After an unexpected five-week hiatus due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, The Flash finally returns tonight on The CW -- and, when it does, Elongated Man will face one of his greatest challenges yet: Sue Dearbon. In her last appearance, Sue convinced Ralph Dibny she needed his help just long enough to get what she needed, then left him locked in a bank vault when she had it. Now, Ralph is determined to bring her to justice, so their upcoming reunion may not be as romantic as some comic fans had hoped.
Speaking to CBR, Elongated Man actor Hartley Sawyer offered a glimpse of what's to come in Season 6. He discussed his 10-year friendship with Natalie Dreyfuss, who plays Sue, and teased how their characters' relationship will evolve in the remaining episodes. He discussed why Elongated Man will step up as Barry Allen loses his speed, how his dynamic with Caitlin and Frost will grow, the return of Troy James' Rag Doll, his favorite scene from an upcoming episode and more. He also shared his thoughts about the ongoing coronavirus crisis, with some reading recommendations for fans looking to keep themselves busy.
CBR: How are you holding up?
Hartley Sawyer: I was talking to somebody the other day, and I was like, "How are you doing?" and he was like, "I don't know! Some days I'm all out of sorts, and some days I'm kind of okay." And I was like, "Yeah, I think that's a pretty good descriptive of what I'm going through as well." But at the end of the day, I'm very lucky and we're very lucky to be able to be at home and chill and all of that and try to make the best of the time but what a challenge! I think, like all of us, I'm worried about family and everything like that that are elsewhere.
It's crazy out there! It's stressful.
Yeah, it is. I read a really interesting article on it. I forget where it was from -- it was a Harvard Business Review or something. A friend sent it to me. It was somebody [who is] sort of an expert on grief or whatever, and he was talking about how... everybody's familiar with grief, whether it is the loss of a loved one or something like that. That happens in smaller circles with smaller tragedies, so we're all familiar with that, but this is a real collective -- almost global, certainly national -- feeling of grief. I think that is really what's permeating everybody, because we're all feeling versions of the same thing, and we're not really used to that. We're not used to feeling something like grief on such a national, macro scale.
Oh, definitely. This is going to be a generational trauma.
Yeah, I think it's going to define generation. I agree. I think so. And I hope for the best. I hope, you know, ultimately for the best, in terms of defining a generation.
A lot of people have been turning to entertainment to get through these days.
I've thought about that! I thought about that. I don't know, it was interesting to see everybody watching Netflix and taking this stuff in, and I was like, "Well, this is why we do this!" I mean, this is the most unfortunate occurrence that could possibly happen and the most unexpected thing. But, you know, it's like when I meet a fan and they're like, "Hey, I was going through such-and-such event, it really kind of wrecked me, and I was watching Flash and Ralph did this and made me laugh." That's one of the reasons that I feel so lucky to do this job. I want to clarify that statement by saying that, you know, what an awful time and I wish this wasn't happening, but there's something about that escapism. That's why I wanted to be an actor, anyway. I was a kid who just watched the same movies over and over and over again, and that was my escape.
Do you have any game/book/TV/film recommendations for everyone stuck at home?
I hesitate to say this, because it was a book that I started reading before the pandemic took hold. Well, first of all, I'll say I read a Jack Reacher book, because I was like, "I just need some escapism," and I like that character and I think it's interesting and fun. So I read one of those, because I'll always read one of those, because I just think Jack Reacher is cool.
And then I'm also finishing up -- I don't know if necessarily recommend this -- it's a book called The Big Ones. It could potentially be empowering. It could also be traumatizing for people. It's by Dr. Lucy Jones, who's one of the world's foremost seismologists, and she touches on the big one, being like an earthquake on the west coast of North America or what have you. But she also goes back in history and talks about Pompeii, for example, and certain big disaster events that took place in the past and how it manifested in culture and what they did right, what they did wrong, those sorts of things.
I think, actually, one that I'm about to pick up again, which is one of my all-time favorite books, is -- have you ever read World War Z?
Unfortunately, I've only seen the film.
Entirely different! The book is entirely, entirely different and it's called World War Z. I think it's called An Oral History of the Zombie War. Max Brooks, who I'm a big fan of, he did a fantastic job -- because what the book is, it's a series of interviews with people around the world, after the whole zombie thing has passed, and their perspective on what happened and what certain nations did right and what certain nations did wrong. I'm going to revisit that because, you know, it deals with a pandemic that happens to be zombies, but it does it in a way where it has that escapism to it. So it might actually help me process. This is very nerdy to say, but it might actually help me process some of these feelings -- and I think these feelings that people are feeling -- through somebody who feels safer, because it's obvious it's not real, you know?
