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

[tv echo]

From the press room roundtable interview with AK at SDCC 2014...

Quote

While there may be fans that want to see these characters take that next step, there are others who prefer to see them stay friends, but the EP hopes that this will "feel like an evolution." "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.

http://www.examiner.com/article/arrow-season-3-ep-andrew-kreisberg-on-oliver-and-felicity-and-their-date

[quarks]

1. Just to clarify, I don't think that the expense of filming courtroom scenes was the only or even the main reason why Laurel's role was reduced on the show, but it was an added consideration.

2. I believe that the producers did discuss killing off Laurel at the end of the first season, and decided not to for whatever reason. Instead, they firmly killed off the unpopular Tommy/Laurel/Oliver triangle by killing off Tommy, ending the original plan for the show.

3. That was just the end of ending that original plan. Arrow started retooling the show after the pilot, and made its first massive changes while still filming episode 2. You can see this in episode 6 - blocked before episode 2 was filmed, and scripted during the filming of that episode. It features the first major shifts to the show:

- Laurel's screentime was massively reduced, with Diggle rising to the second lead position, a role he would hold except during a short period in the second season when David Ramsey was also filming Blue Bloods. At this point, Arrow also started keeping Oliver and Laurel apart, with multiple episodes where the two of them never interacted on screen together; in later episodes, when they did, they were often framed in separate shots.

- Tommy lost the remainder of his scummy qualities, and was framed in a caring, compassionate and vulnerable light, as part of the continued shift away from the initial "Tommy goes evil and becomes Oliver's greatest enemy" plot. (Quite literally - the camera filters and lighting were changed.)

- Oliver, instead of working solo, begins working in a team with Diggle and Felicity.

4. Episode 4 was the episode where Felicity was paired up with Walter, demonstrating that episode 3 wasn't just a fluke, and that EBR could work with multiple cast members, allowing Arrow to start considering her for a regular role.  

It was also the episode with the arguably worst Oliver/Laurel scene of the entire series, a scene with only one positive angle: it introduced us to Starling City's most popular roof, a roof which has gone on to star in not one, but three separate shows. I eagerly await its appearance on Supergirl.

5. Episode 7 was the episode that introduced Helena and tested Laurel on a date with Tommy. It was, I think, the final deathknell in the minds of the producers, since it demonstrated that both Oliver and Laurel sparked more on screen with other characters.

6. Episode 8 was blocked during the filming for episode 3. The first draft was written during the filming for episode 4, and yes, episode 8 is the one with Diggle's speech about finding the person who's the right fit and cutting directly to Felicity. At that point, Arrow was almost certainly considering her for the main love interest role, while still testing Helena and, later, McKenna and, to a lesser extent, Shado, for the role.

[ohjoy]

2 HOURS AGO, QUARKS SAID:

4. Episode 4 was the episode where Felicity was paired up with Walter, demonstrating that episode 3 wasn't just a fluke, and that EBR could work with multiple cast members, allowing Arrowto start considering her for a regular role. 

It was also the episode with the arguably worst Oliver/Laurel scene of the entire series, a scene with only one positive angle: it introduced us to Starling City's most popular roof, a roof which has gone on to star in not one, but three separate shows. I eagerly await its appearance on Supergirl.

Aaaagghhh that first rooftop scene -- I remember the discussions I read of how utterly ridiculous the blocking and dialogue in that scene was. It might have been the deathknell of O/L for me personally -- up til then I figured it was just boring/stupid but inevitable, but I cringed and groaned so much at that rooftop scene that I knew I'd never be fully sold on their pairing.

Edited June 20, 2016 by RandomMe

[tv echo]

I came across this old interview and though it was interesting... David Rapaport, current Casting Director for Arrow, Flash, LoT, Supergirl and Riverdale, sat down with the Virtual Channel Network in 2009 to discuss television casting in general...

