It is hard to imagine anyone else as Barry Allen, but Grant Gustin was not even sure he wanted to audition for The Flash back in the day. Although he eventually became the face of the superhero series, Gustin recently shared an interesting detail about his journey to becoming the Scarlet Speedster. At the time, Gustin struggled to picture himself in the role, largely because he did not think he looked the part. Neither the role nor the storyline nor the character was enough to convince Gustin to take the plunge.

Instead, it was a renowned name behind the scenes that ultimately persuaded him to give it a shot.

Grant Gustin recently reunited with the Arrowverse fandom at the Across the Arrowverse panel at New York Comic Con. There, the actor revealed that he was initially reluctant to audition for The Flash, which ran from 2014 to 2023. However, the involvement of veteran television director David Nutter changed his outlook.

"The audition went well, and then [executive producer] David Nutter was in my callback, who is considered to be the pilot king," said Gustin, as reported by PEOPLE.

"He’s the nicest man in the world. He called me after my callback that he had been in and basically was like, ‘I want you to get this," Gustin continued, as per PEOPLE.

David Nutter's reputation as the 'Pilot King' did not come out of nowhere. Of the 24 television pilots he directed so far, 21 went on to become full-fledged series. He also achieved a streak of 16 consecutive pilots being picked up by networks, with hits like Smallville, Supernatural, and The Mentalist among his credits.

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Nutter helped kick-start the Arrowverse with Arrow’s 2012 pilot, then continued shaping its future by directing the first two episodes of The Flash.

The Flash was not initially destined for a pilot of his own. The CW planned to introduce Barry Allen through Arrow season 2, using a backdoor pilot to test the waters. But David Nutter’s vision, combined with Grant Gustin’s performance, gave the network a change of heart. And soon, The Flash became an instant CW hit when it debuted in October 2014.

Its 4.8 million viewers made it The CW’s most-watched series premiere in five years, while its 1.9 rating among adults aged 18–49 put it ahead of freshman comedies on ABC and Fox. The premiere’s reach further extended well beyond its initial broadcast, topping 13 million views across television and digital streaming platforms in its first week.

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What do you think about Grant Gustin's turn as the Flash? Let us know in the comments!