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

tv echo · April 26, 2020

Another upcoming MG interview - scheduled for April 30...

Marc Guggenheim of DC CW on GalaxyCon Live
GalaxyCon Scheduled for Apr 30, 2020

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Join us Live on the GalaxyCon Facebook page to discuss the incredible career of Marc Guggenheim on Thursday April 30th 7pm ET.

ETA: Also, a reminder of his AWD event later today...

Edited April 26, 2020 by tv echo

tv echo · April 26, 2020

Quote

Support Oxfam's COVID-19 Response Efforts &
YOU COULD WIN:

The opportunity to join a virtual happy hour with Claire Holt, Luke Baines, Katherine McNamara, and Daniel Gillies!
* * *
Deadline to enter: 11:59:59 PM PT, May 20, 2020
Sweepstakes drawing date: May 21, 2020
Date(s) of actual experience: May 2020. Exact date and time will be determined between the winner and Claire, Luke, Katherine & Daniel.
Selection Process: Grand Prize winner is selected using a computer generated selection method to ensure that each drawing is conducted completely at random. We will notify the winner via email and phone. The selected winner will have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is randomly selected.
Number of winners: 1
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Edited April 26, 2020 by tv echo

tv echo · April 26, 2020

In this interview, Rachel Skarsten, co-founder of HomeCon (and Batwoman villain), says that they're doing another HomeCon on May 16 - we'll have to see if any Arrow actors sign up for this second virtual comic con (if you recall, Ben Lewis, Katrina Law and Anna Hopkins participated in the first HomeCon on April 10)...

The CW Batwoman's Rachel Skarsten opens up about her time in quarantine
ABC15 Arizona Apr 24, 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5imaCJKoxmA

Edited April 26, 2020 by tv echo

apinknightmare · April 26, 2020

On 4/24/2020 at 6:34 PM, tv echo said:

-- CB: "I was wondering if there are any up-and-coming projects, aside from the spinoff, which we've already talked about. Like, do you guys have anything new planned, um, after this?"
KC: "I, um - I actually am going to be - well, at some point - directing my first film."
CB: "Oh!"
KC: "Which I'm really excited about. I haven't really - I haven't given away too much information yet, but it's a raunchy comedy and, um, it takes - I think I can say, it's called Daddy Issues. Um, and I plan to be shooting here in Los Angeles and we'll - I don't know when."

I cannot stop laughing that she revealed this during an interview done by a child for a channel called Kids First. It's just...::chef's kiss::

tv echo · April 26, 2020

NightCap Live | Tasting Teeling Whiskey with Colin Donnell
Flaviar Streamed live on Apr 23, 2020

-- Dan Dunn showed a short video clip from CD's new movie, Almost Love, before introducing "actor Colin Donnell, who starred on The CW hit Arrow, Showtime's The Affair and NBC's Chicago Med."

-- DD: "How is life in quarantine for you?"
CD: "Uh, you know, it's, uh - it's not so bad. Uh, my wife is, um, just about 26 weeks pregnant and has spent the last two weeks -"
DD: "Congratulations."
CD: "Thank you very much. And, uh, unfortunately, she's spent the last two weeks being sick. So we've had a rough little patch the last couple of weeks. But, um, otherwise, all things considered, we're doing pretty well."
DD: "She's doing better now?"
CD: "She is doing better now. She, uh - she, uh, emerged from the bedroom and made it all the way downstairs today, which was, honestly, a big step in the right direction."
DD: "That's fantastic to hear, man. Well, send her my best."
CD: "Thank you."

-- Some talk about Irish whiskey.

-- Some talk about CD's two seasons on The Affair, his four or five seasons on Chicago Med, and his new movie, Mike Doyle's Almost Love, which just came out on April 3rd.

-- Some talk about living in the "new normal" nowadays.

-- DD introduced Teeling's global brand ambassador, Rob Caldwell (in Dublin), and then poured some whiskey. CD also had some whiskey at his home. So they all tasted the same whiskey at the same time. They sampled three types of whiskey. Cue commercial for and seminar on Teeling Whiskey. DD then read a lot of fan/audience questions about whiskey, which this panel answered.

-- When someone said that CD "has the best beard" and asked if CD was a "monk," CD: "No, this is my 'I'm not going to be working for quite some time' shaved head."

-- When someone commented on CD's "St. Louis accent," CD: "The most neutral accent ever." DD: "There is literally no accent from St. Louis."

-- Some discussion of the "three best U2 songs."

-- CD mentioned his partnership with Threadless and promoted the MedShare charity.

Edited April 26, 2020 by tv echo

tv echo · April 27, 2020

From 217 (Birds of Prey) - Helena Bertinelli aka The Huntress attacks the courthouse...

Edited April 27, 2020 by tv echo

Trisha · April 27, 2020

Well, at least he’s starting off using the texting thing for some one-on-one stuff.

apinknightmare · April 27, 2020

Of course he used it to get people to meet him somewhere, lol. Glad to see they're wearing masks and distancing - for the pic at least.

Trisha · April 27, 2020

8 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

Of course he used it to get people to meet him somewhere, lol. Glad to see they're wearing masks and distancing - for the pic at least.

Yeah, he was talking about going to do it on a video this weekend (before he actually did it) and Drew said something like "you should just pre-pay for a bunch of ice cream and then leave so you don't have to risk talking to anyone" and he was like "nah."

He also mentioned a couple of days ago that he was disappointed because his friends with a kid were supposed to come this weekend and stay with them for a few days and Mavi was really excited, but plans changed and they didn't end up coming. He made some handwave-y comment about how it was ok because "the situation is changing quickly" and how there's more "rapid testing" but...it sounded like a bad idea. I'm not sure how things are in California but I'm in Toronto and that's still completely against the rules. We only have one province in Canada so far that's introducing bubble family time (i.e. - two households can hang out exclusively) and that's only because that province hasn't had any covid deaths. If he's going to blatantly break the rules, he should at least stop talking about it publicly.

apinknightmare · April 27, 2020

20 minutes ago, Trisha said:

Yeah, he was talking about going to do it on a video this weekend (before he actually did it) and Drew said something like "you should just pre-pay for a bunch of ice cream and then leave so you don't have to risk talking to anyone" and he was like "nah."

The answer I would expect from him, haha.

Quote

He also mentioned a couple of days ago that he was disappointed because his friends with a kid were supposed to come this weekend and stay with them for a few days and Mavi was really excited, but plans changed and they didn't end up coming. He made some handwave-y comment about how it was ok because "the situation is changing quickly" and how there's more "rapid testing" but...it sounded like a bad idea. I'm not sure how things are in California but I'm in Toronto and that's still completely against the rules. We only have one province in Canada so far that's introducing bubble family time (i.e. - two households can hang out exclusively) and that's only because that province hasn't had any covid deaths. If he's going to blatantly break the rules, he should at least stop talking about it publicly.

It is a bad idea. If the friend's family and the Amells had definitely been isolating for the past few weeks and the ONLY people they were coming into contact with in that time was each other, it'd probably be fine, but there's no way the Amells aren't routinely breaking the rules. And they're clearly just itching for a reason to get out and do things, which is probably why they went and took the antibody test - did he ever mention what their results were?

The second that lockdown is over and they don't have to pretend they're doing what they're supposed to, they're going to be everywhere. If Heels doesn't start up right away, they'll probably be on a plane to whatever country will allow foreign visitors lol.