I mean, what's a better time for zombies, if not now?
What a different outlook on that whole world! I hate to say that, but what a different sort of big lens to look through that whole genre now.
How much filming did you have left on The Flash when everything shut down?
It's hard to say exactly where we were at, because it's all kind of in a gray area, but I think everybody is aware that we didn't complete Season 6. This is the most unexpected thing. You know, I was going to go to work. I was gonna be there. I think my call was 9 or 9:30. Then the word came through, I think 8 o'clock that morning, like "We're hitting pause on this whole thing."
You could smell that in the air for a while, coming up for a few days, and I was kind of looking at the clock going, "I feel like it's only a matter of time," but it was literally like that. It was like, "Here we go. We're going to work!" the night before. Here's the call sheet and then, that morning, as people were pretty much leaving the house and mobilizing, it was like, "Oh! Pause!" And there it was.
I think that was March 14? 15? Something like that. Maybe St. Patrick's Day, and then subsequently all the productions just kind of hit pause. It's like in a movie when you see the lights go out from a huge power outage and it was just like, [power down noise]. Such an unexpected time. I mean, the only thing I can reference here is I guess the '08 writers strike, but this is nothing like that. I mean, this is a very, very different thing.
We recently learned Barry is losing his speed because of the death of the Speed Force. How will we see Ralph step up in the remaining episodes of the season?
Yeah, we are. He has grown so much since we first met him and he's really come into his own as a hero and as a man as well. So, he's there. I mean, he's there for Team Flash no matter what. Anything that Barry is unable to do, there's no doubt that -- and this is, I think, why the show has lived so long, that it's the family, it's the Flash family, and it really is a team and a family -- and so he's there to help Killer Frost, Caitlin, Cisco and everybody with anything that they may need in terms of Barry starting to lose his speed, but that's also going to impact everybody in a way.
We saw some of this in pre-"Crisis," with 6.06, the "James Bond" episode, where Elongated Man got the emblem and everything like that and was designated the protector of Central City and all that. "Crisis" kind of prepared them, I think, in ways that they didn't expect for the death of the Speed Force. It prepared them in a way for this and it deepened their relationship too, which I think is what's so special about this team and about the show is all the trials they face deepen the relationship amongst the core group.
From what I understand, Natalie Dreyfuss -- who plays Sue Dearbon -- is a longtime friend of yours. How has that impacted the way you've developed Ralph and Sue's relationship?
You know, it's really funny because the first pro job in LA I ever did, which was 10 years ago now, we didn't have a lot of scenes together, but we were on the same show. So we had met then and we were friends and we kept in touch over the years. We hadn't talked in a couple of years, but we've always been friendly and on really good terms. Then I went in to do some chemistry reads with a few of the actresses that were up for the role of Sue, and she walked in and we were like, "Oh!" I was looking at her and I was like, "Oh!" and she was like, "Oh, yeah! Okay!" and then it was very, very playful. I think that comes across on screen too. It was like something about having that in the past really can help inform things. There was an easy sort of chemistry there.
What's your favorite memory from your scenes with Natalie?
I love in 6.12 when Ralph is getting dunked in the bucket by the big, strong bad guy, and he's like drowning him to death. We see him through the water and everything like that. Then he pops up, and the first time we see this side of her was like, "Oh, wait, she's a total, total badass!" when she does that amazing martial arts kick and takes the guy out. That moment from her. I remember this on set, when she's like, "You still want me to wait in the car?" I lost it. I was like, "That's so pitch perfect. Just pitch perfect." The way she did that, and it was just so perfect for the character, I thought. That's a specific moment that I remember being like, "Yeah, she's nailing this."
In tonight's episode, Ralph and Sue cross paths again. How has his attitude towards her changed since their last encounter?
When we left Ralph in 6.12, he was angry. He was not happy. I think he was determined to bring her down, and he remains on that path, determined to really pin her down and find out what she's about and bring her to justice and all of that. I think, in many ways, he's also really angry at himself, that he didn't see that coming, you know what I mean? I think there's a lot of anger there, with what he went through last year with Sherloque [Wells], and all of that and coming into his own as a detective. I think, for him internally, there's a lot of, "How could I not have seen this coming? How could I be so stupid and so naive?"
How do you hope fans will feel about Ralph and Sue by the end of the season?
