Social Media and Behind the Scenes: AKA Everything Else Not "News and Media"

[foreverevolving]

ETA: this post below was originally posed in the laurel lance thread. and was relocated here by who is an admin. just in case anyone is a bit confused :-)

 

Okay so i caught up on reading this thread after not reading it for a couple of weeks - cause i'm not a laurel fan but it's a quiet night and i can't fall asleep, blame it on the coffee, so..- any way i got to the CC weekend posts and i just had to go and watch the panel again to look at Katie's answer... except this time instead of focusing on her i focused on the actors and EP's in the panel. here is my notes: the look the two EP and/or actors from Gotham gave is... they look about as shock and like "did she really just say that" sort of look- the second to the left guy (the creator i think they said?) was muttering something which i couldn't understand, but yea.. he looked shocked. Stephen reaction is pretty interesting too, while he looks her when she's speaking halfway through he turn back to the audience with a very tight smile, and clasps his hands on his knee, even PB didn't look so amused.

and than i listened to the guy from Constantin where he speaks how he read as many comics as possible to prepare for the role..

 

And i'm speechless- okay apparently not really judging by the length of this post- cause beyond the fact that we all see how it goes down on our screens, i felt this gush of irritation towards Katie for doing what i think should be a pivotal part of her job and that is Research! reading up as much as information as possible on the character she is portraying- because her character is not "from scratch" she has a base to work with. hack even the 15 year old girl who plays Salina Kyle on Gotham said she did some research and read the comics even though she's playing a younger version of the character. so if a 15 year old girl is smart enough to do (either alone or with the advice of her agent and/or parents) an actress in her late 20's who has been in the biz for a decade now ought to know to do this. (and my respect for the girl just went up like a million times)

so yea, my beef right now is not really Laurel but a huge professional disrespect for Katie. i'm not an actress, I'm a pastry chef (in training) first thing we are taught in labs is "mis en place" meaning: preparation you scale and organize your ingredients before starting to make the product. so yea, i'm just baffled by this lack of preparation, now even more after seeing the SDCC clip.

 

okay! end of rant.

hopefully this is the right place to place this, i still get slightly confused by the various forums so so different than the TWoP Arrow thread.(with that being said at least here my posts don't get deleted if i have some grammar and punctuation mistakes- english is not my first language).

Edited August 5, 2014 by foreverevolving

[Sakura12]

For me it's not even about researching the part, KC seems to not know anything about the character she's playing. She can never give any details about what she thinks Laurel is feeling or thinking. She just says "comics" when her character is nothing the comic counterpart, so if they haven't followed them so far why would they start now?

 

And who the fuck says "Did you read the comics" to the Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics? The entire panel looked embarrassed. 

[Velocity23]

Manu Bennett joins Fan Expo Canada line up. 

[SonofaBiscuit]

In that combined Arrow/Constantine/Gotham panel from SDCC, I love how enthusiastic John Barrowman was for SA to show his abs (it's around 58:25 in the video).  He's motioning for Stephen to "take it off!"  Actually, most people are laughing, encouraging him to take his shirt off, turning around to look at the big screen to get a better view of The Abs.  KC actually says "Do not take it off."  Pretty sure she said something about killing him too and then she hides her face as he proceeds to lift his shirt up.  I also saw a GIF of her online where she's saying, "It's really awkward when Stephen's shirt is off."  One: how could you not appreciate SA's abs and Two: I feel like a lot of this awkwardness from real life is responsible for the chemistry issues that SA/KC seem to have (IMO) on screen.

[Morrigan2575]

she does say, don't take it off, I'll kill you and then repeats don't take it off again.  

Edited August 5, 2014 by Morrigan2575

[calliope1975]

KC actually says "Do not take it off."  Pretty sure she said something about killing him too and then she hides her face as he proceeds to lift his shirt up.  I also saw a GIF of her online where she's saying, "It's really awkward when Stephen's shirt is off."  One: how could you not appreciate SA's abs and Two: I feel like a lot of this awkwardness from real life is responsible for the chemistry issues that SA/KC seem to have (IMO) on screen.