INSIDE CASTING with David Rapaport

Edited June 20, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

This is also interesting (this panel took place during summer 2013 and mentioned Arrow casting)...

The Comic-Con Casting Director Panel Featuring Randi Hiller, Lora Kennedy, Sharon Bialy, Roger Mussenden & David Rapaport
By Lance Carter on August 1, 2013
http://www.dailyactor.com/news/casting-director-panel-randi-hiller-lora-kennedy-sharon-bialy-roger-mussenden-david-rapaport/

Quote

Interesting quotes and thoughts from the panelists:

• David: “There are about 45 people who have to sign off on one co-star.”
• David: “Sometimes you can’t have 2 blondes in one scene”
• Roger: “Usually the right person gets the job”
• Sharon on auditioning for day player roles: “Your job is to move the story forward. It’s not about you.”
• David just wants you to be professional.
• As a whole, they want to know what makes you unique. Just do good work and you’ll rise to the top. They’ll respond to that.
• David: “You’re never auditioning for the role at hand. You’re always auditioning for something in the future.”
• Sharon said that Norman Reedus bombed his Walking Dead audition and that some “voices” from Breaking Bad executives didn’t originally think Aaron Paul could act.

7:34 - Rapaport was asked how many people he saw for Arrow. He replied that SA was the first person who auditioned and they tested him "pretty much the next day" and he was the only person they tested and "that never, ever happens." He added that they "got so lucky" with SA and that it took them about five weeks to cast the rest of the pilot.

And here's a December 2014 interview with David Rapaport (talks about how he casts, what he looks for in casting, and tips on how to get cast - he does mention Arrow, Flash and Supergirl)...

Shelley Carney Interviews Casting Director David Rapaport

Edited June 20, 2016 by tv echo

[Velocity23]

[quarks]

11 hours ago, RandomMe said:

Aaaagghhh that first rooftop scene -- I remember the discussions I read of how utterly ridiculous the blocking and dialogue in that scene was. It might have been the deathknell of O/L for me personally -- up til then I figured it was just boring/stupid but inevitable, but I cringed and groaned so much at that rooftop scene that I knew I'd never be fully sold on their pairing.

Netflix noted that most people stop watching Arrow after episode two, episode four, or episode seven. If they make it to episode nine, they're good. I'd love to know just how many of those people are stopping right after that episode four rooftop scene. 

[Chaser]

Can someone refresh my memory about the rooftop scene?

I have condition that causes me to forget 95% of Laurel and Oliver interaction.

[zain]

I have seen it stated on this forum on more than one occasion that Katie Cassidy had at one time said she didn't bother to read any comic books as research into the character during the first couple of seasons because Laurel wasn't yet Black Canary, or something to that effect, but I have never seen a direct quote. Does anyone have it, or know during which interview or panel she said it?

[dtissagirl]

44 minutes ago, zain said:

I have seen it stated on this forum on more than one occasion that Katie Cassidy had at one time said she didn't bother to read any comic books as research into the character during the first couple of seasons because Laurel wasn't yet Black Canary, or something to that effect, but I have never seen a direct quote. Does anyone have it, or know during which interview or panel she said it?

I googled Katie Cassidy + "have you read the comics", and voila! First result:

https://danielcribb.com/2014/06/18/cover-story-katie-cassidy-arrow/

Quote

“A lot of people asked me, ‘Have you read the comics?’ – and I felt that Laurel Lance isn’t Black Canary. Yeah I definitely did my homework when I was meeting with [writers/producers] Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim but at the same time, I want to be true to where my character lives in that specific moment so I haven’t gone ahead and read too much about it because Laurel Lance hasn’t become the Canary at this point so I’m trying to keep her as grounded and real as possible. I do feel like she’s the heart of the show… If and when Laurel becomes the Black Canary I will do far more research into the comic.”

This was the hiatus between S2 and S3, btw.