That is a very, very hard question for me to answer without risking my my employment, which I love very much. What I want them to feel -- I can't say what I want them to feel, because then they would give way too much, but I can tell you what I know they're gonna feel. They're gonna feel a variety of different emotions that they don't expect. There's gonna be certain things where it's like, "Yeah, but..." -- "Oh, yes, but ahhhh." It's very hard for me to answer that without giving too much away, but there are going to be things that are expected and there are going to be some things that I think 99.9% of people would never guess in a million years.
Ralph and Caitlin/Frost have been getting pretty close over the course of the season. How does their dynamic continue to evolve over the last few episodes?
We saw last year that the relationship between Caitlin and Ralph specifically deepened so much. You know, we've seen Ralph and Killer Frost together. We saw that in Season 4 and in Season 5 and now, with Frost this year, it's very much just an extension -- he sees her as an extension of Caitlin. He cares so much for Caitlin and they have such a deep friendship. In many ways, Caitlin and Joe were really the first people on Team Flash who welcomed him and helped him, if you go back to Season 4. So they have a very, very strong bond and there's nothing that he wouldn't do for Caitlin or for Frost. I mean, there's no question about that, and we're going to see a little more of that come into play.
I think it's in 6.17, so that would be, I believe, next week. We're going to have some some Frost and Ralph stuff happening there and continue to work that along. I just love those two characters together because -- a little different now -- but in the past, Killer Frost is so intimidating to everybody and, you know, if she puts her hand up, he's intimidated, but he's just never been thrown by Killer Frost and I've always loved that.
Rag Doll is back in tomorrow night's episode! Does Ralph get a rematch?
I can't specifically comment on that. What I can tell you is that I love Rag Doll and I love what Troy [James] has done as Rag Doll. I mean, it's incredible what he can do and just the physicality that he brings to that character. When I first saw that character, what he could do, I was like, "Holy heck!" There's something so chilling and so unnerving about it and also kind of mesmerizing by watching him do his work. So I'm a Rag Doll guy. I think bringing that character back is great.
His contortion is unnerving to watch on TV. I can only imagine what it must be like in real life!
Oh, yeah! In between scenes, he's getting ready and stretching out and stuff. I take a sip of coffee and I turn around and I'm like, [gasp] "Oh, it's Troy!" He's really got a real talent -- and one of the nicest guys. Such a nice, nice person.
So, in the comics, Elongated Man is a member of the Justice League. When will he join the Arrovwerse's post-"Crisis" superhero team?
I don't know. I don't have an answer for that! I really don't have an answer for that. That's something I've thought about, something I've brought up a little bit. Look, I think there's a lot of things that, on a long enough timeline, we get there. Sue was definitely one of those things when Ralph first came into Season 4. We knew, on a long enough timeline, we're gonna get to Ralph and Sue. I think that what you just mentioned may fall under that aspect as well. But you know, along that timeline, there are innumerable things that we could get to.
That was definitely a wishful thinking question I had to ask!
Yeah. Oh, I'm right there with you in terms of wishful thinking. You know, I have a little wish list of things too, and that falls there.
What else is on your wish list?
I want to say, but I can't, because then if it happens next season, I'll be like, "Shoot! I gave it away."
Can you tease your favorite moment or scene from an upcoming episode?
I can tell you about 6.16! There's a few different things that were incredibly fun, but I love working with Carlos Valdez. He and I get along really well. The thing about working with Carlos that's so much fun is he'll be like, "Okay, what if I then say this?" or "What if I then do that?" and I'm like, "Yeah, then I can do this or do that," and he's like, "Yeah!" and then we start building out a bit. We'll very, very organically start putting in little bits and little gags that maybe were not scripted that end up being the thing that we carry through a couple of scenes and callbacks.
The way that he plays things -- and he plays things with such conviction. Like, when he first sees Sue, I almost lost it because of the way that he played that. Actually, on the first take, I ruined it because I was laughing out loud. But the way that he played it, he did it in such a way where I was like, "That's so funny. When I read it, I didn't picture it that way, but you're just killing it." But there's a scene that allowed me to do something very different with my performance that was not expected. That's just Carlos, man. He's just a very funny, very, very talented guy. So anytime I get a Cisco episode, I'm like, "Man, this is gonna be great."
Airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, The Flash stars Grant Gustin, sea Candice Patton, Carlos Valdes, Danielle Panabaker, Tom Cavanagh, Jesse L. Martin, Danielle Nicolet and Hartley Sawyer.