Edited April 27, 2020 by apinknightmare

Chaser · April 27, 2020

Anyone else think they will be gunshy when this lockdown lifts? I’m in one of states easing restrictions (Safer at Home v Stay at Home). They are allowing visits to family members, with social distancing and masks. But I’m like 😬. We’ve been following the roles and limiting our contact as much as possible but you just don’t know.

apinknightmare · April 27, 2020

9 minutes ago, Chaser said:

Anyone else think they will be gunshy when this lockdown lifts? I’m in one of states easing restrictions (Safer at Home v Stay at Home). They are allowing visits to family members, with social distancing and masks. But I’m like 😬. We’ve been following the roles and limiting our contact as much as possible but you just don’t know.

My state is currently restricted until the middle of June, and in an informal coalition with two others whose restrictions are only until the beginning of May. So I don't know if theirs will be extended or ours will be relaxed but I'm in no hurry. I'll hang back and keep doing what I'm doing for a while and see how it all shakes out.

calliope1975 · April 27, 2020

2 hours ago, Chaser said:

Anyone else think they will be gunshy when this lockdown lifts?

Raises hand! I'm in Los Angeles and we're still on Stay at Home orders until mid-May, I believe. I keep reading about all the complications people are having who survive - kidney damage, permanent lung damage - and I'm in no hurry to begin interacting on a "normal" basis. Plus, the reports of people who have had it can possibly get reinfected? No thank you. I'm trying to balance practicality with caution. Plus, on Thursday we find out about layoffs at my job. Fun!

Seems like the Amell's are making their own rules which is what I'd expect from SA.

thegirlsleuth · April 27, 2020

I wonder if SA looked at his outfit for his public appearance to the ice cream shop and decided what it REALLY needed to pull it all together was a fanny pack.

Considering the many deadly forms this virus is taking and the fact that there is some question whether immunity is possible, and I have to say that this is a terrible idea.

tv echo · April 27, 2020

More script pages for 217 (Birds of Prey) - includes Sara vs Helena fight...

Edited April 27, 2020 by tv echo

Trisha · April 27, 2020

5 hours ago, apinknightmare said:

And they're clearly just itching for a reason to get out and do things, which is probably why they went and took the antibody test - did he ever mention what their results were?

The second that lockdown is over and they don't have to pretend they're doing what they're supposed to, they're going to be everywhere.

He said the tests showed none of them (him, wife, daughter and nanny) have had it. But according to the WHO, even having it doesn’t mean you have immunity to get it again so I don’t know what the point of the tests even are.

A couple of days ago he said that he and his wife were looking at flights to go somewhere when this is all over so I don’t expect them to re-enter society cautiously at all.

tv echo · April 27, 2020

Edited April 27, 2020 by tv echo

way2interested · April 27, 2020

1 hour ago, Trisha said:

But according to the WHO, even having it doesn’t mean you have immunity to get it again so I don’t know what the point of the tests even are.

Nah, they walked that back immediately (unsurprisingly, they've bungled up several announcements on the virus before)

Kymmi · April 27, 2020

SA's hair hurts me. I know times are tough, but what is going on there? Cutting/styling men's hair is just not that hard.

apinknightmare · April 27, 2020

23 minutes ago, way2interested said:

Nah, they walked that back immediately (unsurprisingly, they've bungled up several announcements on the virus before)

The clarification doesn't provide much reassurance though, since they don't know what level of protection those antibodies would give someone and how long it would last. Granted it'd probably be impossible to tell since I'm guessing it would depend on the person.

way2interested · April 28, 2020

1 minute ago, apinknightmare said:

The clarification doesn't provide much reassurance though, since they don't know what level of protection those antibodies would give someone and how long it would last. Granted it'd probably be impossible to tell since I'm guessing it would depend on the person.

Eh, I'm an optimistic person, I feel the fact that they had to walk it back since people jumped on the far other end of the spectrum (thinking that someone could get it, even possibly immediately, again after already having it) gives a feeling that they don't even think that worst case scenario will happen, It's all such unknown waters, but eh this is moving towards small talk territory

apinknightmare · April 28, 2020

1 minute ago, way2interested said:

but eh this is moving towards small talk territory

Cool then I'll steer it back to the topic at hand and say that Stephen's obviously chomping at the bit to get back to life as usual and since I doubt he will approach that with even a thread of sense I hope it works out well for him and anyone he encounters.

tv echo · April 28, 2020

Still no video...

Edited April 28, 2020 by tv echo

tv echo · April 28, 2020

More promotion by KM and JH of today's dvd/blu-ray releases of both Arrow S8 and Arrow: The Complete Series...

The Stars Of 'Arrow' Talk About The New DVD Release | Celebrity Page
Celebrity Page TV Apr 28, 2020

-- KM: "You know, it's one of those things that is legendary. Truly."

-- JH: "We all cried a lot at the end. But there was also hope for beginnings."

-- KM: "It's such an exciting series. There's never a dull moment. There's so many rich characters. And we have bonus content."

-- JH: "You forget about the scenes that were deleted, because it's so seamless when you see the show in its entirety. You're like, 'oh wow, that wasn't there.' But the writers and the editors are so brilliant that they know, like, if there's extra, uh, you know, meat that doesn't need to be there, they cut it off."

-- KM: "I mean, there's so much love put into the series. And that's something you can tell from every part of it, from the family we have on set with our cast and our crew and everything, to the fans."

(Video clip shown of final shot of Oliver & Felicity together at the window, with Oliver saying, "Lucky for us, we have all the time in the world for me to tell it to you.")

-- KM: "The last scene to be shot was the last scene of the series, with Stephen and Emily in that office. And it was such a gorgeous scene. All of us were in tears the entire time they were shooting it."

-- JH: "Oh my God, I cried so much. My therapist really made her money that week."

(Video clip shown of Older Felicity meeting the Monitor in 2040, with Felicity saying, "I have waited a very long time to see him.")

Edited April 28, 2020 by tv echo

tv echo · April 28, 2020

SA made a surprise live appearance to talk about GG, right before MR played his podcast interview with GG - I only transcribed comments related to SA or Arrow (with two exceptions), so you'll have to watch this entire, long podcast if you want to hear GG talk about The Flash, musical theater, and other stuff...

Grant Gustin Interview (2020) | Inside of You Podcast w/ Michael Rosenbaum #anxiety #insideofyou
Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum Apr 28, 2020

-- Michael Rosenbaum: "So Grant Gustin's on the podcast, as you know. Uh, you know, we of course talked a little bit about you. We talked about your bandanas. We talked about - I think, about, you know, your good looks. We talked about, you know, when you take a shirt off. You know, he's very humble, he's a sweet guy. Did you - what did you get out of working with him? What did you - it's the one thing you take it - like, Grant - I'll always remember this about Grant?"
SA: "I will always remember the first table read when we meet Barry Allen. It's gotta be intimidating, man, because we're doing this table read and he's coming in. He's playing the Flash and it's his episode. And he comes in and he f**kin' nails it in the table read. I didn't even need to see what he was going to do on set. In the table read I knew, 'oh my God, they made the right decision.' And then it was just really cool, on a yearly basis - aside from - you know, aside from the two of us becoming friends, aside from us, um, enjoying working together, aside from us both being able to be very honest with one another, um, we had that ability, which is not super common - um, it was really nice just going to his show once or twice a year. It was like a change of pace. It was nice. And the catering was - (MR interjects, "The catering wasn't as good as Arrow's?") [unintelligible words] probably better. No, he was - honestly, man... Honestly, I'll just never forget working with him."