Edited June 20, 2016 by dtissagirl

[Chaser]

I understand the 'I don't want to read ahead' concept but it doesn't make sense. Okay Laurel wasn't BC but she was Dinah (ignoring the fact that Laurel was Rachel Dawes since they are).

Also, what homework would you have done then? Wikipedia summary?

[Delphi]

Maybe they had her watch Batman Begins. 

[quarks]

1 hour ago, Chaser said:

Can someone refresh my memory about the rooftop scene?

I have condition that causes me to forget 95% of Laurel and Oliver interaction.

Oliver in his Hood persona meets Laurel on the roof.  They exchange info about that week's Bad Guy From the List, and then we have this:

Laurel: Why do you wear a mask?

Oliver: To protect the people I love.

Laurel: That sounds lonely.

Oliver: It can be.

There's a guy on Death Row who has only 24 hours or something to live if you can't stop his execution, you two, but by all means, let's pause to discuss why someone running around shooting people with arrows, the sort of thing that can send someone to Death Row, might want to wear a mask. I really can't blame either Amell or Cassidy for struggling with this scene.

[foreverevolving]

25 minutes ago, quarks said:

Oliver in his Hood persona meets Laurel on the roof.  They exchange info about that week's Bad Guy From the List, and then we have this:

Laurel: Why do you wear a mask?

Oliver: To protect the people I love.

Laurel: That sounds lonely.

Oliver: It can be.

There's a guy on Death Row who has only 24 hours or something to live if you can't stop his execution, you two, but by all means, let's pause to discuss why someone running around shooting people with arrows, the sort of thing that can send someone to Death Row, might want to wear a mask. I really can't blame either Amell or Cassidy for struggling with this scene.

Honestly it's not a bad question to wonder about, even if the answer is somewhat obvious- but it was not the right scene or time to ask it.

Also, lol, because he doesn't wear a mask! shouldn't she have asked why a costume? or why is he wearing a hood?

[Midnight Lullaby]

13 minutes ago, foreverevolving said:

Honestly it's not a bad question to wonder about, even if the answer is somewhat obvious- but it was not the right scene or time to ask it.

Also, lol, because he doesn't wear a mask! shouldn't she have asked why a costume? or why is he wearing a hood?

But Bruce does! LOL. Arrow is faithful to its real source material.

[looptab]

The best part is him going, "It can be...but not today.*turns dramatically to shoot an arrow at the next building and Tarzans away*

Funny thing is, if they somewhat managed to work in a scene together, I'd have loved that. Their first interactions were Spiderman, basically, and I loved that movie. I would have eaten it up with a spoon.

Edited June 20, 2016 by looptab

[Guest]

I actually don't see a problem with that O/L scene dialogue-wise. Yeah, it's a bit on the nose but I can see what they were trying to hint at/achieve. It just didn't work because of the actors, IMO. I remember it now and yikes. Wooden and chemistry free, like they were just going through the motions.

Edited June 20, 2016 by Guest

[dtissagirl]

Okay, let's be fair to Laurel, she doesn't say mask, she says hood:
 

Spoiler alert: the robots do not fall in love.

[looptab]

"I thought vomiting inside my mouth was just an expression".

Edited June 20, 2016 by looptab

[quarks]

1 hour ago, foreverevolving said:

Honestly it's not a bad question to wonder about, even if the answer is somewhat obvious- but it was not the right scene or time to ask it.

Also, lol, because he doesn't wear a mask! shouldn't she have asked why a costume? or why is he wearing a hood?

Whoops! My bad for misquoting.

[quarks]

Rewatching it now, I realize what that scene is missing: the cast of Les Miserables popping up on the roof singing, "WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR LONELY SOUL! WE STRIVE TOWARDS A LARGER GOAL! YOUR LOUSY LINE DELIVERY DOESN'T COUNT AT ALL!"

[apinknightmare]

11 minutes ago, quarks said:

Whoops! My bad for misquoting.

The points you lost for misquoting, you made up by even remembering that scene at all!

