NO. 1The Flash shuns green-screen special effects, so Patton has had to jump from skyscrapers and wrestle among high-voltage power lines.
NO. 2 Patton once went on Twitter and realized a fan was tweeting about her—while sitting at the table right next to her.
NO. 3 Should you find yourself beside her at a stoplight, she’ll sing Top 40 hits right to your face.
“It’s so weird to be recognized,” says hypermodest actress Candice Patton. “My first thought when someone stares at me is usually: Is my fly open?” In fact, during a recent lunch in L.A., she realized a fan was near-stalking her at that very moment when she read the tweet: “I’m sitting right next to Candice at a restaurant!”
She’d better get used to the attention. Her CW series, The Flash, is a runaway hit. On it she plays reporter Iris West, the pal and as-yet-reluctant love interest of Barry Allen, aka Flash, whom she helps to defend Central City via tricky-to-film CGI action scenes. (Yes, No. 1 is the lie—not even super BFFs get paid that much.)
“It’s not the most natural feeling, acting against a green screen and pretending to see things that aren’t really there,” says Patton, 26. “But I’m working with choreographers to improve my punching and kicking. Yesterday I was drenched in sweat—it was so much fun.”
When she’s not getting her kicks on set, Patton’s doing hot yoga or enjoying her favorite pastime: car belting. “I love singing at the top of my lungs, windows open—if you drive up next to me, I’ll look at you and just keep singing,” she says, laughing.
“That’s why I could never live in New York. I couldn’t get on the subway and sing out loud!”
