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


Zalyn
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Just caught up on all the KM/KC/JH interviews after skimming them during the week and the one thing that keeps standing out is that KM seems to be the only one actually promoting the DVD release. Yes, it stands out in a very obvious way, but I don’t mind it. 

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2 hours ago, Chaser said:

Is KC confusing David Rapport with David Nutter?

I'm not sure, but didn't she tell a different story at SDCC about someone else telling her she and SA were "born to play GA and BC" after the pilot was filmed? 

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1 hour ago, lemotomato said:

I'm not sure, but didn't she tell a different story at SDCC about someone else telling her she and SA were "born to play GA and BC" after the pilot was filmed? 

I remember reading a quote that said KC had said they both got a text from one of the producers saying "you were both born to play GA/BC together" during filming but I didn't believe it or at least that it was sincere because, well the anti chemistry and the rumours were that they tried to change actresses there and then but were refused, brought on several love interests in S1 before going full steam ahead on Felicity as soon as the saw the dailies. And changed everything about where they were planning to go with the series when they told CD he was being let go that February. And you know, everything else. 

Everything I've ever heard about her casting process makes it seem like it was way more CW than the Arrow producers because she was their next appointed breakout star like BL, ML, and ND before her. She got offered a few scripts and wanted Arrow because who wouldn't want a double role like that? And seriously because even though the show's over and they went completely the other way, no chemistry test for their big soulmate, forever even though you slept with my sister and she died, couple. And if they had tried to directly transition Laurel from Rachel Dawes to Catwoman/BC in S1/2 it would have been even more laughable than it was. 

Re the potential WB guidelines, well that's going to affect the Arrowverse and the CW big time. No love scenes or action scenes? Most of their pilots also require at least some of both of those. Yeah at this point just use the virus in the script and have "fun" with that. 

Edited by Featherhat
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1 hour ago, lemotomato said:

I'm not sure, but didn't she tell a different story at SDCC about someone else telling her she and SA were "born to play GA and BC" after the pilot was filmed? 

IIRC she said at SDCC that the director told SA and her that during filming. I don’t understand the weird consistency issues with some of her stories. I can’t figure out if it’s something she’s doing consciously or not. 

Both KC and Kat have mentioned bloopers on the S8 DVD and there are none. Oops. Lol

 

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2 minutes ago, Chaser said:

Both KC and Kat have mentioned bloopers on the S8 DVD and there are none. Oops. Lol

Like I mentioned before, no one informed them that Arrow dvds are notoriously kind of lame XD.

Those quick clips from BL though make me want them more. Wonder which actor or whoever put the kibosh on that.

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11 hours ago, shantown said:

The more Katie Cassidy talks the less likely I am to even give GA&tC a chance. She's so completely unaware.

I’m not going to watch the show, but I suspect the bts drama/gossip is going to be really entertaining. 

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John Barrowman was the latest guest on the Nocking Point chat. It looks like instead of posting the whole video to Instagram, they’ve now started only posting a couple of minutes and saving the rest for the podcast. I’m guessing they realized they could monetize a podcast with ads in a way you can’t with IGTV. Although there’s been a bunch of articles about how podcast usage is way down because fewer people are commuting, so good luck with that, I guess.

 

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^^^ My transcriptions from the above video clip of JB on SA's Instagram...

-- SA: "Well, listen, John... I could tell a hundred stories, but I - I am going to just pivot to episode 116, which is an episode that you and Colin were heavily involved with. It's when I revealed my identity to Tommy Merlyn, and a couple of things from that episode. Number one, James Bamford, our - our fight choreographer at the time, our stunt coordinator later and our producing director after Season 5. He had to do a stunt for you, when you got shot, okay? (Laughs) And he overplayed it so much - he overplayed it so much -"
JB: "He overplayed it. It was like Charlie Chaplin doin' it!"
SA: "And - and John wants it - 'cause he had shot - he was - (Mimes shaking his whole body) Like that. He goes like that. And John walks up to him and goes, 'You go to do another take of this, ' which was a big reset, because the glass had to break. He goes, 'First of all, Malcolm's not gay, and I've never done anything that gay in my life.' (JB laughs) [Unintelligible words] in front of the entire f**kin' crew." 
JB: "That was - I said, 'That was the gayest death I've ever seen in my entire life. Now do it again!' And everyone - everyone was looking at me like, who the f**k is this guy? And I'm like, 'I am the guy who doesn't die gay.'  Not that it's a bad thing [unintelligible word] to die gay, but Malcolm is not gay and he would not die like that. If it was me, John Barrowman, I'd be like, 'Whoooo' - (Spreads out his arms) .own I go. But not Malcolm."

