Carlos Valdes is a great Cisco Ramon on The Flash. But after meeting in person, it’s easy to see him as the lead in his own story someday soon. We talked to the actor in very intimate press conference at DragonCon 2016. And it was a delight. Carlos spoke — at length — about a lot, including season 3 of The Flash. Here are some of the things he told us that day.
He knows the concept of the musical episode.
It was rumored and then confirmed that there would be some singing and dancing going on in one episode this season. And the fans are (mostly) excited – especially because Carlos has such a strong musical background. In 2013, he was nominated for a Tony Award. He said, “the wish is to have as much original music as possible” for the episode. So, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
The Flashpoint version of his character is a billionaire.
If you aren’t familiar, season 3 of The Flash will start out in an alternate reality. Carlos told us that his character, Cisco Ramon, is essentially very much the same. He is still a tech-savvy genius, but now, “he’s been able to cash in on that prowess…to become the richest man in America – he’s a billionaire.” So anybody that wanted to see a Bruce Wayne-style playboy Cisco Ramon, get ready. It’s coming very soon.
And then the conversation turned to representation.
This was, obviously, my question. Carlos and I were the only two men of color in the room. And although that’s not something many of us aren’t used to, it’s still worth noting. I asked him about how his experience with representation as a child related to the way he approached his character.
And this is what he said:
“As a kid, I always wanted to be an entertainer. And, in turn, emulated a lot of great actors from film and roles from works I was a fan of … I never once considered that my race would be an obstacle … But I found then as I got older, that this was actually a limitation. It engendered this gradual realization that I might not be able to get to play some of the parts that I loved thinking about playing so much. But within that I have so much optimism – roles are being written for people of color. And it’s a beautiful thing to witness and be a part of. So instead of struggle with the ‘what’s your dream role’ question these days, I find myself looking forward to the role that hasn’t been written yet. And Cisco is, fortunately, one of those roles for me.”
Sadly, our time ended briefly after this. But I could feel in my gut that Carlos was grateful for that question. And I was equally grateful for that answer. That one fragment of conversation made me believe this guy and I are destined to be friends. And maybe that’s how the experience was designed to make me feel. But the next time I see him, I’ll find out.
