Grant Gustin shares what he misses most about The Flash

Grant Gustin has an unsurprising answer to what he misses most about The Flash: “The people,” he told The A.V. Club in a recent interview. “I did it for nearly 10 years. I was 23 when that show started and 33 when the show ended, and grew up, and learned a lot of who I was, and just matured a lot throughout the process, and was surrounded by cast and crew that became family. I mean, it’s so cliché, but it’s true. I spent so much more time with all of those people than I did with anyone that was my actual family during those years. And it’s weird to just suddenly end and know that we’ll never all be in the same room at the same time again.”

But even some of the things that were “the toughest” to deal with on the CW superhero series are now fond memories for the Barry Allen actor. “Wearing the suit in downtown Vancouver at 4 A.M. in the rain, in tough environments,” Gustin reflected. “I was aware during the last season I was gonna miss that, and I do. Like, I miss throwing the suit on and standing in downtown Vancouver at 4 A.M. shooting an action sequence, because it was a really unique experience.”

Gustin has only recently been able to fully appreciate the “passionate” Arrowverse fanbase. “I think maybe I did underestimate early on how much the show was going to mean to people,” he said, noting that while the show was running he tried to stay focused on the work and not “outside noise.” While he was “aware of the fanbase,” it wasn’t until the series ended and he started attending conventions and meeting fans in person that he got the full experience. “I think I’ve leaned into it more and gotten to enjoy that fan relationship since the show ended, and see how much it genuinely means to, like, [a] full generation of people, and entire families, and how it’s special to see how much people love the show,” he shared. “I try to keep my focus a little more singular while I was doing the work, so I couldn’t get overwhelmed by that. But now I get to enjoy it now that it’s behind me.”

After a long run on The Flash, Gustin hoped the next thing he did would be on stage, but he wasn’t looking to book a musical. (“I had kind of imagined it being a straight play, because I was scared to sing again, honestly,” he admitted.) Nevertheless, he jumped at the chance to join the new Broadway show Water For Elephants and originate the lead role, which “had always been a dream of mine,” he said.

Luckily, he has lots of experience to fall back on—including for The Flash. The romantic proposal song “Running Home To You” is one of Gustin’s favorite musical moments he’s had on screen, especially because it was written by the “incredible” Oscar and Tony-winning songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. “I actually first met them when I was at Elon in college, they came and did a workshop, and had stayed in touch with them a bit, and then watched them explode. So it was really cool to have kind of a full circle moment, have them come back and write that song for us,” Gustin said. “I know it’s been a fan favorite—all the time people tell me that it was their first dance at their wedding, or they walked down the aisle to it or something. So I know for Flash fans, ‘Running Home To You’ became an important song for a lot of people’s relationships, and for a lot of couples.”