-- SA: "So we were filming late one night, and we were actually filming, uh, the scene after that where - where Malcolm like comes back to life... I think we did a blood transfusion and something like that. But Barrowman hops on the phone with his parents, randomly, at like one o'clock in the morning. And all of a sudden he's speaking with a Scottish accent. And I had never f**kin' heard it before. And I was like - I - I was confused."
JB: "It was like, who is that other person over there? Who has this man just become? And I'm like, 'Bond. James Bond.' Um, no, it's, uh - yeah, people I - I don't really generally tell people when I - you know, right off the bat, 'cause I don't - I don't think it's anything different or unique that I have to explain. So when I did it, and I - I am speaking to my parents, which you know now, I revert into my other accent. And, uh, yeah, it's - and I think a couple of times in takes I said things that were - I just, like, rattled off some Scottish phrases, and people would be like, 'What the f**k was that?'"

Edited by tv echo
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Okay, here are all of the times (that I know of) that, according to KC or SA, someone told KC that she was "born to play" Laurel Lance on Arrow....

-- ETonline's Leanne Aguilera interview with Arrow cast at San Diego Comic-Con International 2019 (Jul. 20, 2019):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyHaSADIY2o 

KC: "I also remember from the first table read... I actually - because there was such a relationship between Laurel obviously and, uh, Oliver, I - you were never scripted as 'Ollie.' I just threw it in there and then they just started writing it. So, 'cause I wanted them to have, like, a nickname to [unintelligible word] their relationship."
SA: "Another thing that I remember from the pilot is, you and I shot the scene in front of the globe in the convention center downtown. And one of our executive producers texted both of us afterwards, and the text just said, 'you were both born to play Oliver Queen and Laurel Lance.' Remember that?"
KC: “Yeah. I just got chills.”

-- Eonline article (Chris Harnick) titled "The Final Season: Katie Cassidy Remembers the First Time She Put on Her Arrow Costume" (Oct. 22, 2019):
https://www.eonline.com/news/1084920/the-final-season-katie-cassidy-remembers-the-first-time-she-put-on-her-arrow-costume

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"When I read the pilot before I auditioned." Cassidy said she after reading the script and meeting with Marc Guggenheim, Greg Berlanti and David Nutter she was on board, noting she really wanted to do an action role. "I'm all for strong women having their own story and they pitched it to me. I remember calling my agent after reading the pilot and said, ‘This is going to be a hit. I don't want to read any other scripts. I have to play this role. I was born to play this role. This is me.'"

"After we shot the pilot, David Nutter, he took me and Stephen aside, and he said those exact words, ‘The two of you, you were born to play Oliver Queen and you were born to play Laurel Lance. Just immediately, you are these people.' I thought that was pretty cool I even remember saying to Stephen when we were at Comic-Con the first year, I basically said, ‘Don't f—k this up. This is going to be a big show and a part of something special.' And it really has been. I'm so, so fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to be a part of it…It's almost a decade, it's eight years, but as it continues."

-- CBR article (Meagan Damore) titled "Green Arrow & the Canaries Stars Reflect on Arrow, Look to the Future" (May 1, 2020):
https://www.cbr.com/green-arrow-canaries-katie-cassidy-katherine-mcnamara-juliana-harkavy-interview/

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Cassidy: I basically got a call from [Arrow pilot director] David Nutter, I read the script, I saw that they hired Stephen, I refused to read any other pilot. My agent and my manager were really mad at me, but I was like, "This is the role I have to play. This is all I want to do."

