SUPER star
‘The Flash’ DANIELLE PANABAKER on going from Naperville to Hollywood — and always moving forward
Like lightning, Danielle Panabaker never strikes in the same place twice — at least when it comes to choosing roles. She’s played everything from the victim of a vicious piranha attack (“Piranha 3DD”) to a struggling Amish woman (“The Shunning”) to a drug-smuggling prisoner (“Justified”). But it’s her latest gig that’s putting her on the map: The actress is currently starring as bioengineer Caitlin Snow on The CW’s superhero hit “The Flash,” which premiered in October to nearly seven million viewers — making it the network’s most-watched premiere. “It’s really a treat and such a delight,” says Panabaker. “People know who The Flash is. Before [the show] started airing, people would ask what I was working on, and everybody already knows the guy who runs really fast.”
The role is fitting for the 27-year-old, who, like her character, hides a sharp intelligence behind her doeeyed façade. Growing up, Panabaker’s family moved across the country for her father’s sales job, from South Carolina to Texas to Pennsylvania to Georgia and, finally, Naperville. But their time here was short— only three years— and in 2003, Panabaker’s mother pulled the young actress and her sister from suburban Neuqua Valley High School to pursue acting in LA. Somehow, working full-time as an actress didn’t stop Panabaker from earning her diploma at age 14 or her bachelor’s degree from UCLA at age 19.“[My younger sister and I] were always studying. There was a point when we were starting out that we were in acting class seven days a week,” she remembers. “We’d go to school, which was independent study in the morning, then auditions, then class at night.”
Splitting the family between two cities became draining, though. “Eventually, my parents said,‘ We can’t support you forever, we can’t support two households. So we’ll pull you out of school for one year,’” Panabaker says. “At the end of that year, we either had to be successful actors or we’d be going home to Chicago.”
Fortunately, the acting jobs came quickly. Panabaker got her big break as Tick Roby on the HBO miniseries “Empire Falls” in 2005, alongside Ed Harris, Helen Hunt and Paul Newman; she credits the project with giving her the courage to pursue her dreams with full force. “I loved acting, but the art of auditioning is something that always challenged me,” she explains. “Being on set and creating and collaborating with people is my true passion, and that really came with ‘Empire Falls.’ It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
She then moved on to her now well-known Disney projects, “Stuck in the Suburbs” and “Sky High,” before landing a dramatic role on CBS’s 2006 show “Shark,” where she earned a loyal fan following. But when the show ended in 2008, she decided to leave the small screen for the silver screen, starring in a string of horror flicks like “Friday the 13th” and “Piranha 3DD.” It was business savvy, not bloodlust, that led to her taking such gory roles. “Those movies tend to do really well and make lots of money,” she explains. “The amount of money [‘Friday the 13th’] made is still surprising to me. At the end of the day, this is a business.”
That industry acumen has served Panabaker well over the last six years, and it’s the primary reason she decided to return to TV. “I did [films] for a while, and then as I got a little bit older, I wanted to be more settled,” she says. “Television is just such a steady gig compared to features and other sorts of guest work. It was a matter of finding the right project.” When the script for “The Flash” came to her attention last January, Panabaker jumped at the opportunity—“It’s nice to play a smart and talented woman with her own point of view and her own history,” she says— and within a week, she’d landed the job.
With this role, Panabaker is putting every bit of her high IQ to the test: Caitlin Snow is a scientist at S.T.A.R. Labs who helps Barry Allen (aka The Flash, played by Grant Gustin) manage his newfound super speed. Those familiar with the DC comic books will recognize that Caitlin Snow is much more than a wellmeaning book worm— she’s a villain-in-the-making. Down the line, she’ll become Killer Frost, able to freeze her enemies with a single touch. “Knowing what plans the producers have to continue the story line is really amazing,” Panabaker says. But she admits she’s not completely familiar with Killer Frost’s development. “I did check out the comic books, but to be totally honest, for me as an audience member it’s really fun to just read each [script] as they come.”
Only six episodes in, the show has already been picked up by The CW for a full 23-episode season. For her part, Panabaker is thrilled— and a little exhausted. “Truth be told, I don’t know if we’ve really had a chance to revel in it and celebrate,” she says. “We work at least 14 hours a day and often late nights. It certainly keeps us busy— I think we wrapped around 2:30 this morning.”
But the ambitious actress remains undeterred and just as driven as she was when she set off for Hollywood more than 10 years ago. In April, when she finds herself with some precious downtime, she says she’ll start seeking out her next challenge. “Maybe [I’ll film] a drama that’s a little grittier, or a comedy that’s a little bit lighter, just to keep me on my toes. I like the challenge, the diversity,” she says. “I’ll never settle down.”