Read About: The CW’s hit show ‘The Flash’ Star, Keiynan Lonsdale And His Connection To His Nigerian Roots

In the sophomore season of The CW’s hit show, The Flash, we were introduced to Wally West — played by the charming singer and actor, Keiynan Lonsdale — who would later become the beloved superhero, Kid Flash.

While Lonsdale was glad to be a part of one of the most popular shows on TV, his very first scene — which had his character meet his estranged father for the first time — was a bittersweet moment for him, as he also didn’t get to meet his Nigerian father until later in his life.

Speaking with us about meeting his father, Lonsdale said:

“It was just the family dynamic. I hadn’t met him until I was 10 and he’d come back to Australia from Nigeria and my Mum found him and I got to meet him.”

About how that affected his performance as Wally West/Kid Flash, he continued:

“I was like ‘this is so surreal, this is so strange’. It’s been really interesting playing a character going through something I went through when I was younger (and) how differently he handles it.”

Although Lonsdale has made it clear that he doesn’t have a relationship with his father — unlike what his character was able to cultivate with his dad, Joe West — he still proudly embraces his roots and even communicates with his fans from Nigeria.

According to the actor, his bond with his Nigerian fans has gotten stronger since he publicly opened up about his sexuality. Last year, Lonsdale announced that he was bisexual in a heartfelt Instagram post, declaring that he’s “not faking shit anymore”.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter about that, Lonsdale said:

“I have kids contact me from Nigeria. I’m part Nigerian, and now they can see someone on TV and reach out to me on social media from the other side of the world.

It’s amazing. To hear them say they feel better about themselves, it means the world to me.”

You can catch Lonsdale as Kid Flash on The CW’s Legends Of Tomorrow — he recently left Team Flash for the Waverider.