Then I met with Greg [Berlanti], Marc and Andrew [Kreisberg]. They said, "You're the Black Canary -- in Season 1 or Season 2, we're not sure yet." I was totally on board, and then I had a private, secret taping/testing, but it wasn't really a test, even though it was. David Nutter had called me the night before and was like, "You are born to play this part, Laurel Lance. Just come in and be you, and just don't worry about it. You know what you're doing."

 

Edited by tv echo
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Also, here's what KC has said before about how she came to Arrow...

-- Collider article (Christina Radish) titled "Katie Cassidy Talks ARROW, Her Desire for Laurel to Take the Black Canary Path, the Character’s Relationship with Oliver, and More" (Oct. 9, 2012):
http://collider.com/katie-cassidy-arrow-interview-2/

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How did you come to this show?  Was it through your relationship with The CW?
CASSIDY:
 It happened because I got the script and I saw who was involved before I read it.  Greg Berlanti, David Nutter, Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim are the people I wanted to work with.  They’re smart, they’re funny, they’re cool, they’re edgy.  I felt like we would speak the same language.  And then, I read the script and loved it.  I thought it was fantastic, and I loved the character.  Everything was right.  It was just a matter of it all coming together, and luckily, it did.

Was there an actor for Arrow attached yet, at that point?
CASSIDY:
 No, there wasn’t.  There was nobody attached.  We had to wait to see who they were going to get for Arrow.  I told Stephen [Amell] that I pictured him, before he got the part, even though I had never seen him.  When I read things, I get a lot of visuals, and I guess he was the visual.  And then, he was attached and that was it.  I was like, “This is exactly what I thought.”

Did you know anything about your character, prior to signing on?  At what point did you become aware of the Black Canary possibility?
CASSIDY:
 After I read it, I had a meeting with Greg and Andrew and David, and they pitched to me what the season would be, what the show would be, the tone and the possibilities.  It was everything that I wanted to get involved with, so I was beyond thrilled.  I love women.  Now, especially, more than ever, we’re seen as equals to men and can do the same things.  By the way, we do also bring life to this planet, which is enough, in itself.  But, to be taken seriously, as a professional, I’m so about that, especially with a character like this.  Laurel, in the corporate world and as a lawyer, is so good at what she does.  She makes stuff happen, in the business world.  At some point, if and when the Black Canary happens, it’s just awesome for a woman to get to kick some ass and fight, and just be as tough and bad-ass as Green Arrow, or whoever.  I think it’s cool, and I think it’s fun.  I cannot wait to do some fight training.  It’s going to be awesome!

-- NBC Philadelphia article (Scott Huver) titled "'Arrow's' Katie Cassidy May Be On Target to Become a Superhero Herself" (Nov. 27, 2012):
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/entertainment/television/Arrows-Katie-Cassidy-May-Be-On-Target-to-Become-a-Superhero-Herself-180932171.html

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Had you stayed in regular talks with The CW since your last show with them?
I have stayed very close with them. The CW has been wonderful to me, and I sat down and met with them about a year ago – and I wanted to be back on their network. We sat down and talked and they said, 'What kind of show are you looking to do?' I said that it would be really cool to do something action-packed, a kick-ass-type role. Sure enough this came along, and I read it and it was a great group of people: Marc Guggenheim, Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg – they were certainly the people that I wanted to be in business with. It was a wonderful script and a wonderful character, so it all just fell into place.

-- CW Atlanta article titled "Interview with 'Arrow' actress Katie Cassidy," recorded during Dragon Con 2015 (Oct. 7, 2015):
https://cwatlanta.cbslocal.com/2015/10/07/interview-with-arrow-actress-katie-cassidy/