-- After a discussion of whether or not he would've preferred to play Superman rather than the Flash and how he now has an emotional attachment to the Flash, GG talked about his audition for the role of Barry Allen (who debuted in episode 208 of Arrow). GG: "I never even thought I'd get to be any superhero, right? I'm not necessarily like, you know... the type. ... Even when I got the audition, I didn't want to go. I was like, I'm not going to get it. And I get a lot of audition anxiety, um, and, you know, if I - if I - you know, I don't want to waste my time or their time. And the breakdown even was like 20 - mid 20's to early 30s, or mid 20s to early - or mid 30s. And again, I was like 23 and looked like I was 19 maybe. And, uh, I didn't want to go to the audition at all, because I thought it was so irrational to think that I could book it."

-- GG: "You worked with David Nutter, right? ... He did our pilot and he was in my second audition, I believe, and he called me after he had seen my tape, my initial audition with, uh, David Rapaport, casting director. And really early on, Nutter was like, 'you're - I want you to get this, you're going to get this.' And that - from then on out, I was like, you know, tunnel vision, honed in on getting it, because he had this belief in me... and it made me have belief in myself."

-- MR: "When did you know it was going to be huge? Did you see the pilot and go, 'okay, I'm going to be doing this for awhile?"
GG: "I mean, I hate to say that like - 'cause I had never even done a pilot and I now know like how unlikely it is for pilots to go to series even. But I - maybe it was really - it was really naive of me. Like, I, you know, I was cast on Arrow first. It was - I did two episodes of Arrow. And I was supposed to do a third episode of Arrow that was going to be a backdoor pilot. But, um, the character was received so well, they decided to a pilot - a standalone. And I knew from then, well, obviously, we'll get a series, just 'cause it's the Flash. And, like, I never thought, like - it we never about me. It was just about, like, I'm so lucky that I landed this and there's no way The Flash won't at least get a Season 1, you know, coming off the heels of Arrow. And, I mean, maybe it was naive of me, but I just - I thought at least, you know, three to five seasons felt like a given, just 'cause it was such an iconic character, and I was for sure ahead of myself... And then meeting Tom Cavanagh and being a big fan of Jesse L Martin before we all came in. I mean, David Nutter called me to tell me that Jesse was doing it, because he knew what a big musical theater nerd I am, and freaked out. And Danielle Panabaker, I mean, I - she's done all kinds of things, but like, specifically, I remember when I was younger, like, her being in Sky High. And I was like, 'man, this cast is, like, insane.' Um, yeah, I had faith early one that it was gonna - we were gonna be fine, that the show was going to be around for awhile."

-- GG: "I'm very aware of how lucky I am and how differently things could have gone up until this point... But when it comes to my career or my life, I feel like there's plenty of things I've missed out on... Like, during The Flash... it's been so amazing. But what, we're seven years in now - or six, we finished six years - and the past four hiatuses now, I have had a hiatus project that has fallen through because of Flash. So I feel like there's a lot of other opportunities out there that have gone - like, film and stage, that have gone away because of schedule conflicts, you know. Um, so you just can't have everything. It's been all Flash for six years, which I know you know all too well... I don't have regrets, though." He later mentioned being envious when he saw the announcement that his friend Darren Criss, who won all kinds of awards for his Versace series, was doing American Buffalo (Broadway revival) with Laurence Fishbourne and Sam Rockwell. GG: "I'm reading all kinds of plays right now. That's what I'm reading right now... A straight play is, I think more now what I'd love to be doing." He also mentioned some of his friends are doing To Kill A Mockingbird with Ed Harris.

-- MR: "I see you're growing a beard."
GG: "I'm a beard guy, too. Like, I like beards on all dudes. I think beards are cool... I'm always jealous when Stephen [Amell] grows a beard. I think his beard's really cool, because, like, his chin part grows really long."
MR: "That son of a bitch, he's like perfect."
GG: "We were actually watching New Girl last night and it was his episode and he took his shirt off. And you're just like, 'Jesus' - I think, out loud, like, 'Jesus Christ.'" (Laughs)
MR: "Son of a bitch, I can't get away from this. You said that. You said you wouldn't wear - uh, you told Stephen Amell, 'I won't wear a tee shirt on camera with you. I have to wear a blazer, because, look at you.' It's true. Like, I've always been thin. I've always been not really buff. And then I always had Tom Welling around me. So whenever I had to do a scene, like, I go, 'you have to give me two months' notice, so I can work out so hard that I kind of look good."
GG: "Yeah. I don't even do, like, you know, we're not a typical CW show in that respect, with, like, the lead being, like, beautiful and shirtless all the time. Like, I really early on was - like, I did a few and then I was like, 'alright, guys, I'm not - I'm not taking my shirt off any more.' (Laughs) That's not me. It's not who you got. I mean, during this quarantine is the most I've worked out since Flash started, just 'cause I have time now."

-- MR: "How many seasons left on Flash?"
GG: "One on my current contract. Just Season 7... Yeah, the conversations actually had started already for adding a potential 8th and 9th, um, and then this pandemic happened and everything has stopped. So - and we don't know when we're going back and we didn't finish our last - what should've been our last three episodes, two episodes, of Season 6... And they said, now we're not. I mean, we might do those scripts when we go back for 7 to lead into what we were going to film anyway. I don't even know what the plan is. Um, but we don't know when we're back. And I don't know when we're going to continue the negotiation talks... Yeah, there's both sides of it, to be sure. Like, we talked some earlier, the thing that makes it hard to keep doing it is, like, I really have lost, like, three films and one theater opportunity that were, like, locked, set, ready to go, and then those things had to push, like, two weeks, and my whole hiatus is two and a half months, so, like, they had to recast me... And that's hard to deal with. That's hard to swallow. And then I had another one this hiatus and then this happened, so that movie's not happening, obviously. So, yeah, that's the frustrating part."

ETA: Media article about this podcast -
Arrow: Stephen Amell Reflects on the First Table Read With Grant Gustin as Barry Allen
By NICOLE DRUM - April 28, 2020
https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/arrow-stephen-amell-first-table-read-grant-gustin-the-flash/

Edited April 28, 2020 by tv echo

Trisha · April 28, 2020

She's so lovely:

tv echo · April 29, 2020

From 523 (Lian Yu) - final scene...

Edited April 29, 2020 by tv echo

way2interested · April 29, 2020

At least we know bloopers exist thanks to BL. Also, bless him

tv echo · April 30, 2020

Katie Cassidy, Juliana Harkavy & Kat McNamara on Arrow and Spinoffs | TV Insider
TV Insider April 28, 2020

-- Damian Holbrook (TV Insider): "I am sitting here with what I consider the Birds of Prey.
KC: "Oh my."
DH: "Yeah. We got Kat McNamara, Katie Cassidy, Juliana Harkavy. All of you guys from Arrow, of course... We've gotten you guys together because Arrow Complete Seas - or Complete Series is coming out on DVD, uh, next week."