[Chaser]

I tried to play it and it said 'An Error Occurred'.

LOL... I would agree. 

[Midnight Lullaby]

When she says "it sounds lonely" with that tone of voice and steps closer to him it seems she is hitting on him and Oliver's instinct kicks in and he jumps from the roof. In hindsight she should have probably realized it was him in that moment, LOL.

[jenrising]

Oh man, that scene. The "best" part is how the only spark of life Oliver shows is when he's leaving. I mean, I guess I can be generous and say he's playing it cool to keep her from knowing it's him, but... yeah, no. It's basically like a kid holding two action figures together and having them talk.

I also didn't realize Laurel was already Expressionless Spider Lashes so early in the show. 

[Chaser]

The blocking is terrible. They may as well have been in two separate rooms. The lines are delivered in an almost calculated way. I was thinking eye contact might help but then I remembered the scene of awkward hell. 

[TimetravellingBW]

3 hours ago, jenrising said:

Oh man, that scene. The "best" part is how the only spark of life Oliver shows is when he's leaving. I mean, I guess I can be generous and say he's playing it cool to keep her from knowing it's him, but... yeah, no. It's basically like a kid holding two action figures together and having them talk.

I also didn't realize Laurel was already Expressionless Spider Lashes so early in the show. 

Same, I remember Laurel being better acted early in the show and getting worse when KC realized her role wasn't what she was promised. But here she's already bland and flat so early on. (Admittedly SA isn't giving her much with his robot perform, but he's at least meant to be playing a closed off, masked killer holding back while KC/Laurel is supposed to be the caring, curious one).  

It will never not be hilarious that Oliver acts on auto-pilot the entire scene and then jerks into action like a wind-up doll when she gets close. Clearly Laurel hitting on him is the only thing that can still touch his dead soulless heart. 

23 hours ago, quarks said:

1. Just to clarify, I don't think that the expense of filming courtroom scenes was the only or even the main reason why Laurel's role was reduced on the show, but it was an added consideration.

Oh sorry, I didn't mean to imply you thought that was the main/only reason for Laurel's demotion, my post got rather convoluted. I was just theorizing that if Laurel's character had been a success the writers might have kept the law/court aspects of the show despite the high cost and expenses. But even then making her lawyer still felt too far removed from Oliver's vigilante life, it would have made a lot more sense have her as a cop from the start: a) It would be easier to write Oliver and Laurel teaming up from different sides of the law, she'd be more involved with his work catching criminals rather than just dealing with the aftermath. b) The show never would have run into the expenses/logistical problems of filming court scenes.  c) They could still do Laurel's Losing Faith In The Law arc.  d) Laurel would start out with better fighting skills/street experience. 

On 6/20/2016 at 5:04 AM, dtissagirl said:

I don't think anyone but Oliver has a series long arc anymore. Everything is season by season now. Maybe they planned to give each character one before, or maybe the original plan was for Laurel and Tommy to have series arcs along with Oliver, but I think they ditched that conceit, because they ditched the idea of "destiny" when they switched the Laurel/Oliver/Tommy ~epic triangle of destinies intertwined~ [and Oliver being ~meant to be~ re: Green Arrow AND re Laurel/Oliver] for Dig and Felicity being Oliver's sidekicks helping him reach his potential without any sort of ~written in the stars~ predisposition in it anymore. They ditched destiny in S1.

The destiny hanger up after S1 was Laurel, who was still sort of in a series arc storyline of being destined to become Black Canary [she even said she was destined for the mask, in case you had doubts they kept her in a destiny storyline, despite the fact that the show moved on from it as a whole]. But even reaching individual "destiny" [i.e. becoming the mask + getting the superhero name from the comic books] doesn't seem to mean much anymore -- Roy quit, Laurel died, Thea just quit too, etc.