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So after two years of seeing everybody else get into costumes and having fights and being able to do all that was it exciting to be able to get in there and join in?
Katie:  
Oh my gosh, yes, absolutely! I met with the CW even before “Arrow” was around. I told them I wanted to do action. I have always worked out. I told them I want to do some badass, kick-ass action show.  If you guys have one, let me know. So “Arrow” came about and I met with Greg, David Nutter, and Marc Guggenheim and they pitched me the show.  They told me that Laurel Lance is Black Canary, and Black Canary will be appearing sometime in season one or season two. But its television and anything can happen.  But I am grateful and glad the way that they went about it. It gave my character some place to go, and when you’re on a show season after season after season, I’m so lucky that I’ve had this wonderful arc that they wrote for me. But yeah, defiantly after the seasons it was a little frustrating for me. I wasn’t apart of the “A” story and wanted to be in there. And then when Caity Lotz came on, who by the way I love, she’s amazing. It was definitely hard because I didn’t know, they hadn’t told me that she was coming ’til like a week before, and I was like … I mean I didn’t say this, but I thought this in my head like, “Pretty sure they sold me the show where I was supposed to do that!” And then I was like, you know what, just have to have faith, and I trust them.  They know what they’re doing. It’s television; I’m a professional. I tried to handle it in the best way possible, and she was so great. It was also good just watching, I think because we were still just trying to find our legs Season 1 and 2. And it’s obviously been an honor and I’m so happy and lucky, and I’m so grateful to finally a part of Team Arrow! The one thing I will say, though, is when you’re a superhero and you’re on our show, you work until four or five in the morning, so now I’m nocturnal.

 

Edited by tv echo
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1 hour ago, tv echo said:

Okay, here are all of the times (that I know of) that, according to KC or SA, someone told KC that she was "born to play" Laurel Lance on Arrow....

So it looks like SA told the story first, and then KC liked it so much she took it and embellished in other interviews.

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Video of full chat with John Barrowman on May 2...

-- JB: "When I was called up to do Arrow, I was literally sitting at the kitchen counter and, uh, they explained it to me. And the way I always describe it is, they explained, uh, Arrow and the character of Merlyn, the story, the world, exactly with the passion and the same kind of joie de vivre that, um, uh, they explained when I started in Doctor Who. So I knew it was something I had to do. I knew I had to be a part of it, even if it was only for a short period of time."

-- SA: "John, to pivot for a second, do you have a favorite memory from working on Arrow?"
JB: "Um, I - there's a couple. You want one specific?"
SA: "We've got time. Give me a couple. It's fine. I've got a couple. I've got a couple working with you."
JB: "One of them was the first - uh, one of them was the first moments that I - I loved... was the fight sequence... 'Cause I always based Malcolm, uh, as being a good dad and somebody who actually cared about, uh, his son, his daughter, the people around him, but was ruthless in the way that he dealt with things. And that sequence where we had that first fight - that big fight where I pulled Oliver's hood off and he realized, uh... That was the moment, character-wise for me, that Malcolm  changed in a sense, because he knew he couldn't hurt this kid that was - I say 'kid,' you know - but - this kid who was down in front of him, uh, that's he's known all his life. He could fight him, he could do all this stuff, but he couldn't kill him. He just couldn't do it now because of knowing who he was. Um, I liked it when I would - I can make you guys laugh... I loved the first - I remember the first time, it was the hallway sequence of the hospital. And I think I did that walk and I did this - (Gets up to demonstrate snapping fingers dance move) walking out of the sequence, and you guys had to continue - you and Paul walking down the hallway. And I can remember Paul being like, 'Barrowman, you f**kin' asshole.'" (Laughs)
SA: "But before he realized - before he realized that you did something, he thought that I was being an asshole and not paying attention, because you didn't break while we were on his coverage."
JB: "Yeah."
SA: "And Paul Blackthorne was f**kin' pissed off."
JB: "Furious. ... I liked when we were challenged to do - there was one fight scene on the rooftop where we did most of the fighting, and it was choreographed brilliantly by, um, uh, by James... So, yeah, things like that. It's hard to recall right off the top of my head, because there's so many specific moments... There was a sequence that we did, you and I, on the rooftop, and it was a comment, um - it was the way they wrote stuff for us because we were - we knew each other outside and they were kinda putting our personalities into it a little bit. And I turned to you on the rooftop and went, 'You're not that good-looking.' (Laughs) As Malcolm. And you could just see - you could just see us being in like a bar situation and you gettin' all like ready to go up, 'I'm going to go dancing, duh-duh-duh, and I'm going to take over'... and I turn around and go, 'Stephen, you're not that good-looking, okay?' And it's just - it's just those kinds of things. It's those moments I really enjoy."