-- DH: "Have you been, like, group chatting or are you Zooming all the time now?"
KC: "I - I have been. I actually was saying, not only I recently did a huge - uh, got together with my directors program that I took last year. We did a huge sess - like, just a catch-up, which was awesome. I think there was like 17 of us on Zoom, just to, you know, say 'hi' and how we miss each other and how the quarantine is going. But also, um, actually Ruby, myself and Caity Lotz have been on a group chat and, um, a Zoom throughout these days. But, um, yeah, I've been staying in touch with people."
KM: "Yeah. I mean, thank goodness we all live in a time where we can stay connected with technology. You know, I'm quarantining on my own, so the only way I get to interact with human beings is virtually right now. Um, so I've been Zooming with my family once a week. We have a family reunion. Also, I have a game night group that gets together. We play Mafia via Zoom now and we're having costume theme nights -"
KC: "I want to get in on that, by the way."
DH: "That's hilarious."
KC: "Can I get in on that Mafia game?"
KM: (Laughs)
KC: "I'm not kidding. It sounds like fun."
KM: (Just laughs, but doesn't say anything)
DH: "What about you, Juliana?"
JH: "My first Zoom experience was on Passover. I had a Zoom Seder with like 30 people and it was awesome. It was so fun and, um, other than that, this is like - this is my first time downloading it onto my computer, and I'm really enjoying it."
DH: "It's super fun."
JH: "Yeah, it's easier. Like, I built it up in my head as this big - like, it would be difficult to figure out. It's quite straightforward, actually."

-- DH: "You guys are the lucky ones because you actually got to wrap your show before all this happened. Like, you got to end it all. Can you imagine if you were like The Flash or Supergirl?"
JH: "Oh, my God. I really feel for the productions that had to stop in the middle and have that anxiety as well... Like, I've been with how many people for the past how many weeks? ... We are so, so lucky. I don't know what we've done to deserve it... And even the fact that our pilot was completed... This is really not nice, but, like, I mean, I'm not wishing bad on anyone, but I'm happy that we completed our pilot [several unintelligible words]."
KM: "It's true. Everything's so up in the air right now. We don't even know what the industry's going to look like in a few months... I was supposed to be in a different country shooting a movie right now... Thank goodness, some things have wrapped, like, our pilot wrapped. We finished up The Stand right before all of this happened as well. So hopefully post-production will keep things moving forward. And those that have wrapped can still at least put some content out. But in the meantime we have the Arrow DVD that has so much bonus content."
DH: "So much bonus content."

-- DH: "What we also have is the many hair colors of Katie Cassidy."
KC: "Oh, that's right."
DH: "Laurel went through an entire hair [unintelligible word].}
KC: "Along with my many personalities, you know, you never know which one you're going to get."
DH: "It was a hair journey from Day One. It was like darker, it was longer, then it was shorter and it was [unintelligible word-busy?]. Yeah."

-- DH: "Have you guys watched any of the old episodes?"
JH: "Oh yeah."
KM: "Not recently. But when - when I was first cast, I - as soon as I found out that I was going to be Oliver and Felicity's child, um, I went through and watched the entire series to kind of pull any mannerisms or - or glean what I could from their characters."
JH: "Well, sometimes my Youtube just randomly like suggests old random episodes of Arrow from Season 1. And I'm like, oh, and I'll see Katie with her long dark hair... It's cool. And I get to watch, you know, little bits. Yeah, that's how I'm watching old episodes at the moment."

-- DH: "And Katie, when you started on this, like, could you have imagined how many iterations of Laurel you would get to play?"
KC: "No. I mean, I - having said the journey and the way the writer - the writers have sort of - you know, have written for me, I'm actually - I'm really grateful and blessed because I - and just to be honest, like, still probably be as - I mean, I'm so invested still and attached to it, because they're telling story for me, giving me things to do, you know, as opposed to just, I'm there and it becomes, um, stale for me as an actor because I'm doing the same thing for so long. I'm playing, you know, not giving me any sort of journey or substance. So I'm grateful that they have written so many different versions and so many different, um, arcs and layers and, you know, because it's given me stuff to play with as an actor [unintelligible words]."
KM: "Yeah. To follow that up, that's something that I think is so special about the Arrowverse, is that, not only every character, but particularly all the women, it's these three, you know, our three characters are a testament to that, they have such rich backstories and such arcs and they're truly fully-developed, rich, nuanced characters. And, you know, it gives all of us something to do as actors. But it also presents this wonderful image that the badass, strong, confident, empowered woman isn't just one archetype. It can be any woman who choose to, you know, stand firm on what she believes in."
JH: "Yes."

-- DH: "And we found out in - in the pilot - the backdoor pilot that, um, Dinah has an incredible singing voice... Let's talk about that for a second. First of all, where has that been hiding all this time?"
JH: "That's a very good question. (Laughs) For myself... Yeah. She like found her voice, you know? She found her voice."
DH: "That was incredible."
JH: "Thank you. That was - that was probably one of my favorite parts and I'm really so grateful to our writers for allowing that to be part of her story... It was a dream, but when it actually - when they proposed it, I was scared and, um, it felt so good to like do it - and to sing. And I was like, this is such a literal, like, expression of my character and it was quite cathartic for me as a - as a person as well."

-- DH: "And how was it for you guys filming that episode where it really was, like, you didn't have to worry about all the others, it was just you guys doing it?"
KC: "It was awesome. I just have to say, like, it was great."
DH: "Yeah."
JH: "It was like being given the reins and they're like, 'here's the field!'"
KM: "It was fun. It was strange, but sort of fun, the tone of the show. But also, you know, it - there's such a duality with all of our characters. You know, there's - you have the world reset, we're trying to figure everything out. You know, of course, it was our first episode really without Stephen. So that was strange for me at least, um, not having Stephen or Emily. I'm used to having my parents around... They gave me the keys to the car and I didn't know what to do! But, uh, you know, they gave - now that Mia has these two realities, it was a fun challenge to - to blend the different sets of memories and sort of figure out which set of her instincts would take over and what challenges does that present for her as a character, but also what opportunities does it present for her, and also how does it become an asset as she moves forward taking on the mantle of the Green Arrow."

-- DH: "So do you guys have any favorite episodes or moments that you got to play that you really never thought you would get to do?"
KM: "Well, I didn't ever know if I'd work with Stephen because originally Mia was in 2040. And - and the way that they brought her back to 2020 in such a - such a kickass way - [unintelligible word] Miss Cassidy - um, and then there were so many things that mirrored his journey and so many things that we got to do together. Like, in the - in episode 5 of Season 8, we were fighting side by side, fighting the Bratva in a cage. And then in the crossover, we were running around abandoned buildings with Batwoman as things were exploding all around us... There are few moments in - in careers that we have that we kind of have to pinch ourselves and go, this - this is too unreal to actually be what I do for a living, and that was one of those moments."
JH: "Putting on the costume for the first time is amazing. You realize, like, you're embodying the hero. It becomes a very physical, very real experience. I know Katie and I both cried the first time that we put on our costumes and, uh - yeah, that was, um - it just became real. It didn't feel like this, like, dream that I'd always wanted to happen. It was like, it's happening to you. And now you actually stand for something and you're - you represent something. And, like, what kind of hero do you want to be?"
KC: "I mean, definitely when I put on the jacket for the first time, I cried. I was just like, 'yes, finally... yes!'"
DH: "Right?"
KC: "I can't wait to kick some ass. Sorry. Um, anyways, I was clearly very excited."

-- DH: If it goes forward, would you want to direct an episode of that?"
KC: "Oh, yeah! ... Sorry, I'm [unintelligible word-cruising?]."
JH: "I'm really excited by your energy right now."
KC: "Oh my gosh, because I just - I'm so sad - like, it makes me sad that everyone's been so down, but I'm like, let's look forward to something positive."

Related article:
https://www.tvinsider.com/932261/arrow-spinoff-katie-cassidy-katherine-mcnamara-juliana-harkavy-preview/

Edited April 30, 2020 by tv echo

tv echo · April 30, 2020

From 501 (Legacy) - opening action scene...