This. I think the show realized doing three separate, series-long arcs: Oliver, Laurel and Tommy, was simply biting off more than they could chew. (Especially as the Black Canary is such a huge character in her own right) and it restricted their storytelling options. So they made it just Oliver's story and shifted to Diggle and Felicity as Oliver's trio. Even though Diggle and Felicity are clearly the most significant characters after Oliver they're still supporting characters for his story and don't have the destiny arcs Laurel and Tommy would have had.  But it is incredibly awkward that the writers clung to the "Black Canary is Laurel's destiny" after they moved on - Roy and Thea both had better development to becoming vigilantes (probably because they weren't depending on comic book destiny to justify their actions) and didn't spout "we were always meant for this!" spiels. It's depressing that the reason Laurel never worked is because she was still written for a different show that no longer existed. 

Edited June 21, 2016 by TimetravellingBW

[quarks]

50 minutes ago, TimetravellingBW said:

I was just theorizing that if Laurel's character had been a success the writers might have kept the law/court aspects of the show despite the high cost and expenses.

Given Arrow's set issues from season two onwards, possibly not. Felicity, after all, was an undoubted success in season one - and yet her IT office set was one of the season one set casualties, and Arrow has jumped through an amazing number of highly questionable hoops to keep her in the QC/Palmer Tech set ever since. This season Arrow has first forced poor Thea to revisit the spot where she almost died on a regular basis and later forced poor Felicity to continue to live in the loft apartment solely to avoid the expenses of a new set. If Arrow had chosen to continue to focus on Laurel's law career, I think those scenes would have continued to mostly happen exactly where they did in season two - in office sets. It would have been an issue even if her character had been a fan favorite.

[AyChihuahua]

4 hours ago, jenrising said:

I also didn't realize Laurel was already Expressionless Spider Lashes so early in the show. 

And the breathy line delivery. I HATE that shit. People do not speak like that. Whatshername on Daredevil does breathy/quavery line delivery on like every line, and I hate her too. She has a quavery voice when she orders a damn latte. HAAAAAAAATE.

[TimetravellingBW]

42 minutes ago, quarks said:

Given Arrow's set issues from season two onwards, possibly not. Felicity, after all, was an undoubted success in season one - and yet her IT office set was one of the season one set casualties, and Arrow has jumped through an amazing number of highly questionable hoops to keep her in the QC/Palmer Tech set ever since. This season Arrow has first forced poor Thea to revisit the spot where she almost died on a regular basis and later forced poor Felicity to continue to live in the loft apartment solely to avoid the expenses of a new set. If Arrow had chosen to continue to focus on Laurel's law career, I think those scenes would have continued to mostly happen exactly where they did in season two - in office sets. It would have been an issue even if her character had been a fan favorite.

That's true, and the loss of sets is another thing that's damaged the show imo. I really miss Luthor Queen manor from Season 1 and 2. That was a gorgeous set and gave the show a more genuine feel than hanging out in offices and lairs all the time.  S3 and 4 has just been switching between the lair, the loft, PT office and that warehouse every villain in Starling hangs out in waiting for the mini-bus of masks to ambush them. (I'm assuming they have some sort of booking or roster system). Plus the occasional appearance from Laurel's or the Diggle's apartment.

They really didn't think through the implications of making Laurel a lawyer. Even if they planned her character thinking they were going to be in LA with standing courtroom sets, the lawyer plan had so many issues - writing and logistically - they should have scrapped it early on. But then the writer's plan for Laurel basically extended to: "Rachel Dawes now" "Black Canary later" with very little thought for Laurel Lance herself. 

Edited June 21, 2016 by TimetravellingBW

[looptab]

7 hours ago, Chaser said:

I was thinking eye contact might help but then I remembered the scene of awkward hell. 

Which one? Haha.

[tv echo]

In connection with the above-tweeted FanFest Orlando charity event...

