Interview to Michael Smith – Multiplex in The Flash

We present an exclusive interview with the actor Michael Smith, who played the role of villain Multiplex in the 2nd episode of The Flash tv series. Smith worked on serial as Supernatural, Fringe and Psych.

How did you get involved in The Flash? Did you have to auction for the role of Danton Black/Multiplex?
My agent pushed just to get me seen for the part, and I auditioned for Danton Black in early July. A few days later, he told me not to get too excited as they were still looking at actors in L.A., but that they liked my audition, and needed to check dates for my availability. It was exciting to get the call that I booked it!

What can you tell us about this particular experience? And about the director, David Nutter, and the other members of the cast?
My first day at the production, though, I arrived at the studio and was kind of shepherded outside with about a dozen or so other guys. There, we were told something like this: “Ok, thanks for coming down. What we need is about six of you to be ‘our guy's' clones. Try and shadow him and get his mannerisms down, etc…” So I raise my hand when he asks if there's any questions, and I say, “Um, you guys are all stunt people, yeah?” Yep. “Ok, I'm in the wrong place!” It was a good way to break the ice with the guys who'd become my clone brothers, but I'd kept Mr. Nutter waiting! David is great. I'm a huge ‘Game Of Thrones' fan, and he's directed a bunch of episodes, including the famous “Rains of Castemere”, so I was a bit nervous to meet him, but he's very warm and a joy to work for.
As we got into production, it became clear that with the leak of the pilot, the second episode was beginning to be thought of as another premiere of sorts, and they really didn't want to sacrifice any of the “wow factor” they'd garnered from the pilot. The VFX really do seem to set a new bar for a comic book show on TV. They did an amazing job.
To create some of Multiplex's synchronized movement, we'd rehearse something, and when satisfied, use the audio from David's direction on playback. And do that a bunch of times, for each clone, to get the feel of the clones moving in unison.

Can you tell us some good stories about your experience?
It was a lot of fun to work with the stunt team, too, and Grant Gustin is an incredibly talented, hard working, and down-to-earth guy. He's only going to get better as the show goes on.

Your character died in the episode ending. But there's some hope to see again Multiplex in the future? In the comics, the bad guys always returns…
As for Multiplex's fate, who knows? There are a great many villains in the DC universe to keep Barry and his team busy for years. The writers are smart: they'll want to keep people on their toes, and we've already seen some gasp-inducing surprises. Just because a character has a familiar name from the comics, needn't mean the audience is going to get what they expect.

What about your future projects?
As for me, I'm super excited to have been part of this new hit show. I've a couple acting projects in the works, I have just been cast in “Falling Skies”, the post-apocalyptic alien invasion program produced by Steven Spielberg and I also study math and astronomy in my spare time. You might say that's the little bit of Danton Black in me