 

Interesting. I wonder if it's combined with the whole married/kid thing that makes her uncomfortable with him. Or maybe she just doesn't like it when dudes take their shirts off. I do remember laughing at an interview with EBR where she said if SA had his shirt off, it was going to be a good day at work. Different strokes...

[willpwr]

Oh wow, those Arrow figures! I want! Ahem, not for myself of course, but to pass along to my future kids. Yeah, that's it!

 

I felt embarrassed for KC in that panel, she just can't seem to fit in. It's comic con, that's the perfect place to geek out and have fun, not try to be cool or whatever it is she was going for. Telling someone you're gonna kill them if they take off their shirt seems a bit extreme especially amid all the cheering; I get that she was joking but she should work on her tone there.

 

ETA: If the whole married/kid thing bothers her that much then maybe she shouldn't be acting if she can't separate the actor's personal life from the character they're portraying.

Edited August 5, 2014 by willpwr

[SonofaBiscuit]

 

And on another note, these are someone's custom made Arrow figures.

 

 

Geez, it looks like Deathstroke's sword has some blood on it!  That's a little dark.  Who is the one on the far left supposed to be?  Is that Malcolm?

Edited August 5, 2014 by SonofaBiscuit

[Sakura12]

I don't get her with the married with kids things. Maybe she should stop acting now, because the older she gets the better chances she has with working with married actors with kids. 

 

Is that Malcolm?

 

Yes that's Malcolm. The one I was having trouble recognizing was Count Vertigo. 

Edited August 5, 2014 by Sakura12

[KirkB]

Was Stephen married when they started the show? If not never mind, but if he was and it's really that much of an issue for KC, why did she agree to join the cast in the first place knowing she was going to be romantically attached to his character?

Edited August 5, 2014 by KirkB

[wonderwall]

Quick Wiki check, it seems as though Amell was dating Cassandra when the show started but got married a couple of months later (December 2012). Regardless, I've never heard of an actor having such an issue as KC has. It doesn't make sense? I'm trying to give her the benefit of the doubt but I don't see how to do so... Someone helpppp

Edited August 5, 2014 by wonderwall

[Starfish35]

I'm inclined to think it may be more of a Stephen-specific issue, whatever it is. I didn't watch Harper's Island, but someone here said she was just fine with Chris Gorham, who is also married with kids.

ETA: interestingly enough, on Chris Gorham's IMDB page there's a quote where he talks about playing romantic scenes when married.

"For a single guy, I guess that [romantic] stuff is loads of fun. As a married guy, you loathe all the romantic storylines you have to do. It's strange to have your wife see you kissing someone else. I'm old-fashioned that way, but she was fine with it."

So KC isn't the only actor to have made such comments.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Starfish35

[TanyaKay]

I felt embarrassed for KC in that panel, she just can't seem to fit in. It's comic con, that's the perfect place to geek out and have fun, not try to be cool or whatever it is she was going for. Telling someone you're gonna kill them if they take off their shirt seems a bit extreme especially amid all the cheering; I get that she was joking but she should work on her tone there.

 

ETA: If the whole married/kid thing bothers her that much then maybe she shouldn't be acting if she can't separate the actor's personal life from the character they're portraying.

 

Katie is weird and the whole feeling uncomfortable with married dudes bit is nothing but a way to mask her inadequate acting abilities. I mean she had no problem climbing Christopher Gorham like a tree in Harper's Island and he was very married. Btw, they did shoot a couple of racy scenes and she was meh in those as well. I guess acting is not forte and she should concentrate on her fashion thing.

[calliope1975]

I guess I understand in a way, because being (fake) romantic with another person may affect another person (i.e. the spouse) versus "killing" someone on-screen, which could also be morally dubious. And while I understand there are all parts of jobs that people dislike, it is an actor's job to be another person. To inhabit a character. 

 

I suppose the only option would be to take roles that have no romantic story lines. I'm not trying to be bitchy; I complain about parts of my job that I don't like, but I have no desire to quit. 

 

It's just weird for me because I work with actors, and the majority of them just want to work. Any role. Any part. And now, I've rambled incoherently long enough.

[TanyaKay]

I'm inclined to think it may be more of a Stephen-specific issue, whatever it is. I didn't watch Harper's Island, but someone here said she was just fine with Chris Gorham, who is also married with kids.

