Violett Beane – Photo by Lilja Macki © 2016. Courtesy of MLC PR. All rights reserved.
Violett Beane
Quick As a Flash
by Jay S. Jacobs
There’s a new speedster coming to Central City. And she’s been hiding right under our noses.
Jesse Wells, played by young actress Violett Beane, is the daughter of parallel dimension Earth-2’s Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh). Beane was added to the cast of the popular series in the second season and has quickly fit into the universe.
Much of the season had her held captive by this season’s super-villain Zoom. Dr. Wells was determined to do whatever he had to in order to save his daughter – including double-crossing his friends, or even committing murder. Luckily, Dr. Wells and his team at S.T.A.R. Labs – The Flash/Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), Dr. Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) and Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) – were able to come together to spirit Jesse away from Zoom’s prison.
However, even after the rescue, not all was good between father and daughter. Their mutual adversity, and living in an alternate universe, has put a bit of a wedge between them. We last saw Jesse boarding a bus out of town, determined to go and find herself. It has been teased that Jesse will return as a speedster – using the super-heroine name Jesse Quick – later this season. Since so far she has shown no signs of super-speed, we can only imagine what she found out on the road. Or, better yet, the answers should be coming soon enough.
It’s not a bad place to be for a 19-year-old actress who is only on her second TV series. Barely out of high school, Beane was a member of the cast of the acclaimed HBO drama The Leftovers last season.
Recently we caught up with Central City’s newest speedster (which wasn’t easy, she’s really fast) to get the down low on life with The Flash.
Violett Beane – Photo by Lilja Macki © 2016. Courtesy of MLC PR. All rights reserved.
How familiar were you with The Flash and the DC Universe before taking this role?
I had seen a few episodes of the show right before I got the audition, so I was super pumped to go on tape for it! As far as other DC stories, I’d seen all the Batman’s and have been a fan for sure.
In the early episodes, you’ve just been known as Dr. Wells’ daughter, but I know that your character will be becoming a speedster, too. Without giving away any major spoilers, what can we expect from Jesse Quick?
This season for Jesse will definitely focus mainly on her getting used to life on Earth-1. It’s a huge change for her. Then on top of it hearing that her father had killed a man…. It’s a lot to handle. In one of the latest episodes you see Jesse get on a bus to leave town. That’s her way of figuring out life and herself in a way.
What do you think would be the most intriguing aspect of having super speed?
What’s interesting about super speed is that you almost get a combo deal… You can sort of freeze time because you’re moving so fast. You can sort of fly, at least for a little bit at a time. You can sort of be in two places at one time.
Violett Beane – Photo by Lilja Macki © 2016. Courtesy of MLC PR. All rights reserved.
In what ways is Jesse similar to you, and which aspects of her character are the hardest for you to get a handle on as an actress?
Jesse and I are both pretty sassy, quick-witted, and independent, but she’s definitely WAYYY smarter than me! I thought one of the harder parts was going to be finding that relationship with her dad. I lost my dad when I was young and I’ve never really known that kind of relationship before. Luckily Tom [Cavanagh] is an amazing man, actor, and mentor. Once we started to work together, the pieces sort of fell into place!
Most of your early scenes this season were basically you being held captive and threatened by Zoom. As an actress, was it hard to get into that kind of claustrophobic mindset?
I actually did go more method with those particular scenes. I stayed in the shackles in between takes and set ups, just so I could stay in that mindset. It was interesting doing the dialogue, because the man playing Zoom was actually a stuntman, Ryan Handley. He had never acted before, but he was absolutely phenomenal! He really cared about the role and stayed engaged, which was so fantastic.
Who is your favorite superhero (or heroine)?
Captain Underpants!
Carlos Valdes, Allison Paige, Violett Beane, Tom Cavanagh and Danielle Panabaker star in The Flash.
How did you originally get involved in acting?
I was in theatre in middle and high school, but didn’t really start to focus in on film/TV until my senior year of high school. We got a new theatre teacher and we really didn’t get along. That drove me to find a creative outlet elsewhere.
The Flash is your second series. You’d previously done The Leftovers last year. How did you get involved in that show and what was the experience like?
Working on The Leftovers was such an experience! It was my first time really seeing the depth of the industry and how many people it takes to put these shows together. Not to mention HBO was an amazing network to work for, because they’re a lot more hands on and they take the time to get perfect shots!
How crazy is it that at your young age you’re doing your second TV series? Does it surprise you how quickly things have taken off?
Every single day! I am so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had that have gotten me here, and thank everyone who has believed in me so far and will continue to. This is just the beginning!
Violett Beane and Tom Cavanagh star in The Flash.
If you weren’t acting, what do you think you’d want to do?
I’ve always loved baking. I was about to get a job at a bakery before I booked Leftovers, actually. Maybe in the future I might open up a little shop! Something with delicious goodies and some dairy/gluten free options as well!
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I can lick my elbow!
What kind of things make you happy?
FOOOOOOOOD. All food, all day.
What makes you nostalgic?
Those super soft sugar cookies with the pink frosting and sprinkles. Lofthouse cookies, I think they’re called. So bad for you, but so fluffy and delicious.
Copyright ©2016 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: April 18, 2016.
Photos 1-3 by Lilja Macki © 2016. Courtesy of MLC PR. All rights reserved.
Photos 4-5 © 2016. Courtesy of The CW. All rights reserved.
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