Edited April 30, 2020 by tv echo

tv echo · April 30, 2020

Kat McNamara: Advice For Staying Positive in Quarantine, What's Next For Her Acting Career, & More!
YSBnow April 28, 2020

-- On where she was when the Arrow series finale aired, KM: "I was at Marc Guggenheim's house, actually... When the series finale aired, we were all together. We got to sit there and watch it and, uh, kind of relive that together and live-tweet it as - as a family. And everybody came. All the writers. A lot of directors showed up. Some folks in production. Actors. And we - we got to celebrate together, which I think was the best part."

-- On what's coming up for her once we get out of quarantine and what she has in the works, KM: "Oh, I have many things. I'm [unintelligible word] some things. I'm also, uh, I'm supposed to be in South Africa shooting a movie right now. But obviously, when the world heals, we'll pick that back up. But, uh, there's a Stephen King miniseries that I shot, based on The Stand, which is coming out later this year, because we finished shooting that before all of this happened. And, uh, I've also been throwing some music out in the world, because I found some [unintelligible word] on my computer that's been sitting there for six years or so. And Google is doing an amazing thing with World Health Organization where, for the next month, anything that's donated to World Health, Google will match, because we all need to help those on the front lines that are giving their all to kind of help the world when we can't. Uh, so there's a song called "Just Like James" that I released last week and it's a - y'all know how I love a good pun. So it's basically one giant pun plan words in a song that's hopefully something fun people can dance to. And there's another one that I might release in a few weeks if this goes well."

-- On what she'd like to do as an actor that she hasn't yet, KM: "There's so many things. Uh, I'm dying to do like a really cool horror movie. I'd love to do a period piece. Like, put me in a corset and a hoop skirt and [unintelligible words]. Uh, or even, you know, send me to the Roaring 20's - the other Roaring 20's, 'cause these aren't [unintelligible word] right now... But there's so many things. That's what I love about my job, is that I get to be a chameleon and get to transform into so many different people and be a part of so many different worlds... You know, I'd love to jump over to - back to the feature side of the fantasy world, like, throw me into the Star Wars or the X-Men or the Marvel world even, or the DC movie world. I don't know what the rules are but, you know, I - I love creating and just being immersed into storytelling, whether that's on the directing side or the producing side, which is another journey of mine that I'm starting to get into, or, um, just telling stories on screen."

-- On what advice she would give someone who's trying to maintain "that badass Clary-Mia-Kat fire inside of them" during these difficult times, KM: "I think the most important thing is just to realize that it's not always going to be easy... Once you kinda accept that there are going to be ups and downs, you learn to - how to handle them. And so, for me, that's sitting in the sunshine whenever it's on my patio, or calling my family and friends, or baking Or, you know, cooking something that makes my tummy happy. Or, you know, cleaning my house and feeling as though my space is clear and reset. Or escaping into a book for a few hours. Or calling a friend that I haven't spoken to in years. You know, anything to maintain either a sense of normalcy or to just stay busy and stay proactive, so that every day when you go to bed, you can feel like you've accomplished something."

Edited April 30, 2020 by tv echo

tv echo · April 30, 2020

Another group interview - this time, E! News already transcribed it...

A Conversation With Arrow's Kat McNamara, Katie Cassidy, and Juliana Harkavy
by LAUREN PIESTER | Tue., Apr. 28, 2020
https://www.eonline.com/uk/news/1146022/a-conversation-with-arrow-s-kat-mcnamara-katie-cassidy-and-juliana-harkavy

Quote

E! News: So how is everybody doing right now? How are you handling this wild time?
Kat McNamara: I'm surviving. Trying to stay creative and find things to do, and stay productive, stay as busy as possible.

Katie Cassidy: Actually this isn't that difficult to be honest, because I'm just a homebody.

Juiliana Harkavy: Same.

Katie: But it's really interesting because I feel like I've gotten more in touch with my creative side. I also feel like my own contractor, like, hmm, I don't like this wall. Google how to take down a wall. I've been painting cupboards and building things.

Juliana: Outside of checking on everybody's safety and missing friends, it's been really peaceful. I've been gardening a lot, and just thinking about how to make life a little bit more sustainable on our own without needing to go out, so it's been good.
* * *
E! News: Is it weird to be actors in this time when that's one of the jobs that's been mostly put on hold?
Kat: I think it's sort of a fun challenge, because there are ways you can be creative; you just have to find them, you know whether that's developing projects or writing or creating or just catching up on movies.

Katie: That's a good point. I started actually taking the masterclasses. Like, for example, Shonda Rhimes, she teaches a masterclass on writing television, so I've been writing a lot and learning. You're kind of forced to develop different areas of your creative side, whether it be singing, writing, drawing, painting, you know. It's making us get to know ourselves.

Juliana: Yeah, trying to stay positive.
* * *
E! News: You guys are in this limbo right now, after ending Arrow while waiting to see if Green Arrow and the Canaries gets picked up. Does this make the wait harder or easier, now that you're forced to do nothing?
Katie: I think it's nice. I like to say it's the calm before the storm, time to sort of reset in the hopes that our show does go. But I also think it's a positive thing because people are bored and I feel like they're forced to stay at home, but that's what we do. We entertain. We're a television show. So hopefully we do get picked up and it'll give you more content. We've already shot our pilot, so in terms of picking us up, it would be nice to bring people together to entertain them.

Kat: It's one of those things where with pilots, you can never tell, and in this situation, it's even more so that you can never tell, so I've kind of left it all up to the universe.

Juilana: I like to think that we will be picked up and this is just a lovely long vacation before we work our asses off for the next five years.
* * *
E! News: Have you guys thought much about what shows in the future will even look like, both on screen and off?
Kat: If anything, it's exciting, because the television industry in and of itself has been sort of the wild west for a while with streaming services and all these different mediums now that we have, and I think even more so I think this gives people time to develop and think about what other possibilities that are even further outside the box than people had previously thought about, which just leaves room for more stories to tell.

Katie: Do you mean in terms of production moving forward or storytelling?

E! News: A little of both. Like how does TV acknowledge the fact that the world changed in between this season of TV and next season?
Katie: I feel like there's gonna be a lot of stories, I mean myself included. I've been writing about this period of time. I think that it is going to change the way we function on a daily basis, but I actually think for the better. People are going to be more cognizant and careful, and like germs—I feel like as human beings, we were so carefree that now it has brought us back into our awareness. We'll be clean and cognizant and self aware in how we function on a daily basis.

Juliana: Yeah I think it will change the stories we tell, because it's changing the way that we think and the way that we live, but it's also going to be interesting to see the new ways that we release media and that we create content when we can't necessarily have a crew of 300 people there with us. So I think it's not only going to create new stories, but new ways of telling them as well.

Katie: Yeah, and I think in terms of production and shooting and going back to set and being around crew, I was thinking about that. I think the way that's going to have to come back together, there's probably going to be daily testing to determine whether you can work or not. I don't know how they're going to handle that, but they'll figure something out and until then, I'll just continue trying to be creative and resourceful.
* * *
E! News: Have you heard from fans who are watching Arrow in quarantine?
Kat: Yeah! It's great. People are rewatching Arrow, people are live tweeting. I just did a live tweet of an old Shadowhunters episode with a bunch of fans that was organized last week, but it's so fun that people are re-experiencing things that they love. Like I went back and watched Jurassic Park last week.

Katie: Me too! I watched Jurassic Park like three days ago. I love that movie.