ETA: interestingly enough, on Chris Gorham's IMDB page there's a quote where he talks about playing romantic scenes when married.

So KC isn't the only actor to have made such comments.

 

Yes, many actors may have issues but they do not go out and embarrass themselves or their co workers at Cons and public events. Jim Caviezal has always been open about his faith and how he tries to reconcile his Christianity with his work as an actor. He has made it very clear to anyone who casts him that he will not do love making scenes with a fellow actress. Yes, he has had a random kiss here and there but no make out scenes and I respect him for that. He gets it out there as a rule and people who wish to hire him know that in advance and still hire him.

Katie has not made it known if she is not cool with making out to the people who hire her, she performs romantic scenes and when she sucks at them, she blames it on the marital status of her co actor. I mean seriously? Who does that?

In any case, it was CW which does not have make out scenes for longer than 45 seconds. It is not like it's HBO with full frontal nudity and explicit sex, Jesus Christ!

Edited August 5, 2014 by TanyaKay

[willpwr]

I understand that there are many married actors that don't want to/won't do romantic scenes but that's why quite a few of them don't take romantic roles. Her comments are strange to me because she talks about how Laurel and Oliver are soul mates. Why take on a role with the expectations of being the romantic lead and then make negative comments about disliking that aspect of her job and then put down the male character's other potential love interests? If she didn't have an issue with Christopher Gorham then maybe as someone else opined, her issue might be with SA and not his marital status. He was married in December, they had already filmed a few episodes before that and personally I didn't see any chemistry from the very start. I just think she needs media training, she has footinmouthitis but doesn't seem to realize it.

[Sakura12]

KC took the role of romantic lead when she signed up for the part, did she expect Stephen to stay single for her so she can work with him? I think she's just trying to make excuses for her lack of acting ability and the fact that she doesn't put much thought into the character she's playing. Whenever someone asks her about Laurel all she says "read the comics". She's got nothing else to say about Laurel as a character. I'm beginning to think she's just lazy and expects to be handed everything without doing the work (which is exactly how she plays Laurel and that's why Laurel is a hard character to like she has no personality)

 

CL seems to have no problem answering questions and this is her first major role. She said kissing Stephen was like kissing a brother but she still managed to make it look like realistic. Because that's what acting is. If you are uncomfortable doing your job you should probably get a new job. 

Edited August 5, 2014 by Sakura12

[KirkB]

I suppose "I can't do romantic scenes with married guys" sounds better than "Geez, I can't stand this Amell guy" or "We don't click" but I still can't understand why the Arrow people apparently didn't do any screen tests with Amell and Cassidy to check their chemistry, considering they were intended to be the romantic leads of the show. Either they didn't, or they did and ignored the results. Either way, it's their own fault.

[Morrigan2575]

SA said he tested with a couple of other actors who read for Tommy but not Colin and non of the actors that were cast for the other roles.

I'm guessing the black hole of chemistry is why every other romantic or potentially romantic pairing since had tests. SA tested with Celina and Caity, Emily tested with Grant, Caity tested with Katrina.

Also, spoiler for S3

Emily tested with Brandon

[NumberCruncher]

I suppose "I can't do romantic scenes with married guys" sounds better than "Geez, I can't stand this Amell guy" or "We don't click" but I still can't understand why the Arrow people apparently didn't do any screen tests with Amell and Cassidy to check their chemistry, considering they were intended to be the romantic leads of the show. Either they didn't, or they did and ignored the results. Either way, it's their own fault.

Because they assumed that a popular, multiple CW TV show actress would handle the role without issue. I would even go so far to suggest that the network thought KC's popularity would be what brought in the ratings since SA was still an unknown actor at the time. I can't blame their logic but you're right that it was a huge mistake not to at least make sure there was sufficient chemistry between the lead actors.

Edited August 5, 2014 by NumberCruncher

[Carrie Ann]

I actually can kind of understand how the married-with-kids thing could come about. I haven't seen the specific interviews or panels where Katie went into this, but I will admit to feeling uncomfortable sometimes at the kinds of questions actors get regarding their love scenes. Like, it borders on Real Person Shipping land, even from journalists sometimes. And when one or both of them are in relationships, that feels awkward, and I can imagine it's easy to kind of go overboard defensively to indicate that you certainly DO NOT enjoy making out with someone else's husband. Double that if you aren't that close with your costar.

