritual sort of thing that I’m getting into. I’m obsessed with Korean snail cream and always using sunscreen.

Glamour: @unknownmatterss asks, “What qualities does she look for in a man? What’s one thing people get wrong about her?”

Candice: I like a funny guy. The top two qualities for me are being funny and kind. I’ve never been into the bad boy. I kind of like the nerd. I like the quieter, sweet guy. I’m not going to rule out dating an actor because I’m so single that I have to keep all of my options open, but it’s definitely not something that I actively pursue. As for what they get wrong about me, maybe it’s that I’m always strong. I’m quite sensitive.

Glamour: This is a great question to end on and it comes from @V526B. “Will she continue doing sci-fi after The Flash ends? Sci-fi community is very loyal.”

Candice: I would love to! Because the sci-fi fans are so loyal, I would love to do things like that. I want Zoe Saldana’s career because she gets to play so many strong, kick-ass women. I love it all.

Finally, Candice and I wanted to make a video to thank Mona, one of Candice’s most passionate fans, for bringing us together and being the person responsible for this interview. Mona, this is for you: