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IMAGINE, if you will, a real-life Earth-2 in which The Flash pilot is set to air yet instead of Candice Patton starring as Iris West, it’s someone else.

This unthinkable situation could have been a reality as the star of CW’s smash TV superhero series revealed she almost quit acting.

The 28-year-old Mississippi native admits things came perilously close to unfolding that way during the early days in her fledgling career. But she insists her love of the craft and the support of her parents helped her realise her dreams. And she’s not looking back.

Candice said: “I’m quite dramatic and emotional, so this was the only job where I wouldn’t get fired or be thought of as crazy.

“My parents have always advocated doing what I love to do. My dad has always said, ‘Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life’. It’s important for them to see me go fiercely after something I love. Even when I thought of quitting, they were vehemently against it.”

So what was it that sparked the thoughts of giving it up? Candice said: “After enough rejection, you get disheartened. I was certainly at a point where I was seriously thinking about doing something else. However, my parents were the voice of reason. I also didn’t have a plan B, so maybe that’s also why I didn’t quit.”

Thankfully, for everyone invested in the show of superheroes, meta-humans and the impact they have on the mortals of the world, Candice has made the role of Iris her own. A strong, intelligent African-American woman who knows when to after what she wants, or let things happen organically, the last we saw of Iris in season two, she was telling the Flash aka Barry Allen (played wonderfully by Grant Gustin) how she feels about him but lets him go off to fight his biggest battle.

Candice, who admits she didn’t read comics as a kid, insists it’s a dream to have been cast in the show and she’s relishing the story as it unfolds.

She said: “Iris is the Lois Lane of The Flash. It’s a really special role. Knowing they were willing to offer it to an African American – Iris is traditionally white – I knew how important this would be for so many people.

“The world in which we live is diverse and I think television and film should reflect that. It has been slow to do that but we’re lucky enough to have executive producers like Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and Geoff Johns who are fearless in creating diverse TV. Fans really respond to that because our show looks like the world they live in.

“It’s been a dream. We have a really great cast and enjoy what we do. On top of all that, for it to be the success it has been has been quite magical. I’m really lucky that we’re going into the third season and that for two seasons we’ve been able to keep our fan-base.”

It’s evident while watching the show, which airs on Sky1 in the UK, that the cast are having a blast. There’s the funny and sweet tech guy Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes), the smart Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), protective father and cop Joe West (Jesse L Martin) and the mysterious Dr Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh). Even the introduction of Wally West aka Kid Flash (Kenyan Lonsdale) has been seamlessly executed.

During her audition to play Iris, Candice admits she set herself and Grant at ease by tickling him. That relaxed chemistry is reflected on screen and she says it also extends to their lives away from the set?

Candice said: “We have a lot of fun. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. When the cameras cut off, we’re all just joking around and playing card games, playing hackey sack. We see each other outside of work and keep up with what each other’s doing during the hiatus between seasons as well.”

In a universe full of people with bizarre and dangerous powers, is there any sign of Iris becoming a meta-human? Candice isn’t sure, but she’s delighted to be the human heart of the story.

She said: “I enjoy Iris being the human heart of the story. Her and Joe are the voice of the audience, who don’t have superpowers. I’m not in a rush to suit up. I wouldn’t turn it down, but it’s important to have the human heart element on a show like ours. Legends of Tomorrow is about the all-star team but ours is about living in a world full of superheroes when you’re a mere mortal.”

And what about the burgeoning relationship between Iris and Barry?

“I enjoy the will they-won’t they aspect of the story,” says Candice. “Whether they can drag that out, I don’t know. But we see that Grant and Iris are destined to be together. They always find each other. It’s important we didn’t rush the relationship. I’ve enjoyed watching that develop over time.”

The Flash season two is out on DVD and Blu-ray now.