Kat: It's funny though to see, just going back and rewatching things like Jurassic Park where the world has completely changed because of a scientific innovation, or going back and watching True Blood and all the things that go on in that show. It'll be interesting to see content-wise if people lean into this or people create more escapist content, because I think there's room for both. And I think as human beings it's cathartic to laugh about something that scares us, and then to explore the darker side of something that scares us, but also to be transported to another world. So I think it'll be interesting to see what the trend tends to be.
* * *
E! News: One of our quarantine projects has involved asking actors for their favorite episodes of their shows. Do you guys each have favorite episodes you'd recommend for a rewatch?
Katie: I mean, sorry, this is gonna be a little bit self-absorbed, but the episode I like is also the episode I enjoyed filming the most, called "Canaries" (season 3, episode 13). Sorry ladies, you weren't with us yet, but the episode's about my character's storyline. I enjoyed it a lot, watching it, and I also enjoyed filming it, so I guess I'm a little biased. But it's a really great episode.
...
Kat: One of my favorite episodes was in season eight. It was the Bratva episode. That or the Lian-Yu episode (season 8, episodes 5 and 7). I love the Russian Bratva episode because David Nykl is one of my favorite actors on Arrow and I just loved the fact that I got to work with the one and only Anatoly. And getting to fight in the ring with Stephen Amell is something I had been hoping would happen, but I didn't know if it would considering that Mia was 20 years in the future. And when it finally did, and had William outside of the cage and everyone there, it was the most Arrow, and the most Smoak-Queen that I've ever felt.

Katie: I loved that episode.

Juliana: My episode would be season 8, episode 9. Our episode, for the pilot. It was actually my favorite episode to film, and it's just good to refresh and see what's going to happen in the future.
* * *
E! News: Juliana and Kat, you guys joined the show later on. Did you go back and binge the show beforehand? Have you done a binge?
Kat: Oh yeah. When I initially auditioned, I didn't know that I was auditioning to be the Olicity baby. The side I was given was for some rookie cop that had a dark past, and then I got a call from Beth Schwartz, our showrunner, and she's like hey, we're so happy to have you on the show. By the way, everything you know is a lie, you're Oliver and Felicity's kid. So having seen how strong the Olicity fandom was, I knew that I had a lot of responsibility cut out for me, so I went back and binged the entire series so I could pull little character traits so I could pull little character traits and be the best amalgamation of those two I possibly could.
...
Juliana: I watched a good amount of Arrow, but I decided like into my fifth or sixth episode of watching that I was trying to, like, match what I was seeing, and I wanted to bring it something new, so I watched a good amount but then I stopped myself, and just tried to make it my own thing, especially because I was—I don't even want to say filling the shoes, because it's not even possible, but it was a character that had been done before, a couple of times. So I didn't want to have any preconceived notions of what she was or how she was.
* * *
What was it like for you to join this show and this cast later in the run, and Katie, what was it like to welcome Kat and Juliana to the cast?
Katie: Oh my gosh, I just want to say we are the luckiest production ever, because we've had a lot of people since the pilot, or since season one, who have come onto our show. Emily, she started as a guest star, and then Caity Lotz. We're so lucky—so lucky—and so grateful because all of the people they've brought onto our show, not only are they incredible actors and talented, but they're such good people, like genuinely good people. So it was actually great and warm and welcoming, new characters, new storylines, it kept the show fresh. And to have a cast that genuinely loves each other and we don't really have a bad egg in the group, if you will, we're blessed. So I'm grateful for all of you.
...
Kat: Yeah, absolutely. Coming into a show in season seven, it felt like being the new kid senior year of high school. You come in and everybody's family and all established, and I had just left Shadowhunters, which for me, was family. I built that show from the ground up. But then coming in I was immediately welcomed. The first person I met was Stephen, actually. He was shooting the prison episode, where he was getting all beat up, and even though he was tired and bloody, he jumped out of his chair, ran over and gave me a huge hug, and took me around and introduced me to everyone. And immediately I felt like I was part of the family, so that just immediately set the tone for me, for everyone else.

Juliana: We're very blessed to have a kind and welcoming group. I felt the same. Like immediately, open arms from everybody. I think it made it easier to work and I think it's part of why the show had such long-term success, because it was a great group of people.
* * *
And what was it like to get embraced by the fandom? Kat, I know you were used to a dedicated fandom from Shadowhunters, but did all of this still take some getting used to?
Kat: Ultimately it's a huge responsibility, right? We all have those characters that we've looked up to and attached to and seen ourselves in, and it's a huge blessing but it's also something that I take very seriously. And I feel so lucky that the Shadowhunters fandom welcomed me with open arms and the Arrow fandom did as well. What I love about these fandoms is they're so supportive and so passionate but they're also opinionated, and they're not afraid to say what they think and they're not afraid to have open discussions about things, which I think is such a great part of having the online community. Being able to tell a story that people are so passionate about, as passionate as we are about creating it, they're just as passionate about receiving it and being a part of the journey with us, so that's the biggest blessing.

Juliana: It did [take some getting used to] for me. I've never been on a show to this extent or had a role this big, not only in terms of the amount of work but the legacy of the character. So like Kat said, it was kind of amazing to see how many people were passionate about this character, and also scary, because a lot of them knew more about her than I did, and I was playing her. So you know, I had to kind of make use of that, and also, I have to be honest, I had a really hard time with the negative feedback at first. There was always, and now especially, so much support. I get I think 99% love now, but oh my god, the beginning was brutal. Like it was just brutal. People loved the show as it was for five years before I came on, so they had a hard time with change, a lot of them, and I had a really hard time with that. I had to grow like a really thick skin, and learn to not take things personally, and learn to not read everything that you see online.

Katie: Yeah I think that's a big part of it. It's interesting because we're doing something and creating something and we're in Vancouver, and we're, in a way, disconnected while we're filming because the show airs a couple months after we shoot the episodes. We're doing it not only because we love what we do, but we wanted, for the fans, to give it justice. They're big shoes to fill, but I think as long as we've done our work as actors and done our research—for me, I had the comics for Black Canary—and giving my best version of what that is for me and embracing and embodying the character, you sort of do it and pray that it's going to be accepted and well-received by the fans. And there's a a positive thing and a beautiful thing about that, but then as Jules was saying, people can get online and get caught up in the drama and pick it apart and point out the negatives, and that's why I think it's difficult reading messages for me. I don't read them as much as I probably should or would want to, because there is a lot of negativity out there. There's no point in that, in engaging with that.
...
I know there was a big controversy with Olicity or...Loliver? Lauriver? I don't even remember. People were trying to start fights with me and Emily, and I was like, I'm an Olicity fan! I'm not trying to break that s--t up! What is happening? And I love Emily. She's awesome! I wouldn't want to hate her!

It's difficult, but I think as long as you don't feed into that and just continue to try to do your job the best way possible, and do the work and try to make it as legit as possible, the fans appreciate it. And we have the best fans in the world."

Edited April 30, 2020 by tv echo

lemotomato · April 30, 2020

58 minutes ago, tv echo said:

I know there was a big controversy with Olicity or...Loliver? Lauriver? I don't even remember. People were trying to start fights with me and Emily, and I was like, I'm an Olicity fan! I'm not trying to break that s--t up! What is happening? And I love Emily. She's awesome! I wouldn't want to hate her!

It's difficult, but I think as long as you don't feed into that

There's nothing I hate more than a liar and a gaslighter.

There are lots of things she's said over the years where she shows she's clearly not an Olicity fan, and she's liked plenty of tweets that accuse Olicity of ruining the show, all of which definitely counts as feeding into the controversy. Here she's thanking the author of an article titled "Arrow is Dead and Olicity killed it."

