To say that actress Kiersey Clemons had a bad experience playing Iris West in the DCEU and The Flash movie would be an understatement. The actress recently broke her silence regarding her role and the problems she experienced behind the scenes. These ranged from fears that her role as Barry Allen’s love interest would be reduced or recast to coping with the controversy centered around co-star Ezra Miller.

Kiersey Clemons was originally set to make her premiere as Iris West in the Justice League movie, but her role was cut for the theatrical release. Her scenes were later restored in Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League, making her one of many characters with larger roles in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. The Flash movie was meant to further establish her presence in the DCEU. Unfortunately, the dream role quickly became a nightmare for the young actress.

Related: The Flash Movie Proves The DC Universe Needs A Real Reboot

Kiersey Clemons’ The Flash Experience, Explained

Kiersey Clemons spoke out about her ordeals in the DCEU. In an interview with Nylon, Clemons described how emotionally and spiritually draining working on the Justice League movie had been. Film work in an action movie can be stressful enough by itself, but Clmeons’ experience with The Flash movie was made worse by the high-profile nature of her role.

“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,” Clemons declared. “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 problems began shortly after Clemons was originally cast as Iris West in 2016, when director Rick Famuyiwa (who had previously worked with Clemons on the 2015 film Dope) was still attached to direct The Flash movie. Despite feeling burned out on superhero films, having also auditioned for roles in Thor and Aquaman, Clemons decided to stick with The Flash so that she could work with Famuyiwa again. Unfortunately, Famuyiwa’s vision for the movie conflicted with that of DC Studios, leading to several years of uncertainty as the script for The Flash movie was reworked, and several new directors were considered.

“I was freaked out because at one point, there were rumors going around online that I was getting recast, which is humiliating,” Clemons recalled. While being cut from the Justice League movie bothered her, there was at least some logic behind her part being cut for reasons of time. The idea that she would be dismissed and replaced was far more personal and hurtful.

Ezra Miller’s Scandals Overshadowed Clemons’ Performance

The criminal allegations leveled against Ezra Miller added another level of stress to the experience. Clemons stated that she felt forced to champion her co-star to ensure she kept her role. At the same time, Clemons refused to speculate on questions outside of her personal experiences working with Miller, saying that it wasn’t fair for her to “answer questions that aren’t mine.”

Thankfully, now that The Flash movie is out, Clemons is free to focus on her future. Clemons will be soon be starring in Susie Searches, a dark comedy about an awkward college student with a true-crime obsession, who sets out to solve the disappearance of a missing classmate. Clemons will also co-star alongside singer Leon Bridges in the upcoming dramaedy The Young Wife.

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