 

But it's easy to just deflect it to talk about the characters' relationship instead of how YOU personally feel about it. It's enough to say something like, "I love working with Stephen. I think Laurel and Oliver blah blah blah..." Same goes for the Black Canary questions, etc. Talk to the producers about what they want you to reveal, and come up with your stock answers, run them by your PR people if you feel it's necessary. Then put those answers to work.

[scarynikki12]

I will admit to feeling uncomfortable sometimes at the kinds of questions actors get regarding their love scenes

 

 

This is my second biggest issue with cons (the biggest is the idiot stans who spend the whole time screaming and making it hard to for panelists to answer questions)!  For every panel that has a good moderator who asks about characterization, plot, themes, cinematography, etc, there seems to be three that have mods who only care about when characters are going to hook up, what the actors and producers think about said characters hooking up, whether the actors ship the characters they play, if the audience wants to see characters hooking up, how often the actors show skin, and so on.  It's to the point that I'll just pull out my phone and start texting this annoyance to my entire phonebook (which prompts plenty of confused responses as very few of my real life friends even know what Comic Con is, much less has any interest in it).  For example, as much as I enjoy looking at Amell's abs myself, I do think it's super inappropriate for him to be asked to show them in the first place, then to be pressured into it once he's already said no.  On that point I agreed with Katie.  The only thing more inappropriate would have been for the moderator to ask the question.  If Amell had brought it up and lifted his shirt to show how effective his Arrow training still is, then I'd have no issue because it would be coming from him.  But that one guy who brought it up annoyed for the same reason it annoys me when the fans won't shut up at certain panels: this is an opportunity to interact with the actors and producers of the shows, to ask them questions about their intent and approach to their craft and all you (general) care about is how hot they are/getting them to take their shirts off?  Really? 

 

At the signing this year I actually had a few moments to talk to the actors as I was fortunate to be behind two deaf attendees who were very eager to converse with them (and the Warner Bros workers didn't seem to mind for once), so moving through the line took longer.  I couldn't think of anything decent to say to the actors until I got to Blackthorne (he, Barrowman and Marc G were last) so all I said was that I loved the show and that I was looking forward to the new season.  Had I known I was going to have more time I would have tried to come up with a little bit of conversation related to Oliver, Diggle, Thea, and Roy so that I wasn't just standing there waiting for the line to move.  But, I would never have turned to Amell and said "since I'm standing here for a moment, how about you show us those abs and give everyone a thrill?", because that is so completely inappropriate (not that I'd have objected if he'd done that on his own, I am human after all).  My rule for panels is thus: if the questions can't live up to the standard set by Hannibal, Breaking Bad, Orphan Black, Supernatural*, and My Little Pony**, then the moderator isn't doing his/her job.

 

*I was shocked last year when the questions were all about characterization and plot because I was expecting their rabid fans to spend the hour screaming their love for the actors but they were quiet and respectful.

 

**I sat through it on the way to Orphan Black and, yes, it's a kids show but everyone was interested in what the characters were going to do next and what kinds of stories would be told.

 

From what I've seen at the panels preceding seasons 1 and 2, Arrow does a good job in general.  The moderator asks relevant questions, the audience is generally respectful, and it doesn't get derailed by the vocal few.  I want this to continue so, hopefully, the abs question was only at the DC event and won't become a thing.

[SilverLake0315]

Manu Bennett joins Fan Expo Canada line up. 

 

Just for clarity's sake - he'll only be there Thursday and Friday (he won't be there when Stephen is).

[wingster55]

I still have never seen the original source of Katie saying that she was uncomfortable. She certainly wouldn't say it to make excuses for any poor acting (who thinks they're a poor actor in seriousness? To be one you kinda have to have a lot of faith I think).

As for the shirt thing...the "I will kill you" bit was odd but it wasn't exactly the most appropriate venue to do it. Would you expect that at TCA or Paley?