-- A video clip of this portion of the chat was previously posted and transcribed upthread here.

-- JB: "I've always described the work that I do and that we do, you know - .... It's like being a kid again... That's what we do on a daily basis. We get to play. It's work, but we get to revert to - that's why I tell people, never lose that kid that's inside, because you have to recall it all the time to be able to believe and play with what you do in work. So yeah. I don't want to get too wangy, 'cause you know me. I'm not one of those artsy-fartsy actrines, you know, who - I mean, have I ever said, 'I need to get into character,' Stephen?"
SA: "Uh-uh. Nope. That being said - that being said, I recognized very early on, and you helped me a lot, especially - especially when we were chatting during the 9th episode during our big fight, when up until that point, I didn't actually know that you were the Big Bad of Season 1. No one told me. No one told me who the Dark Archer was. And all of a sudden I show up at set and you're there and we worked all night. And I recognized very early on that, despite the fact that you don't need to, quote, (Makes quote marks with his fingers) 'get into character,' um, I recognized your professionalism very early on."
JB: "Yeah, well, I - and I appreciate that... For me, being in front of the camera is just to get up and do it...." (He then related a Torchwood anecdote about a young guy who came onto that show who would do breathing and stretching exercises to prepare, while the crew and everyone was waiting to shoot, and they would look at JB to say something. But JB would let the guy do all that stuff and "get his motivation going." Then after shooting the scene, JB told the young guy that it was great he was doing all that prep work but they would be shooting till very late if he did that all the time and that he should do his prep work in his trailer before he got to set. JB told the guy, "That's what we do in school, it's not what we do on set.")

Edited by tv echo
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1 hour ago, adora721 said:

I suspect this was because the showrunnner prefered EBR. The showrunner has a ton of influence over the writing on the show. In S2, CP has exactly 12 words in the episode that started the crossover. I suspect that was just to fulfill the contractual obligation, but then Iris wasn't shown again during the rest of the crossover of S2. However, DP was in every episode of every crossover except for the S6 crossover. Why? Different showrunner in S6.

AJK and Todd both seemed to favor DP, whether that was because of the contract or just preference, CP got the short end of the stick for a long time until things started improving a bit in S5 with Todd and now Eric.

I mean AJK always prefered and pushed KC everyway he could just like he did with DP. 

AJKs wife represented both KC and DP. But with AJK being more focused on the Flash show, he wasnt as involved with Arrow that much anymore and he was overruled by everybody else involved with the show with the direction they were taking. He still tried to stir the pot one last time at the end of s2 knowing the direction they were taking. But KC also had connection on the CW beyond that and she still speaks highly about them. Lets not forget how AJK made sure KC had another chance to be part of the Arrowverse when he introduced Black Siren on the Flash. 

Lets just say Berlanti was never going to be KCs biggest fan with how she loved to use lawyers and lawsuits against the showrunners and the show or when she talked shit about Berlanti at Hollywoods major events.  

The problem was also KCs character had failed. And the showrunners tried to fix the mistakes, but you can only do so much when CW doesnt want to hear about the proposed changes (like rewriting her characters before it premiered or recasting the role).

EBR was creating quite a bit of buzz for Arrow since her first appearance. Then she seemed to get support from people at the top of WB, with Peter Roth constantly repeating how much he loved Felicity/EBRs first appearance and wanting to see more of her. Berlanti always seemingly supported Emily even after she left the show and is one of the people that is responsible for Emily returning. I dont know how EBR/MG interacted, but there clearly was tension after the AJK thing blew up. And even with that i think MG still prefered writing for Felicity rather than any version of Laurel.  Doesnt have to mean Felicity got the big storylines but they just loved her character, which was one of their creation basically. But it wasnt just the fact that the showrunners had their favorites, the writers seem to have hated writing for Laurel also. They basically had to hire a writer  just to write the episodes where Laurel had more than 5 minutes of screentime. 

With Danielle i think the connection to AJK and his wife got her a better contract and pay than Candice, which is ridicilous since Candice was cast as the female lead. Candice position got better throughout the seasons but she had to work hard to get it. We all know Candice was treated badly while the Flash was run by AJK. 