Stephen Amell We are coming to Orlando

Some local Florida news reporting and info (hours, ticket prices) on this Orlando charity event...
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/tv-guy/os-fan-fest-orlando-to-bolster-oneorlando-fund-20160620-story.html
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/media/fan-fest-orlando-hosts-one-day-convention-to-benefit-pulse-nightclub/2282441

[tv echo]

In 2012 KC actually commented on playing that 1x04 rooftop scene (see video clip posted above)...
http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/12/05/arrow-katie-cassidy-on-laurel-becoming-open-to-new-ideas

Quote

IGN: Would you like to see her find out Oliver’s secret sooner than later?
Cassidy: I really like the relationship that she sees them as two different people right now. I really enjoy the relationship with the Arrow. It’s really fun as an actor. It’s really challenging as an actor, too, because I forget how much I play off the other person. Arrow, I can’t see his face. Any time I’m working with him, I get nothing. As an actor, I realized how difficult that was when we first shot episode four on the rooftop. I was like, “Aaaahhh! This is driving me crazy!” But it’s cool because it’s a different technique, and it’s fun to learn.

Question: How would you quantify her interest in Arrow? Is she obsessed, curious?
Cassidy: I think there’s this magnetic, almost sexual tension between the two of them. I feel like she’s curious. I think she just wants to know. I think she likes to figure people out; she reads people. She’s a lawyer, she has to. There’s just this magnetic energy when he’s around. It moves her. She can’t breathe, and it’s almost like she’s a deer in the headlights sometimes. I say this to Stephen sometimes. I just can’t help it. I started to see it, and I go, “Do I look like a deer in the headlights when I look at you? This is just what happens.” He goes, “Yeah, sometimes you have that wide-eyed stare.” I’m like, “Oh, good! That’s what I thought was going on.” But that’s just what happens. It’s what moves me into it.

Edited June 21, 2016 by tv echo

[looptab]

From the Mind your Surroundings thread

12 minutes ago, Velocity23 said:

Candice was probably sent the script since she is in Europe doing promo in June. 

On that note, I remember Colton and Emily did promo in Europe during the hiatus between s2 and S3 - did they stop the European promo for Arrow after that? I wasn't online a lot during the last hiatus so I don't know about last summer, but I don't think they're doing any this year. They send the cast just for the first two seasons?

[bijoux]

54 minutes ago, tv echo said:

In 2012 KC actually commented on playing that 1x04 rooftop scene (see video clip posted above)...
http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/12/05/arrow-katie-cassidy-on-laurel-becoming-open-to-new-ideas

I find the wide eyed-stare comment hilarious.

[Morrigan2575]

1 hour ago, looptab said:

From the Mind your Surroundings thread

On that note, I remember Colton and Emily did promo in Europe during the hiatus between s2 and S3 - did they stop the European promo for Arrow after that? I wasn't online a lot during the last hiatus so I don't know about last summer, but I don't think they're doing any this year. They send the cast just for the first two seasons?

SA did the promo tour in S1 and EBR/CH did it in S2. I don't think anyone did it for S3-S4.  I imagine it's only done as a startup to get the show introduced/sold to those markets. Once they have a solid standing in the market I don't think they continue to push the shows.  I imagine if interests start to drop in overseas sales, WB will send Arrow people out to promote.

Speaking of WB when was the last time they did a Mondo Press Event?  I haven't seen one in awhile.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Morrigan2575

[dtissagirl]

22 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Speaking of WB when was the last time they did a Mondo Press Event?  I haven't seen one in awhile.

I don't think they have. My WB Brazil and WB Latin feeds have promos for all their shows made from footage they shot in that last Mondo event. Colton Haynes is still in the promos.

[looptab]

5 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

SA did the promo tour in S1 and EBR/CH did it in S2. I don't think anyone did it for S3-S5.  I imagine it's only done as a startup to get the show introduced/ sold to those markets. Once they have a solid standing in the market I don't think they continue to push the shows.  I imagine if interests start to drop in overseas sales, WB will send Arrow people out to promote.

