Interview: LaMonica Garrett on The Monitor’s ‘Elseworlds’ Crossover Role and ‘Arrowverse-Altering’ Easter Eggs

The Arrowverse’s annual crossover, which kicks off this weekend and includes The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl, is set to be a game-changing one. Not only are we getting Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) and Batwoman (Ruby Rose), who are both appearing for the first time in the shared universe, but it’s also introducing The Monitor (LaMonica Garrett), a character who plays a role in Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and Oliver Queen’s (Stephen Amell) identity-swap. For comic book fans, his character also brings to mind “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” something the DCTV world seems to be building towards.

Ahead of the three-night crossover, titled “Elsewords,” I got the chance to speak with LaMonica Garrett about his role as The Monitor, how his character comes into play, and what fans can look forward to the most.

The Young Folks: You’ll be playing The Monitor in the “Elseworlds” crossover this year. He’s described as an “extraterrestrial being of infinite power.” What can you tell us about this live-action adaptation of the character?

LaMonica Garrett: The wardrobe, hair and make-up department did an excellent job with The Monitor’s appearance. The writers did a tremendous job with bringing in a good amount of backstory of The Monitor without having to go back billions of years to his time on OAs moon fighting his brother. Before “Crisis on Infinite Earths” (COIE), The Monitor appeared in different comics in the shadows as a weapons dealer to villains. He became one of the greatest heroes in the DC mythology, but he went about it in his own way. So I think we’ve been pretty comic book accurate with The Monitor’s live-action adaptation.

How did you get involved in the crossover? What was the casting process like? 

Once I found out my character would not be returning to Designated Survivor, I was pretty bummed out about it. One door closes, another opens. About a week later my manager got a call from David Rappaport, casting director. After a few auditions, I landed the part. A couple days later I’m on a flight to Vancouver to meet with the wardrobe department.

What’s been the most exciting aspect of playing The Monitor and of being a part of the DCTV universe?

One of the most exciting parts of playing the Monitor is bringing a character of this magnitude to life for the first time, as well as an introduction into the Arrowverse crossovers, which have been fan favorites, and wildly successful. And overall just being able to jump in this well-oiled machine that Greg Berlanti’s created on The CW. Amazing casts and crews, with a working environment that’s fun to show up to each day.

How does The Monitor come into play in the crossover? Is he a major player and does he get any face-to-face interaction with The Flash, Supergirl, Green Arrow, and Batwoman at any point? 

The Monitor shows up in the crossover similar to his character pre-COIE. He gives a reality-altering book to [Arkham Asylum] Dr. John Deegan (Jeremy Davies) and chaos ensues. This book will be a focal point throughout the crossover. The Monitor does interact with most of the heroes during the crossover. Some more than others.

The Monitor has been in the middle of major continuity changes in the history of DC Comics. We also know that there might be an adaptation for “Crisis on Infinite Earths” down the line. Will this be a one-time gig for you or are you set to return to the Arrowverse at some point in the future?

I’m not too sure what the future holds for The Monitor. As a comic book junkie, there’s nothing I would love more than to see COIE play out in live-action on DCTV. I’m excited to see how the fans react to the crossover and I guess we’ll go from there.

Without spoiling anything, what’s something you can tease about the crossover you think fans will be most excited for?

I think the fans will be most excited about the Easter eggs that are going to be laced throughout the crossover for those paying close attention. Arrowverse-altering type Easter eggs.

The three-night “Elseworlds” crossover will begin with The Flash on Sunday, December 9 at 8/7c on The CW, followed by parts two and three on Monday and Tuesday with Arrow and Supergirl, respectively.