Recently, Grant Gustin shocked Arrowverse fans by revealing a big change in his appearance ahead of The Flash season 7 kicking off next month. The Scarlet Speedster actor made clear that he’s spent his time in quarantine well and has been hitting the gym hard, resulting in him gaining some serious muscles. Gustin took to Instagram to share side-by-side photos of himself last year and how he looks now, with the difference being pretty startling.
In the caption to his post, he opened up about how his body transformation is tied into his efforts to improve his mental health. The star has discussed in the past about his life-long struggles with anxiety and depression, which have particularly flared up since he landed such a high-profile role. The pandemic’s been a tough time for many, but fans will be heartened to know that Gustin has been keeping busy by working on being happier with who he is.
Here’s what he had to say in his post:
“A little progress report from last season to this season. About 7 months ago I finally decided to break my cycle of not taking care of myself as well as I should,” Gustin wrote. “As many of you may know, I’ve had anxiety and sometimes depression for as long as I can remember. Over the last 7-10 years or so as I’ve been more of a ‘public figure’ and had a busier schedule, my anxiety only got worse. It has always had a terrible affect [sic] on my appetite and just motivation in general. Covid and the time to just be alone with myself a lot more really helped kickstart wanting to be a better me. That’s included eating better (and more), working out, daily meditation, and just trying to be more present and happy with who I am. It’s honestly one of the reasons you’ve seen a lot less of me on social media. For me personally, spending a lot of time on here can be like a black hole. It’s not usually the best use of my time or the best thing for my mental health.”
Gustin went on to tease that we’ll see a change in Barry Allen’s appearance under the Flash suit as soon as a couple of weeks into the new season, promising there will be “a little bit of beef” on the speedster’s frame.
“I will always be a work in progress, but I’m proud of myself for taking steps I wish I could’ve taken a long time ago to be a better version of myself physically and mentally – not only for myself but also for the people around me. All this to say, around episode 2 or 3 of season 7, Flash is gonna have a little bit of beef on his lanky frame. But more importantly I feel much happier and more present than I have in a long time.”
Like the rest of the Arrowverse series, The Flash was forced to wrap up its previous season prematurely, with season 7 kicking off by dealing with the dangling plot threads from last year. That means the opener will still see Barry struggling to save Iris from the Mirrorverse and battling Mirror Mistress all while running low on his speed following the destruction of the Speed Force.
The Flash 7×01 “All’s Wells That Ends Wells” debuts on Tuesday, March 2nd on The CW.
