The internet started freaking out when The Flash Season 3 came back from midseason break and Kid Flash donned a completely new look. Many thought the cool style upgrade was a nod to Wally West's long red locks flowing out of his cowl in the comic books, but it was actually Keiynan Lonsdale’s idea.
“I personally like to change my hair a lot and Christmas was coming up. I didn't cut my hair over Christmas because I was at home in Australia with my family,” Lonsdale told us a few weeks ago. “When I got back I was like, ‘Hey, do you think we can be really sneaky and keep growing it?’ And that’s what happened.”
Lonsdale, who recently had to get rid of his new purple hairstyle for The Flash Season 4’s first day of filming, thinks Wally’s hair is just another way to show Kid Flash is just a normal guy.
“It was really cool to see the response. I just did it for me. You know, characters are human too, they change too. Maybe he just decided to grow his hair out because he’s growing more into himself.”
Keiynan Lonsdale describes first seeing himself in the Kid Flash costume as “a beautiful day,” but that same day, fans were quick to criticize how Wally’s short hair didn’t protrude over the top of the mask as much as they would have liked. While the fanbase can be super critical, for the most part, Keiynan appreciates the passion for his character.
“I love the feeling it gives you,” Keiynan said when I asked about how he’s affected by fanboy culture. “There’s this crazy inspiration you get where you just feel like you relate to people and feel like you can conquer anything. I was actually thinking about this the other day, the difference between video game culture and comic book culture. With video game culture it’s very collaborative,” Lonsdale continued, after telling me he plays Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts during his free time.
“Sometimes with comic books, it’s yours, it so personal to you, but sometimes it means when things change or a character doesn’t look the way you thought they did it feel so personal to you and sometimes people don't want to let go of that and be more open to things changing. But at the same time, our fans have been really good with that there’s obviously been some struggles but it’s been a positive experience. I love how passionate they feel about what they do.”
Lonsdale isn’t afraid to try new looks, especially when it comes to his hair. He tried to get away with a red hairstyle before Season 4 filming began last week, but sadly, production shot it down. Regardless, we can all thank Keiynan Lonsdale for giving Wally West a cool, definitive look on The Flash. Check out Lonsdale’s approved look for next season below and let us know what you think in the comments!
Season 4 premieres Oct. 10 on The CW.