[quarks]

Part of the problem is that even in the media cons (as opposed to the smaller, purely fan run cons) moderators aren't trained. Nor, for that matter, are panelists.  You kinda get your schedule and that's it, when you're lucky. And while in theory the moderators are supposed to know something about the panel subject, in my experience, that has definitely not always been true. 

[TanyaKay]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TxZlOikhQQ

No one asked KC about love making scenes at a con, she volunteered all that during a TV interview in Australia. Not only she went on and on, she also said that Stephen Amell was nervous. Stephen also mentioned this particular scene in one of his FB Q&As and the way he told this story, there was no mention of any awkwardness or nervousness. It is all Katie. During this interview she also called Felicity a comic relief which was such a catty thing to do.

And it was not just once, she did it again in another interview with Barrowman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akh59tmIFek

 and then she mentioned the same scene in a couple of other cons that I am too lazy to look for. The point is, she mentions that scene again and again even when no one asks her about it. Honestly, if I was doing PR for KC, I would either lock her up or would make sure that she memorize a stock of 22 answers and does not veer away from the script. What her team did was that they ensured that no one would video record her public appearances. They got away with that at smaller cons but Katie embarrassed herself, in a rather spectacular fashion, at SDCC with asking Geoff Johns if he has read comics and then screaming at Stephen Amell to not take his shirt off and then telling him that she will kill him if he does. Stephen Amell was obviously shaking in his boots.

[catrox14]

I find it so annoying that KC seemed to think she really had any control over SA showing his abs. And if she was going for the joke of 'Ewww ' that failed. And if she was going for the joke of 'I'm your OTP in the show and you can't show your skin " then oh girl you best wake up.  I mean WTF? \

[manbearpig]

I don't think it's any more annoying than someone asking to see Amell's abs*, or other Arrow cast members encouraging him to lose his shirt in a public venue. She made a joke that may have backfired, and she was uncomfortable when her co-star was asked to display his abs. Not a big deal, in my opinion.

 

*I mean, he spent about half of season one shirtless anyway, just watch the DVD.

Edited August 6, 2014 by manbearpig

[catrox14]

It's a comic -con panel. It's all about putting your best foot forward and teasing and playing with the audience.  KC had no business throwing a wet blanket on that merriment.  So yeah I think she was  out of line there.  It wasn't like he was going to drop trou and show his underwear,(mores the pity). He's not Barrowman! /shaking fist

Edited August 6, 2014 by catrox14

[formerlyfreedom]

Stop with the hate, folks. Posts have been deleted. We've been over this.

 

ETA: If you need a refresher, go read the Notes from the Mods post please. If you have questions, please PM @Lisin, @SilverStormm, and . If you PM one of us, the other two WILL be added to the conversation.

[wonderwall]

I feel like instead of talking about where Katie went wrong when (that's a lot of W's lol), it would be better to just ignore her. Katie won't change, she will always be a little inappropriate when it comes to public appearances and nothing will change that and while her acting choices leave a lot to be decided, there's no way KC will quit the show nor will the writers give her less importance. I think it's better to show apathy in this case because then you'll just be adding to the KC noise. 

[foreverevolving]

Yes I found the "i will kill you" comment odd, a more appropriate comment would have been to simply say- even quietly to him: "Stephen you don't have to do if you don't want to" or something similar- that's what i would do if it were a friend or a co-worker.

although in all honestly i feel as if Stephen really took it in stride and realized the panel "peer pressure" was a minor peer teasing- i'm sure they do these like that on set all the time. i mean even Emily raised her hand! and i think a couple of the guys too. in fact i would go as far as to say, that had he not wanted to do it he would not have done it. in fact i would go as far as to say his "no" was really weak, he didn't really fight the request. he could have put his foot down saying it wasn't appropriate with kids in the audience and so on. (BTW seriously who let's kids into such panels? i was kind of shock by the barely tween kid who watches Arrow!! i really feel like the show should be pushed to the 9pm time slot, but that's besides the point)

[Velocity23]

Another cast photo after the ladies had wardrobe changes. 

[Password]

Why do the women at Comic Con dress up and the men don't?

[quarks]

, I would LOVE to know the answer to that question. I keep seeing this happen at so many cons!

