'Teen Wolf' actor Ryan Kelley previously opened up to TVLine about saying no to showrunner Jeff Davis' offer to discover the supernatural identity of his character, Parrish, in season four, explaining that he might portray his role in a different manner if he knows the truth.
Since Parrish's secret will be unveiled before the end of 'Teen Wolf' season five, Kelley is now fully aware of what his character really is. However, he admitted that he was not necessarily surprised by the honest truth.
In a recent interview with TVLine, the 28-year-old actor called to the mind the moment he learned about Parrish's real identity.
"I think Jeff just randomly walked up to me while I was passing time by myself on set. He just hit me with it, then walked away like nothing happened," Kelley said.
The news was not a big surprise for him as Parrish's supernatural identity is a creature that the actor has already heard before.
"I'm a big nerd, so there are a lot of things I'd been speculating about, which I don't think people would have known," Kelley shared. "I love everything supernatural, Greek mythology, all that. I had a pretty good handful of things I thought Parrish was, so it didn't shock me."
Fans have already put forward different theories on what Parrish's identity could be as he opened up to Sheriff Stilinski (Linden Ashby) in season three, saying that he moved to Beacon Hills because he felt "drawn" to the town.
Some fans are associating Parrish with a dragon-like nature. Fire cannot get rid of dragons, and Parrish was not killed when Deputy Haigh (Lou Ferrigno, Jr.) set him on fire in 'Teen Wolf' season four.
Others believe that Parrish could be an ifrit, known as a fire-related supernatural creature who takes part in the Arab culture. Parrish does have a connection to the Arabs as he is a veteran who used to serve in the Middle East before turning into a deputy sheriff in the California town.
Meanwhile, comparing the character to Kira (Arden Cho), Parrish is also being speculated as a kitsune who has orange eyes. There are 13 various types of Kitsune that are introduced in the 'Teen Wolf' universe, hence the possibility that Kira and Parrish do not belong in the same category of kitsune.
Looking into the different kinds, only five of these kitsune types have been identified in the series, particularly the celestial, wild, ocean, thunder and nogitsune. While Kira is a thunder kitsune, Parrish could be a fire kitsune because of his immunity to fire.
However, the most well-liked speculation is that Parrish is a Phoenix. After surviving the fire set by Deputy Haigh, Parrish was spotted going back to the sheriff's station having no clothes on and covered in ash.
Being resistant to fire, fans are speculating that he might be comparable to a phoenix, a supernatural creature that also symbolizes infinity as suggested by its continuous cycle of death and regeneration
The last episode of 'Teen Wolf' also posed the question as to whether Parrish could be a villain. Kelley says he is fine if he becomes an antagonist in the show.
"I'm OK with him being evil, as long as I live. I just don't want to get killed off," he said.
