Javicia Leslie breaks down that Red Death twist on The Flash : 'I felt right at home'
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Warning: This article contains spoilers about Wednesday's episode of The Flash.
Batwoman was canceled after season 3, but Javicia Leslie got to suit up as Batwoman one more time less than a year later on The Flash.
After playing the supervillain Red Death for multiple episodes in The Flash's final season, Leslie's original Arrowverse character Ryan Wilder a.k.a. Batwoman returned in Wednesday's "The Mask of the Red Death, Part 2" to help Barry (Grant Gustin) and the rest of Team Flash defeat her evil doppelganger. "I was really excited, I'm glad we were able to do that," Leslie tells EW of playing Ryan again. "I knew from the beginning when [The Flash showrunner] Eric [Wallace] and I talked about it, he told me it would end up being good Ryan vs. bad Ryan. I loved it."
Below, Leslie talks with EW about concluding her run on The Flash, playing Batwoman again, and more.
The CW
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was your reaction when you learned your arc on The Flash would end up as you fighting yourself, Red Death vs. Batwoman?
JAVICIA LESLIE: Excited. That's an actor's dream to be able to play two versions of a character or two different characters in the same project. You get to make decisions for each character to help them truly be separate and different, and you get to play in that world. It was easier for me because Red Death is masked, so it's not like I had to do things like talk to myself and there's no one really there. I could have a stand in because from behind — you wouldn't know the difference — but it made it a lot of fun.
How did it feel getting to suit back up as the Ryan Wilder from Batwoman after your show was canceled?
A lot of fun. It was exciting. I had a great time on set with all the different cast members, and anytime I get to suit up, it's really fun. I felt right at home when it was time to suit up, so that was great.
Did you have to do anything to get back into character, or was it like riding a bike?
No, not really. I don't do any rituals to get back in character. I think at this point, Ryan is a bit embedded in me. I just know once I suit up, I start to feel it out and I start to feel like Ryan again, and then I just go have fun on set.
Did you and showrunner Eric Wallace have conversations about where Batwoman has been all this time?
Well, it's not like Batwoman has been anywhere for a long time — this is running pretty much present day. The only thing that happens in the episodes is that Ryan disappears, but it's not that so much time has passed since the last time we've seen Ryan. Everything that's going on when we left Ryan is still pretty much going on, so we didn't have to really talk about that. Eric and I mainly talked about Red Death because I'm more Red Death in the episodes than I am Ryan, so really the work was developing Red Death's storyline.
How did you go about portraying Red Death, especially when her mask is off, to make her a different character from Ryan?
I don't know that I did anything too intentional. It kind of started happening on its own. It definitely started with the voice because even though my voice was going to be modulated, they needed me to speak in a much lower tone. That influenced a lot of the darkness that Red Death plays with. But then also just the element of when Red Death can't control her surroundings or when things happen, instead of finding new ways to go about it, she goes into a very dark mode. Playing with that in scenes, I think there's this beauty when you're playing a bad guy where it's like you can't really do wrong because you're already technically wrong.
There's a freedom in trying things, and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't, but it's fun. It's very freeing as a artist when you get to play darker characters. Whenever I was playing Batwoman/Ryan, it's just a lot different because your choices have to be very in alignment with what's right, what's good. You do have an intentional energy in playing that character of always wanting to maintain what's right and what's good.
I loved the scene where Ryan and Iris bond over their mutual respect for each other. What was it like filming that moment?
It was fun. To me, honestly, it's no different — all those scenes were a lot of fun. The cast is just really great, so anytime I get to play with them, we all had a great time. Even in that last scene, it was cool to be able to see everyone. I don't think I had a scene with Allegra or Chester before that one, but I had multiple scenes with Candice's character throughout shooting, and I definitely have multiple scenes with Grant's character throughout shooting, so it was cool to bring everybody together.
What did you think of the line where Ryan reveals she has monthly brunches in Gotham with Kara, Alex, Nia, and now Iris?
Oh yeah, I think that is so cool. That's always a great way to keep the Arrowverse flowing, knowing that they're all connected even when the cameras aren't rolling.
With The Flash ending this season, and the Arrowverse ending with it, is there any chance we'll see you back playing this character again in the future in any capacity? Or are you hanging up the Batsuit for good?
Oh, I don't necessarily think like that. It's about opportunity. If we're able to create again, of course I would love to be a part of it. It would just depend on what WB and DC decide to do. But I'm always open to play in the Bat world.
The Flash airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the CW.
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