 

(She says, after packing dress up clothes for her upcoming conventions.)

[SonofaBiscuit]

Why do the women at Comic Con dress up and the men don't?

 

I'm wondering if the men actually believe that they are dressed up.  I see it all the time...the girls will have on dresses and the boys will wear cargo shorts and polo shirts/T-shirts.  The Arrow women had wardrobe and hair changes and some of the men are dressed like they are going to Walmart!  (Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the guys could have put in a little more effort). 

 

Also, Emily always has the cutest shoes!

[icandigit]

I will say that I was loving the shirts DR was wearing, where it really showed off his physique. I approve of his wardrobe choices most of the time anyway.

[JenMD]

@Velocity23, thanks for the cast photo!  I think that's the first one of seen of the whole gang from that night.  I was wondering what the Caity's dress looked like, it's very cute (kind of got a '60's vibe, I like it).

 

Also, Emily always has the cutest shoes!

I'm pretty sure those are Felicity's shoes, ones she's been wearing with some frequency back to S1.  They must be pretty comfortable.  :-)

[Velocity23]

It was hard to find one with whole cast on it. 

[foreverevolving]

Loving Emily's shoes (i want a pair for myself!) as well as Willa and Caity's dresses (i love colorful dresses)

and i agree i don't understand the outfits things, especially since Barrowman had a suit on earlier that day if i remember correctly.

Edited August 6, 2014 by foreverevolving

[ban1o]

even that one doesn't have thee whole cast. 

[Velocity23]

Ugh i didn't even notice Colton missing x.x 

[Velocity23]

Q & A with Arrow cast part 1

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=436044859866885&set=vb.104137579724283&type=3&theater

[Velocity23]

TV Guides Comic Con Video:

 

[Velocity23]

 

I cant stop laughing at the tags of Arrows tumblr account 

[Velocity23]

I know i made the mistake earlier to think whole cast was on the pic! But what is the writers excuse LMAO

 

Edited August 6, 2014 by Velocity23

[Starfish35]

Oops. Lol. ;)

[statsgirl]

That's a great tag.  I wish Moira were still around so that we could see it.

 

 

"They have so much chemistry, it's literally insane," he explained. "If they were our friends in real life, we would all be going, 'Dude, why aren't you two together?'

There are other women on the show, like Amanda Waller, that he won't have had a relationship with.

" As you probably already know, the character of Felicity Smoak wasn't part of the plan in the beginning – or even when they first introduced her. "Once we saw those dailies and we saw what Emily [bett Rickards] did to Stephen [Amell], especially early on, it was just this thing that just kept growing and growing and growing," he shared.

It's been argued that they teased Oliver and Felicity together because the fans wanted them, the infamous "fan pandering" accusation. This interview shows that it was the EPs and other people on the show who pushed it.  The fans agreed 2 months later when the episodes aired.

Edited August 6, 2014 by statsgirl

[Sakura12]

That pic looks like the whole cast to me. Or at least what it should look like. 

[NumberCruncher]

Yeah it's interesting that now 2 of the 3 EPs have emphatically stated it wasn't fan response that made Felicity Smoak (and Olicity) such a prominent part of the show--which makes complete sense given that they already had so many episodes filmed and in the can before the audience even saw that much of her.  I don't even worry about people using the fan pandering term anymore--I'm just glad the producers saw a good thing and went with it.

 

One of the things I liked about Andrew Kreisberg's interview was that he kept repeating how plans change when you're creating a show which is an attitude that I really appreciate.  There's nothing more frustrating to a viewer than when the creators don't change along with the dynamics of what's happening on screen.  Obviously they shouldn't let fans dictate storylines, but if their tunnel vision causes the quality of the show to suffer and you end up with HIMYM levels of pissed-off viewers then what's the point?  I understand artistic vision and all, but at the end of the day these shows are businesses providing products to consumers.  I think GB, MG, and AK are savvy enough to understand that regardless of those who constantly shove the fan pandering accusation in their faces.  They saw something interesting in EBR's portrayal and thought the audience would too (and it certainly did).  I love those moments of serendipity.

Edited August 6, 2014 by NumberCruncher