There is a reason why Candice never truly interacted with Katie Cassidy.  Katie Cassidy always supported Danielle Panabaker, they were even roomates. Heck they dated the same guy. The little incident from a live tweet comes to mind where she gushed about Grant/Danielle interaction while completely ignoring Candice. Candice supported Caity Lotz instead. Calling her the Black Canary of it all.

 I dont think the situations of Candice and Katie Cassidy are even little compareable. Candice never got the chances from the start Katie did. Candice had to work her ass off to earn them. Katie got everything delivered on a silver platter and still failed in her role and had to learn that in show business you sometimes dont get what you were casted for. Colin (played Tommy Merlyn on Arrow) was supposed to be on the show for 7 years, yet got killed off at the end of s1. There is no victim mentality when discussing any other exit that is not KC.

Edited by Velocity23
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28 minutes ago, Velocity23 said:

I mean AJK always prefered and pushed KC everyway he could just like he did with DP. 

 

I can only say that Marc G. wasn't a fan of KC based on how Laurel was treated and since Felicity was his "creation", it makes sense how things went down. With Marc and Berlanti both on board with the EBR change, I don't think AJK could overrule those two. 

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(edited)

Yeah, GATV's not biased at all - yes, I recognize that this tweet was in honor of Bird Day (although "Bird Day" is apparently designated for January 5, April 1, May 4 and May 9 in 2020) - still, it's weird that a site called "GreenArrowTV" would omit mention of the person playing, you know, Green Arrow...

Edited by tv echo
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Heh the showrunner (who has a big new job) told him he should include Mia, guess they want fandom unity for this thing because Mia isn't a "bird". Though he didn't include Sara or Zoe in the tweet either. I mean it's fine to have preferences and biases but it's noticeable in a fandom with so many birds. 

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9 minutes ago, Featherhat said:

Heh the showrunner (who has a big new job) told him he should include Mia, guess they want fandom unity for this thing because Mia isn't a "bird". Though he didn't include Sara or Zoe in the tweet either. I mean it's fine to have preferences and biases but it's noticeable in a fandom with so many birds. 

Unity is fine, just as long as it's all (honorary) Canaries. Arguing otherwise makes you not a fan.

 

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They get upset with you Craig because you want the show to be about the Canaries and named Canaries and that's the only reason why you want Mia to be one - so the Green Arrow will be taken out of the title lol.

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He still could have included other Canaries if other "fans" were really so annoying, you know like the actual original one in the Arrowverse (hint Sara) who's known and feared throughout time. And who played a major off screen part in setting up GAATC. Or newly alive again Zoe. Or you know, just included Mia as and "where would they be without their new GA" wink, wink since that is the site. Again he's allowed his biases but...

It's funny many were all about "Oliver's the GA he should be in charge, no one can be better than him or question him and GA/BC are intrinsically linked forever." Now they're attempting a female GA/BC complicated (platonic) relationship "oh no we should just have a BOP show without her". 

 

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2 hours ago, way2interested said:

Unity is fine, just as long as it's all (honorary) Canaries. Arguing otherwise makes you not a fan.

Ah, Craig. Mr. "Stop being mean to me! Respect my opinions!" who takes every opportunity to use his platform and insider status to dismiss and belittle fans that don't like the same aspects of the show as he does.

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10 minutes ago, lemotomato said:

Ah, Craig. Mr. "Stop being mean to me! Respect my opinions!" who takes every opportunity to use his platform and insider status to dismiss and belittle fans that don't like the same aspects of the show as he does.

To be devil's advocate, I'd guess he would argue that he's fine with Mia as the Green Arrow and to promote her as such in addition to being all "Girl Power! Canaries!" It just reminds of a joke about Cats. Like, there were articles that came out that had "Cats Star Idris Elba." Now, it's not technically wrong if you want to refer to Idris Elba as being from Cats (or, in this case, want Mia to be an "honorary Canary"), but people aren't going to be clamoring for that moniker to stick and it isn't hard to figure out why (not that Canaries are a phenomenal box office bomb, but more of the sense of there's two contradictory groups present).

