Grant Gustin: "The Flash" Star's Tricks ‘n’ Treats

Grant Gustin won’t be trick-or-treating this Halloween, though he will be dashing in his Flash suit ‘til sunrise. The 24-year-old star plays Barry Allen (a.k.a. The Flash), in The CW series The Flash. When he was four-years-old, his mom introduced him to the Superman franchise with Christopher Reeve. Since then, he’s watched the films hundreds of times. After he chatted with the costume-clad co-hosts of The View , on the October 31st, 2014 show, we asked Grant all about his Halloween traditions: from costumes and candy to heroes and villains. Watch the video clip from the show and read his after show interview below:

Q: What’s been your favorite Halloween costume you’ve worn? 

GG: I was Clark Kent/Superman junior year of high school, which was the suit that had an exposed chest. That was probably my favorite—the muscle suit replaced the muscles. 

 

Q: What did the ladies think of that costume? 

GG: I think they enjoyed it. 

 

Q: What’s your favorite horror movie/TV show? 

GG: “I love the TV show The Walking Dead right now. My brother and I were just talking about it last night. I love the effects. I think the way they’ve developed the arc of the story is very interesting, and I think every step of the way it’s felt authentic.”

 

Q: Who’s your favorite villain of all time? 

GG: “General Zod from Superman, the original. I’m a HUGE Superman fan, but General Zod from the Christopher Reeve movies.”

 

Q: What’s it like playing a superhero? 

GG: “Cool, I guess? I mean, it hasn’t really, the impact of what it is hasn’t really set in, as in the impact it has for kids and everything. I’ve had a few kids come up to me and be like, ‘You’re The Flash!’ and that’s really cool. But I try to make him as human as possible and I think that’s the only reason I got a shot at playing this role because I’m not necessarily a stereotypical superhero build, so I think what I can bring to the role is human qualities. Playing a superhero is kind of like playing any other character at this point other than I get to do some action stuff, which is fun.”

 

Q: What do you bring to the character that makes it more human/relatable? 

GG: “I try to bring as much of myself to the role as I can. That’s what I did during the audition process and that’s what I think I’m continuing to do.”

 

Q: What does a morning routine look like for Grant Gustin? 

GG: “Sleep in as late as I can because every day is very long. Get in the car probably 30 minutes after I’ve woken up. Have a coffee before I leave; have another coffee as soon as I get there; do hair and makeup; then have one more coffee, and then start shooting.” 

 

So, basically, 8 coffees later you’re good to go! 

GG: “Exactly.” 

 

Q: What’s the best part about your job? 

GG: “That I get to work with Jesse L. Martin. Slash, I get to play a superhero. Both are pretty cool. But it blows my mind that I get to work with Jesse.”

 

Q: If you could have any superpower in the world, what would it be? 

GG: “To be able to heal myself or anybody else of anything. Wouldn’t that be amazing? I mean think about it, what a cool power? It would be very fulfilling.”