Credit: Marc Cartwright
Have you ever dreamt of a world where you could control the weather, manipulate time, turn your body into a fiery weapon or harbor some other mega-cool power? Look no further than Central City– home to our beloved superhero Barry Allen (Grant Gustin). There’s no doubt about it, The Flash sped its way into our living rooms, and our hearts over the course of its first season. Based on the popular comic of the same name, the hit CW series follows an unsung hero, also known as THE FLASH, who after being hit by a bolt of lightning is transformed into the fastest person alive. Hooked? I thought so.
But not everyone has these new abilities, some are regular Joe’s (pun intended), nerdy cohorts, and others turn out to be distant (EVIL) relatives of sensible officers of the law like Eddie Thawne. Rick Cosnett, who plays the sharp-witted police detective at the Central City P.D., was out of the loop for the majority of the season until he became privy to the fact that Barry, someone near and dear to both his girlfriend and his partners heart, was a crime fighting meta-human.
Cosnett, who you may recognize from his stint on the supernatural series The Vampire Diaries (where he played the psychotic Dr. Wes Maxfield) was kind enough to talk to NoWhiteNoise about the infamous (and highly anticipated) love triangle between Barry, Iris and Eddie, the Reverse-Flash’s evil reveal and a possibly murky future for the Central City detective.
MCKENZIE MORRELL: What drew you to this role– are you a comic book fan at all?
RICK COSNETT: I loved Eddie the moment I read my audition script and I knew I could have a lot of fun. I loved the dynamic between him and Barry and how he is so unaware of how irritating he is being just by being generally awesome, and how he falls for Iris and was always so naive and well meaning. Playing that was thrilling. I love the imagination that is sparked by comics and the epic stories are often a brilliant combination of action and emotion, which I think our show has captured. I hope. I used to love watching Batman when I was little.
MM: The show has gotten stellar, record breaking ratings since its premiere, did you have any idea what you were signing on to? That the audience would love it so much?
RC: I don’t think any of us could have predicted how huge it was gonna become, you just never know early on with a show. I knew it was gonna be pretty special though because I love our cast so much and this season has been a joy. People stop me all the time now and they gush about the show a lot and I’m always so grateful how much detail they pick up and how much they are into this story.
MM: I take it that you knew about Eddie’s relation to the Reverse-Flash (Tom Cavanagh)? What was it like keeping that secret for so long?
RC: It sucks keeping secrets. I was constantly dancing around those questions and I felt bad cause I was talking and talking and not actually saying anything. I’m actually still doing that. I really care about the audience being surprised so no one’s getting anything out of me.
MM: This somewhat love triangle between Eddie, Iris (Candice Patton) and Barry has been brewing for quite some time– now that Eddie finds out he doesn’t get the girl– how will he move forward? Will he put up a fight or accept that gloomy glimpse of his future?
RC: Good question and one I wish I could answer. I can say that the gang are gonna find Eddie and his life will now take a different path. Finding out that Iris and Barry get married in the future changes everything for Eddie.
MM: For arguments sake, let’s assume Eddie can’t win Iris back– would that put a strain on the crime fighting relationship between him, Barry, and Joe (Jesse L. Martin)?
RC: That definitely would. That would be hard for anyone to deal with. Taking the higher ground would be optimal, but we’re all human. Well some of us are superheroes, but right now Eddie is human and that jealousy could get the better of him. It’s the good and evil that we deal with every day and it’s also what’s so great about comics.
Credit: Marc Cartwright
MM: What’s your favorite thing about playing this character?
RC: I actually find Eddie very funny and really endearing. It’s so fun to play with Grant, I really like the dynamics between Barry and Eddie. I love how much of a good guy he is to everyone. Acting with Candice and Jesse is also brilliant fun.
MM: Can you tease anything about the finale? Can Eddie be corrupted (or ya know killed) by his speedy descendant?
RC: Let me just say that the finale is going to be massive and everyone is in for a shock and a wild ride. Eobard Thawne is capable of some very bad things.
MM: Arrow and The Flash do some pretty epic crossover episodes, would you be up for Eddie visiting Starling City in the future?
RC: Sure. Maybe he could go a see Felicity, eye for an eye? We’d make a good couple.
MM: If you could guest star on another CW show, what would it be?
RC: Jane The Virgin. Shake things up with Gina Rodriguez.
MM: What’s the cast dynamic like, are any of your castmates pranksters on set?
RC: Carlos [Valdes] is hilarious and ridiculously talented. He must be destroyed immediately.
MM: You were on The Vampire Diaries as well, was it that big of a leap going from a supernatural show to a superhero show? Do you prefer one character over the other?
RC: I was excited to play someone sane after psycho Dr. Wes. It was a totally different dynamic being a regular on a new show, but I felt at least like I kind of knew what I was doing when I got to The Flash. Both characters I adore.
MM: How have the fans been? Do you get recognized in public or an onslaught of messages on social media?
RC: The fans are amazing. People get really shaky and some people can’t hold it together when they see me in public. That’s crazy. You also see how many conspiracy theories people have online about the storyline. They are all kinds of into it.
MM: I’m sure The Flash keeps you pretty busy, but do you have any other projects in the works that we can look out for?
RC: Jesse Martin and I just co directed a short film. I have some other films on the horizon. It’s a good time for me and I’m really grateful and enjoying the ride.
The Flash airs Tuesdays on the CW.
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Former tech nerd and Producer at a Literary Publicity Firm. Just a gal with a B.S. in Journalism, who loves covering the Entertainment world. Credits include World Wrestling Entertainment as the Intern Online Content Editor, NBC Universal for both The Steve Wilkos and The Jerry Springer Show, and at Red 7 Media where I created content both online and in print for the company’s various publications.
In my spare time, I enjoy watching and reviewing my favorite T.V. shows, as well as interviewing some of my favorite celebs in the industry. I’m sarcastic, opinionated, and thrive off of technology and social media.