Now that I think about it, I seem to recall JB doing it last summer? I'm not sure. Yeah, I guess it makes sense that they do it mostly during the first seasons - though, that year that CH and EBR went, Nina Dobrev was with them promoting TVD, which was in its sixth season, I think. Maybe Arrow iis on more solid ground, or maybe it was related to that being Nina's last season.

 

18 minutes ago, bijoux said:

I find the wide eyed-stare comment hilarious.

To me it was that, and "She can't breathe". Which I guess explains the breathy voice we are all so fond of and that particular moment in 317. (no, I'm never letting that one go) :P

[tv echo]

Some of KC's past responses to the reading comics question...

07/29/12 - Q: "Were you both aware of the comic books before taking the roles, or did you have to go back and read up?"  KC: "I did because I wasn’t aware of the character. After I got the role, I went through and did a lot of reading and a lot of research."

08/07/12 - Q: "I know you did Supernatural before, but was it intimidating to take on a project with a sci-fi/genre fanbase?"  KC: "Yeah, in terms of stepping into a world that there are other people that know far more than you do, who had been Green Arrow fans for years. I have never read the comic books, so it’s intimidating, because I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. I want to make people happy, and proud, and excited, and I want to do all good things, and do it justice. So yes, it can be a little intimidating, but I try not to get caught up in that."

04/23/14 - Q: "Did you read the comics for preparation?"  KC: "No, I was more of a Nintendo geek.  I always liked Mortal Kombat. The script is very graphic and very real. They didn’t want it to be 'superhero-ish.' And I felt like my character is what anchored it. In preparation for shooting, I created backstories for each character based on the information given to me on the script.   In the comic, she turns into the Black Canary, so if that were to happen, I’ll definitely get more into the comic books and learn more about that character."  Also, Q: "That’s really interesting that you build your own backstories for the characters. Do you ever share those notes with the writers?" KC: "I usually don’t, but it’s come up in conversation.  They know how I work and every one has their own way they work and it’s just the way I was trained. Sometimes what they’ve written contradicts what I’ve written in my backstories and I’ll just change it. It keeps me on track. I have shared some ideas with them and I feel like they’ve definitely used them."

06/18/14 - KC: “A lot of people asked me, ‘Have you read the comics?’ – and I felt that Laurel Lance isn’t Black Canary. Yeah I definitely did my homework when I was meeting with [writers/producers] Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim but at the same time, I want to be true to where my character lives in that specific moment so I haven’t gone ahead and read too much about it because Laurel Lance hasn’t become the Canary at this point so I’m trying to keep her as grounded and real as possible. I do feel like she’s the heart of the show… If and when Laurel becomes the Black Canary I will do far more research into the comic.”

02/24/16 - Q: "What has been your favorite Black Canary moment so far?"  KC: "The canary cry was pretty cool. For me, the way I approached the material was by doing some research, but I did not want to be mimicking anything. I did want to have a take of what the canary cry looked like, so I did research the comics some. I wanted to incorporate what it was like in the comic books but also wanted to make it mine. I hoped it would be a ‘hats off’ to the comic book and the fans. I saw the cry as not reinventing the wheel, but just my take on the character."

04/09/16 - Q: "You have played some of my personal favorite characters on shows and have such a wide scope for the types of characters you can play. You’ve done superhero/crime fighter Laurel on Arrow, rich, city girl on Gossip Girl, running for your life on Harper’s Island, to a demon on Supernatural. How do you prepare yourself for each role and jump from one from the next so seamlessly (it seems)?"  KC: "1st off I’d just like to say thank you. I really appreciate that, it means a lot to me ? ... The way I prepare is through script analysts and back story. I create back story for a character based on script analysts, filling in as many details as possible. I also do a lot of research. For example, Laurel lance is a comic book character who is a lawyer by day and vigilante by night. Im obviously not a lawyer and certainly not a superhero(dang it!!! How cool would that be!?)Anyway, I researched the life of a lawyer and studied the comic books. I have a few good goto 'bibles'. Then on the day of shooting I let it all go, I listen and stay present."