This tweet as recently as 801:

Edited April 30, 2020 by lemotomato

RS3 · April 30, 2020

She's ridiculous lol. I have more.

+ that one panel she called felicity "the bitch who stole her man" in response to a moderator that called her annoying. She's never fed into the hate though. No never.

Velocity23 · April 30, 2020

She doesnt need to lie like that. The only time she ever mentioned

Quote

"I don't know. I guess there's that possibility but in the sense of you have Oliver and you have Tommy and 'Oliver and Laurel' and I think at the end of the day, Oliver and Laurel are meant to be. They're each others 'ideally' first and hopefully at some point, each others lasts. No one can really ever compare to Oliver the way that Laurel sees him and I think Oliver feels the same way about Laurel. So Felicity may be there, it may be a fling, I have no idea, but you know, 'Bring it, Felicity!' [laughs]. Laurel has got this.”

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/arrows-laurel-explains-why-shes-not-worried-felicity-will-end-oliver

Quote

MJ: You know Katie, many fans of the show have been pushing to see the romance between Oliver and Felicity develop. When we chatted a couple of years ago, you said that you believed Laurel was Oliver’s first and hopefully last love. Do you still feel that way?

KC: Absolutely! I think people go through different things in life, different phases, and timing is everything and right now romantically Laurel is not thinking romantically, I don’t think. She is focused on something else and Oliver and Felicity have a connection but, at the end of the day, I do think that they [Laurel and Oliver] are soulmates. I always will think that even if Oliver is involved with Felicity or not. Needless to say, just because it’s your soulmate, that doesn’t mean you end up with them. Sometimes soulmates just remain best friends. It’s funny because obviously I am on the show and read the scripts, but I’ll also watch the episodes and yesterday (I don’t know if you saw it) but I hashtagged on my Twitter “#Olicity” because everybody loves the Oliver/Felicity/Laurel triangle that is going on. And with the writing, they [Oliver and Felicity] have good chemistry but I think at some point maybe far later down the line we may explore that… getting back into Laurel and Oliver romantically but it is absolutely not in her wavelength at all right now. I think she has a lot going on and a lot to deal with and she can’t really think like that at the moment.

https://insidepulse.com/2015/02/11/murtz-on-the-scene-exclusive-interview-with-arrows-katie-cassidy-2/

I could almost feel sorry for Juliana because she was coming into a difficult situation. And she was being embraced by the fans because they wanted Felicity to have another friend. But even before her debut on the show she was liking anti Felicity/anti Olicity posts and articles. Which was truly ridicilous.

Edited April 30, 2020 by Velocity23

Featherhat · April 30, 2020

Next interview she'll be back to wanting SA to guest star so they can explore more of any variation of Oliver and Laurel some more.

I don't think she hates EBR at all, though I don't think they're BFFs like some claim, but she never supported Olicity or Felicity herself. Which is fine, she wanted the ship/leading lady position that she was promised and Olicity was one of the reasons that sank. Definitely not the only reason but the most tangible. She has clearly never let go of "Loliver" (heh) because she wanted that leading lady position back. To pretend otherwise is disingenuous, especially when it was noticeable that she started live tweeting episodes when EBR left. IIRC she also liked tweets saying Blackstar should be revealed to be Oliver and Siren's daughter and that they should get together. Not to mention that she seemed to go out of her way not to mention Mia/FTA when directed the biggest twist of the season.

With JH I don't think she was ready for a lot of the intensity and speculation from many sides of the fandom or perhaps too ready having been gee-d up by someone because she came in very much "I'm the badass, GD Black Canary!" on SM sometimes and that involved liking a lot of "Down with Olicity, up with BC!" stuff and people wondering if they were going with GA/BC 3.0.

Velocity23 · April 30, 2020

28 minutes ago, Featherhat said:

Next interview she'll be back to wanting SA to guest star so they can explore more of any variation of Oliver and Laurel some more.

I don't think she hates EBR at all, though I don't think they're BFFs like some claim, but she never supported Olicity or Felicity herself. Which is fine, she wanted the ship/leading lady position that she was promised and Olicity was one of the reasons that sank. Definitely not the only reason but the most tangible. She has clearly never let go of "Loliver" (heh) because she wanted that leading lady position back. To pretend otherwise is disingenuous, especially when it was noticeable that she started live tweeting episodes when EBR left. IIRC she also liked tweets saying Blackstar should be revealed to be Oliver and Siren's daughter and that they should get together. Not to mention that she seemed to go out of her way not to mention Mia/FTA when directed the biggest twist of the season.

With JH I don't think she was ready for a lot of the intensity and speculation from many sides of the fandom or perhaps too ready having been gee-d up by someone because she came in very much "I'm the badass, GD Black Canary!" on SM sometimes and that involved liking a lot of "Down with Olicity, up with BC!" stuff and people wondering if they were going with GA/BC 3.0.

In case of Juliana the problem was that things came pilling up with stuff she did on social media. The way the whole NTA actors acted during the civil war didnt make things any better. People kept excusing things with she is new to this. But for me once, you are over 30 you should know how to conduct yourself in the media and social platforms. Especially if you are joining a show with an established fandom already.

Featherhat · April 30, 2020

15 minutes ago, Velocity23 said:

In case of Juliana the problem was that things came pilling up with stuff she did on social media. The way the whole NTA actors acted during the civil war didnt make things any better. People kept excusing things with she is new to this. But for me once, you are over 30 you should know how to conduct yourself in the media and social platforms. Especially if you are joining a show with an established fandom already.

I have legit blocked so much about the Civil War arc out for mental health reasons, both what was on screen and BTS. Just all around terrible and WTF?

JH could have conducted herself better in the beginning it is true, Kat knows how to do it perfectly and she's 10+ years younger than anyone else. She'd had her own show already with her own very loud fanbase and took the time to play to her Arrow/Olicity fandom audience with acknowledgment of the history of the show and research. Tyler Ritter (Tiny Hands) handled fans on twitter well IIRC, he came across that he accepted that his character would be the focus of some *displeasure* and took it for what it was without letting it bother him. As a result I was pleased for him when he got a CW pilot that year and other opportunities soon after.

tv echo · May 1, 2020

This interview was over an hour long (lots of comics talk and MG's career/job history at the beginning), so I only transcribed the Arrow-related portions...

Marc Guggenheim of DC CW on GalaxyCon Live
GalaxyCon Streamed live on April 30, 2020

-- Patty Hawkins (GalaxyCon): "What came first, developing Arrow or Green Lantern?"
MG: "Oh, Green Lantern."
PH: "Because... I will say this right now, unequivocally. Um, I read your - I read the first draft, 2008, with your name on it, Greg's name on it, Michael Green. That is the best superhero movie script I have ever read in my entire life."
MG: "Thank you. I appreciate it."
PH: "Hands down. Hands down. Hands absolutely down. Uh, I think there is a lot of heart in that. There's a lot of dedication to the core ideas. The fact that you worked Alan Scott into it and in my head I was picturing Ed Harris was born to play this role... Somewhere in a parallel world, that was the movie that got made and I envy the people who live there."
MG: "Yeah... you know, we'd be doing Green Lantern 5 by now... I will say, like, you know, it connects to Arrow, because, you know, originally Greg [Berlanti] was supposed to direct the movie and, um, you know... the movie got away from us. You know, they brought in another director, they brought in another writer. And, you know, they made the movie that you saw. And, um, you know, when the question of Arrow came up, which ironically came up right before or right as Green Lantern was coming out, um, Greg and I felt, you know, the only circumstances under which we would do this again is if we had the creative control that we didn't have on Green Lantern."
PH: "So this - this, uh - I won't call it a failure - but this under, uh - say, underperformance... led to greater things. Again, like you said before, you learned."
MG: "You know, I'm a very big believer that every knock is a boost. And, um, it was a learning experience for sure. Um, you know, my attitude always is, if you're going to go down, go down on your vision. You know, um, what I think was really hard about, you know, the Green Lantern experience was, is that we were associated with, uh, a movie, um, that made choices that we, left to our own devices, would not have made. Um, and, you know, it's like if - if you're going to fail, fail on your vision. Don't fail with someone else's."

