X

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

Continue with Facebook Continue with email

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

The Flash's Jessica Parker Kennedy Says Nora Is Fangirl Meets Daddy's Girl

"She just thinks her dad is legendary"

instg.png
Lindsay MacDonald

Nora West-Allen (Jessica Parker Kennedy) may be the cutest thing to ever hit The Flash, but somehow, her burgeoning relationship with her dad, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) is even cuter. Her dicey relationship with her mom? That's another story completely.

The Flash premiere may have revealed that Nora didn't get to know her dad growing up because of Barry's future disappearance, but it didn't shed too much light on her relationship with Iris (Candice Patton). In fact, their one bonding scene together was more awkward than familial, making us wonder what the heck went down between these two in the future to make things so strained.

TV Guide talked to Jessica Parker Kennedy about Nora's complicated family dynamics, and she says we won't have to wait too long for Nora and Iris have it out -- especially once Iris realizes how much of a daddy's girl Nora really is.

Discover your new favorite show: Watch This Now!

It looks like there's some serious hero worship going on for Nora where Barry is concerned. Is that where their relationship is at this point?

Jessica Parker Kennedy: Yeah, totally. She just thinks her dad is legendary and is the coolest person ever, and she just wants to spend as much time with him as possible and learn from him. She desperately wants his approval and for him to think that she is the coolest, best superhero and coolest, best kid ever.

What sort of bonding experience can we expect from Barry and Nora as they spend more time together?
Kennedy:
You know, they're getting to know each other. There are things about each other that surprise each other. Like any family dynamic, it's not going to be perfect all the time. They're going to need to sort out their history and the history that they have and the history that they don't have. Like you can tell by the first episodes that there's something kind of funny going on between Nora and her mom, Iris, and she very much seems like a daddy's girl.

What can you say about why that relationship is the way it is and how they'll go about addressing that?
Kennedy:
I guess the best way for any family to sort their stuff out is communication, and they're going to have to communicate and figure it out at some point. To figure out at least what the problem is... I think it would be very weird if it just went on the whole season and was never addressed, so at some point there will be a point when they have to sit down and talk about it.

It also seems like Iris is going to get a little jealous of the fact that Nora wants to spend so much time with Barry and doesn't seem interested in mommy/daughter time.
Kennedy:
I think it would be hard for any parent when this child comes along and is really into one parent and not at all into the other one. I think that would be extremely difficult for any parent. I grew up with only one parent, so I don't really understand the dynamic of what it's like to have two and you like one more than you like the other, but I feel like it would be very difficult for any parent to go through that.

Arrowverse Crossover: Why Does Superman Have a Black Suit

Grant Gustin and Jessica Parker Kennedy, The Flash

Grant Gustin and Jessica Parker Kennedy, The Flash

Katie Yu, Katie Yu/The CW

We've gotten a lot of lightheartedness between Nora and Barry so far, but can we expect a shift where they sort of emotionally dig into what it meant for Nora to not have him around growing up?
Kennedy:
Totally. Nora has got a really big heart, and she's pretty keen and really enthusiastic, but she's kind of naive. I don't think she thought that any part of this would be difficult. I think she thought it would be really fun, like, "Oh, I didn't have my dad growing up, but I'll have him now and everything will be fine. Everything will be perfect." But that's not the way the world is... It gets complicated, and like I said, I think they surprise each other, positively and negatively. They have to figure out what their relationship is and what it means.

They're obviously keeping a big secret about Barry's future from the rest of the team. When that does come out, can we expect some fireworks?
Kennedy:
I can't really divulge any clues about that, but things that are difficult to say to people sometimes take a really long time to kind of come out.

How determined is Nora to change the past and make sure her dad doesn't disappear, considering she's been warned not to mess with big events?
Kennedy:
That's a theme throughout the first few episodes. Her mom and dad and the whole team is constantly explaining to her and expressing to her how important it is to keep the timeline the same as it is and not change the future. I think there's a big part of her that would love to figure out how to make it so that never happened, but at the same time, they can't change the timeline because they don't know what happens if they do. It's that element of what they're willing to accept about it and is it even possible to change? I don't know, that's something that throughout this season we'll just have figure out if that's something they want to do or don't want to do.

Are we going to dig into the mystery of why he disappeared and what actually happened?
Kennedy:
It's obviously something that they'll get into because everyone wants to know, and I'm sure he wants to know more and Nora wants to know more. I'm sure it's something they'll definitely be researching.

How much will Nora's future knowledge play into catching the bad guys every week, since we know she's a regular at the Flash museum?
Kennedy:
She's such a fangirl! Whatever is in the Flash museum, she knows about it forwards and backwards. She can tell you anything about other superheroes, other villains, she just knows everything. It's definitely something that is a useful bit of information, but that being said, there are moments when she wants to say something and they're just like, "No, no no no no, don't tell us! Timeline, timeline, timeline!"

What can you say about how Nora will factor into the overarching villain storyline with Cicada this year?
Kennedy:
I can't tease much about it. I can say it's definitely frightening for her. It's not someone where she's like, "Oh, no! This is not a big deal, this'll be great!" It's definitely frightening.

​Jessica Parker Kennedy, The Flash

Jessica Parker Kennedy, The Flash

Katie Yu, Katie Yu/The CW

The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

(Full Disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS, one of The CW's parent companies.)