Edited June 21, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

In case you're wondering...

01/15/15 - Q: 'Do you actually read the comic books?"  Caity Lotz: "I didn’t before, but once I got the part they sent me a bunch of the Black Canary and Green Arrow comics, and the Birds of Prey, and I started reading those and it’s a lot of fun!"

Edited June 21, 2016 by tv echo

[Chaser]

I think the confusion comes from her saying she did a lot of research and the natural assumption is that she read the comics to research her comic character. Doesnt seem to be the case. Maybe coming up with a backstory is her research. 

4 minutes ago, tv echo said:

In case you're wondering...

01/15/15 - Q: 'Do you actually read the comic books?"  Caity Lotz: "I didn’t before, but once I got the part they sent me a bunch of the Black Canary and Green Arrow comics, and the Birds of Prey, and I started reading those and it’s a lot of fun!"

I feel this gives weight to the theory that they wanted to replace LL/KC. 

[bijoux]

31 minutes ago, looptab said:

 

To me it was that, and "She can't breathe". Which I guess explains the breathy voice we are all so fond of and that particular moment in 317. (no, I'm never letting that one go) :P

What happened in 317? I remember Laurel showing up to Dig and Lyla's wedding with a broken wrist? Was that also the episode in whih she froze out Ray when he came to snitch on Oliver?

[tv echo]

[looptab]

5 minutes ago, bijoux said:

What happened in 317? I remember Laurel showing up to Dig and Lyla's wedding with a broken wrist? Was that also the episode in whih she froze out Ray when he came to snitch on Oliver?

Yes, that's the episode, which gave us this gem  Tv Echo just posted. LOL

Edited June 21, 2016 by looptab

[Guest]

LOL how do you guys remember these things? I think these scenes just get erased from my memory the moment they're over. Haha.

[looptab]

26 minutes ago, Angel12d said:

LOL how do you guys remember these things? I think these scenes just get erased from my memory the moment they're over. Haha.

That freaking gasp is (unfortunately) seared in my memory, haha. I remember it mostly because I brought it up in that episode thread, saying that I thought KC was playing Laurel in love with Oliver, and then it's the scene where my mind went to as soon as she confirmed that was the case after 418, giving me my "Ha-ha! I knew it!" moment . :D

Edited June 21, 2016 by looptab

[BkWurm1]

I remember convincing myself she gasped because she was so sore from training with Nyssa...nope, HE touched her skin!!! 

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, looptab said:

That freaking gasp is (unfortunately) seared in my memory, haha. I remember it mostly because I brought it up in that episode thread, saying that I thought KC was playing Laurel in love with Oliver, and then it's the scene where my mind went to as soon as she confirmed that was the case after 418, giving me my "Ha-ha! I knew it!" moment . :D

God, I find it so embarrassing tbh. He's throwing puppy-dog longing heart eyes at Felicity and Laurel's gasping at him touching her. I legit forgot about that. I think I was in denial but it turns out KC was right to play her that way all along. Or maybe she figured if she stuck to her head canon it might come true! Guess it did but not in the way she wanted. Yikes!

Edited June 21, 2016 by Guest

[catrox14]

13 minutes ago, looptab said:

That freaking gasp is (unfortunately) seared in my memory, haha. I remember it mostly because I brought it up in that episode thread, saying that I thought KC was playing Laurel in love with Oliver, and then it's the scene where my mind went to as soon as she confirmed that was the case after 418, giving me my "Ha-ha! I knew it!" moment . :D

YES! I've long held since s2 that Laurel was still in love with Oliver and she wanted Sara's life to get next to Oliver and even posited that Laurel killed Sara and that Felicity was next. I would have really enjoyed Laurel much more as a full on villain. 

[looptab]

Yeah, the "Hurt from training" was a popular theory, none of you guys agreed with me :(        

 ;)