-- PH: "So, yeah, Arrow... how did you sell them on - it's a superhero show, but it's not Batman."
MG: "Well, you know... Greg had a pitch for it. You know, Greg had a vision for it, which, you know, dark, grounded, you know, um, gritty crime drama. Um, you know, but you have to understand, you know, Warner Brothers and CW approached Greg, and Greg approached me, at a time when Green Lantern had just come out. Uh, the idea of doing another DC property with 'green' in the title, you know, Greg and I, we had to think more than twice about it. And in keeping with the lesson of Green Lantern, we - we basically said, 'Listen, we'll do this, but we have to do this in a different way. This can't go through the normal, um, development process.' Um, so we said, 'We'll take two meetings, one with the studio, one with the network. We will pitch you the show. Um, if you like it, then you'll get a script from us. No story areas, no outlines, no development... You will get a script. Then, at that point, you can decide whether or not to make the pilot. Um, and if you decide not to make the pilot, um, no one ever knew about it.' You know, you can search the Internet, you'll not find a Deadline article or a Hollywood Reporter article or a Variety article about, you know, Guggenheim and Berlanti sell a, uh, pitch for, you know, the Green Arrow. It never got published because this was all done, you know, really under the radar. Um, and, uh, I - I think, as a result, we were able to really, you know, be very true to, you know, Greg's initial conception and the - the vision of making something, you know, that was - especially on network television at that point - very dark. You know, um, it was always back in those original pitches, we said, 'The first Act ends with Oliver killing a man in cold blood to protect his secret' - uh, sorry, that's - that's the end of Act 2. The end of Act 1 is, he has his hand around his mother's throat, uh, suffering from PTSD from being on the island... You know, we really wanted to be true to that vision."

-- PH: "After the first season, it looked like, okay, this - this thing has got legs. And, uh, over the progression, did you guys have a - I guess, a measure or tempo that, like, okay, let's see if we can throw another character out here? Let's see if we can - let's see if we can work Wildcat in? Let's see if we can - was that ever a - let's see how much we can push and how much we can get? Or was it just, hey, I got a good story involving this character, let's do this?"
MG: "Well, it's funny, you know, in terms of like folding in other DC characters, that ended up happening a lot faster than we ever planned. Uh, we never planned on getting Slade Wilson into the show in Season 1 or Roy Harper. Um, that being said, Greg and I, we had done a show before called Eli Stone, and Eli - it was always on the verge of getting cancelled. Um, and when you're always on the verge of getting cancelled, you don't wait to do your cool ideas. You - you - you're like, we're not going to wait until next season, we're going to do it now, because we don't know if we'll have a next season. And, you know, the thing that Greg and I sort of realized was, it gave Eli a certain pace, a certain narrative churn, that we think really benefited the show. And we took that philosophy over to Arrow and - and said, let's not wait till Season 2, let's do this now. And it just - it made things faster, um, sometimes by design and sometimes, you know, by accident. Um, but, you know, it was really in keeping with this lesson that we learned on Eli. I think it served the show well."

-- PH: "What's the moment you take from Arrow specifically that resonates to you, something you... can actually look at and say, I am really proud of that script or I'm proud of that episode or I'm just proud that we pushed this through?"
MG: "You know, I'll tell you... I think the answer is going to depend upon which day you catch me. But the truth is, over eight years, there's a lot I'm - I'm really proud of. Um, I have to say, I think, you know, again, just catching me today, the work environment both in the writers room and on the set that, uh, myself, Wendy Mericle, and Beth Schwartz and I were able to really start crafting only starting in Season 4. Um, you know, and then really feeling it in Season 5... I'm very proud of the fact that it was a place that, you know, people want to come to work. Um, and, you know, I think, 'cause I'm a big believer that that's the start, that's when you get the best work, you know."
PH: "Not every writer room can say that. So absolutely, absolutely kudos to you for cultivating that environment."
MG: "Well, thank you... Like I said, we really started, you know, being only able to implement this environment starting in Season 4 and then we really were able to hit our stride in Season 5. And Season 5 is - it's my favorite season, um, of the show creatively. And I don't think that's a coincidence."

-- PH: "How did Legends begin to develop?"
MG: "You know, it's funny... we all sort of started to, um, have these - the same idea independently. Um, uh, it really came about - uh, Mark Pedowitz had asked for a third show. Um, we went down a rabbit hole that I won't be specific about in terms of another DC character. [unintelligible words]... I'll tell you this, it was a character that you've seen, you've [unintelligible word-ultimately?] seen in the Arrowverse. And, um, but the feeling at the time was, how - how is this going to be any different from Flash? How is this going to be different from Arrow? And, you know, Mark Pedowitz was saying, 'There's so many characters now, like, really great characters, played by great actors, that've been on the two shows. There's enough - there's enough stuff here to, uh, field a team.' And when we hit upon 'team,' when Mark said a 'team' show, we realized, that's what's been missing, that's something we haven't done before, that's something new. Um, and that's what, you know, started Legends, which, obviously, has grown and developed and evolved, uh, in its own way. Um, but that was the beginning, with Mark Pedowitz saying, I want to a third show and I think you have enough from the previous two shows to create a team. ... David Rapaport and Lindsey Baldesare, who are the casting directors of the Arrowverse... They - they found all of these actors for us. Um, you know, and - and sometimes it's relationships. You know, Victor Garber, for example, uh, was on Eli Stone... But David and Lindsey, they just have this sixth sense almost, uh, about, um, you know, matching actors to their comic book origins and being true to the comic book origins, even when it's not a literal, you know, translation. They're - they're brilliant. I can't say enough wonderful things about them. They're as much responsible for the success of the Arrowverse as anyone."

-- PH: "Where do you even begin to explain Crisis On Infinite Earths to the higher ups?"
MG: "Well, you know, that's a good question... The way we explained it - the first - the first - the pitches to the studio network always began with a little history lesson, a comic book history lesson about the original comic book meant... because we had to contextualize it, in terms of how important, uh, that is, what a seminal comic book it is, not just for DC Comics but for all comic books. Um, you know, we really had to sort of inculcate that. And then once - basically once we did, we would just say, 'And we really can't screw it up.' ... Look, there were a lot of times, uh - you know, there were people at the studio and people at the network who are comic book fans who understood what we were doing, and there were people at the studio and people at the network who thought we were completely insane... You know, the phrase that we used in the pitch a lot was, 'This cannot just be the Arrowverse. This has to be the DC multiverse. Uh, we have to touch all the corners of the DC tapestry.' Um, and you know, kudos to the studio and the network. Even when they thought we were crazy, and there were a lot of times when they thought we were crazy, they - they trusted us, uh, and they said, 'Go for it.' Um, and we - we were very lucky."

Edited May 1, 2020 by tv echo

tv echo · May 1, 2020

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