Kiana Madeira – The Flash

By starrymag | October 30, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you have been working on?

A) I’m actually currently shooting a show called “Trinket,” which is a Netflix original. We’re shooting in Portland, Oregon and it’s been a lot of fun.

Q) How were your character(s) Spencer Young/Spin on “The Flash” originally described to you?

A) She was initially described to me as a young aspiring social media influencer who used her social media platform to make her famous.

Q) Was there anything you added to her that wasn’t in her initial breakdown?

A) That’s a pretty broad description of someone so I definitely added a sense of groundedness and calm to her, which makes her a bit likeable. I think that’s very important when you play a villain.

Q) What was it like for you joining cast that was already so tight-knit?

A) Honestly, they were so welcoming and accepting. There was such a nice, calm energy on set, considering that they’re in their fifth season. So, for me, joining the cast just felt like home instantly and everyone was just in a groove with the tone of the show and how they shoot. Nothing was too chaotic. It was a very nice and soothing environment.

Q) Were you a fan of the series before joining this season?

A) Yes, I was! My parents are superfans of “The Flash.” We actually all have “The Flash” t-shirts, which is hilarious. My dad has this joke where he calls himself “the fastest man in the world” so we call him Barry Allen as a joke. They were on vacation when I got the audition for “The Flash” so they didn’t even know I was going out for it. Then, I found out that I booked it so I told them all at once. They were like freaking out! So, we were all very, very excited.

Q) Was there someone in particular that you were looking forward to sharing a scene with on the show?

A) I was really hoping to get to work with The Flash/Grant Gustin. Also, Candice [Patton]. I love working with women who I look up to and she is very professional and also really cool. So, it was nice. In my work, I feel a lot of time I’m the oldest one on set because I play younger than I actually am. So, it was nice coming on to this set where everyone was a little bit older than me. I felt like I was able to just sit back and watch these great artists do their work and learn from them that way. Because they’ve gotten some fame from the show, they were able to talk me through handling social media and handling press. So, they were all very helpful. I was excited to work with them.

Q) Talk about getting into character and putting on the Spin costume.

A) Stepping into Spencer Young, I wouldn’t say I had to do a one-eighty because at my age I have social media and I know what it is like to be on social media and use it as a platform to have a profession (because that’s what I do as well). But playing the other side of Spencer Young, Spin (her other side), was really cool for me. When I went to the wardrobe fitting and actually started trying on things for Spin I was like, “Whoa! This is cool! I’m a villain!” I’ve never been a villain before. It was really cool to play two different sides of a character – there is Spencer Young and then Spin. I think I used Spencer Young’s tone and played that as a villain, which is very dynamic. As opposed to just playing it as a bad guy, I used aspects and qualities of Spencer to use that as a way that she manipulates people.

Q) What was your first day like on set?

A) My first day on set I actually had a scene with Grant. Any show with the effects, they have very ambitious days. They have a lot to get done and not a lot of time. So, it was very efficient. Everyone was like, “We’re doing this. We’re doing this.” It was very professional. I feel like I thrive in environments like that. A lot of times you go to set and it’s a lot of waiting around and it is kind of slow. They weren’t slow. They were very efficient, so it was nice to kind of be thrown into things and be like, “Alright! We’ve got to get this done in this amount of time!” I was like, “Okay. It’s game time!”

Q) What was it like getting to work with Grant Gustin?

A) Grant Gustin. It’s always such an important job being number one the calls sheet and being the lead of the show, but we have different variations of people who hold that position. Grant is definitely so kind and so warmhearted. It really is up to the leads of the show to set the tone of the work being done on set and being new to the cast I couldn’t have asked for more from him. He was not intimidating at all. He was so nice and so great. I really only have positive things to say about him.

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming “The Flash?”

A) Well, I don’t want to tease my favorite scene, but I’m excited for the introductory scene of my character. I can say that. When you see it, you’ll know what I mean when I say it was really cool to shoot that. A lot of the scenes we also shot were at night time and in Vancouver, which I’m a huge fan of. Vancouver is so beautiful, so I love doing exterior nighttime shoots because you can just look up to the stars and be like, “Wow! I’m really doing this right now! This is my job!” It’s really surreal and really cool. I would say that the exterior night shoots were my favorite because as thought they are tiring, but it’s also really cool to be shooting under the stars.

Q) You are a part of social media. Will you be sharing some behind the scenes pictures or videos from your time on set?

A) Yes! I did take some behind the scenes photos. I’m not sure about videos, but definitely photos, which I’m waiting to post after my episode airs.

Q) Are you looking forward to the instant fan feedback you’ll be receiving from “The Flash” fandom?

A) I am. I am really looking forward to it. The fandom is incredible. There are so many fans! It was a little bit overwhelming at first, but then I just decided to embrace it because everyone who messages me are so encouraging and they are excited to meet my character as well. It’s been a countdown. I’m really excited to see what everyone thinks.

Q) How do you plan to celebrate your onscreen arrival?

A) Well, I’m shooting in Portland and my family is not here. But I do have some friends here that are a part of this cast so we’re all going to get together and screen it. We’re all on set early the next day so there won’t be much partying, but we will all get together to watch the show. I’m excited to see the new environment and embrace the new experience.

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure we share with our readers about Spencer Young and Spin?

A) I think it’s really important to say I’m really grateful. I always have to give thanks because this was such an amazing opportunity. It’s just been all good, all positive. I really want people to know that.