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6 hours ago, adora721 said:

I can only say that Marc G. wasn't a fan of KC based on how Laurel was treated and since Felicity was his "creation", it makes sense how things went down. With Marc and Berlanti both on board with the EBR change, I don't think AJK could overrule those two. 

As someone who's been watching the show and following the BTS stuff since season 2, it's pretty clear from all accounts that the switch to EBR/Felicity becoming the leading lady wasn't just a decision by a producer playing favorites. The writers loved writing for her, Stephen Amell and David Ramsey loved working with her, the audience loved her and Olicity. Felicity and EBR's portrayal created a ton of positive buzz for the show, so the showrunners went with what worked better for the show overall.

There's no conspiracy for why her role expanded, and tbh, I think it's gross to imply she got promoted for any reason other than her own hard work and talent.

Edited by lemotomato
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Idk about that being all on MG and AKeither. Circa s1 AK said he was the one who wrote Felicity's first scene in 103 in the first place anyway (and IIRC he was one pushing for more scenes/her scenes to be longer for that "reward" of having lighter scenes, MG was the one who had the story about needing to add her onto the team if they were going to keep including her that much), so I doubt there was any dissent from him. At the most, I guess he just wanted Laurel still to be a more direct presence for Oliver too for whatever bts/narrative reason (and maybe was the source of KC's original "love triangle" interpretations back in s1/s2/s3 back when he was still involved). 

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I think that, if GATV (Craig) was going to hashtag "#GreenArrowAndTheCanaries" in his tweet (which he didn't have to do), then he should've mentioned all three stars of that spinoff. Alternatively, he could've just hashtagged "#BirdDay" and then mentioned only the actresses who played Canary in the Arrowverse.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of Andrew Kreisberg's early comments about EBR/Felicity in my collection (I only started collecting Arrow info during or around S3), but here's what I do have...

Arrow 1x03 (Lone Gunmen, aired Oct. 24, 2012)- Teleplay by MG and AK; and story by GB and AK.

PaleyFest (Mar. 9, 2013) - When asked if they were surprised at how Felicity Smoak has blown up in popularity, AK: "It's really all because of Emily. I mean, truthfully, you know, we wrote that as a - you know, we never intended to, 'hey, we're introducing a new recurring character who one day is going to find out Oliver Queen's secret.'  It was just, 'oh, Oliver needed to go to an IT girl, and we decided to make it somebody, you know in Queen Consolidated, and we gave her a little bit of edge, which we thought was fun. And Marc and I saw like - you know, the casting people, they send you the videos of the readings of the, you know, people who come in to read, and she was clearly the best one. And we did it once and, you know, what's going to happen. And, you know, we were watching, you know - sometimes we'll watch the show like with twitter - (MG interjected, "And by 'sometimes,' we mean every week") - and that first episode that she was on, like all of a sudden, it was like, 'hey, who's the blonde IT girl? who's the blonde IT girl?' And, you know, then we were getting feedback from, you know - Peter Roth, who's the President of Warner Brothers, called us and said, 'I love the blonde computer girl.' - (general laughter) - And, um, that first scene with her became proof of concept for what she could be because, you know, Stephen was so funny in that scene, you know, that first scene with her."

TV Line (Apr. 21, 2013) - AK: "[Felicity] is our secret weapon that we didn’t even know we had... Emily and Felicity have filled every one of our expectations and beyond, for what this character could do for the show.”

Collider (Dec. 3, 2013) - When asked how Barry Allen will affect Felicity's relationship with Oliver, AK: "Oliver isn’t quite sure what he feels.  He knows he feels something for her, but can’t quite define it.  I think he’s surprised to find, in this episode, when Dig points out to him that what he’s feeling might actually be termed jealousy.  For Felicity, she doesn’t want to like Oliver, in a way.  She finds him unattainable and, in a way, he is unattainable, especially when he says, at the end of Episode 6, 'It’s probably better if I’m not with somebody I care about.'  So, while she does like Barry, she probably throws even more into it because now he’s somebody who’s available.  And Barry being as smart as he is, he is familiar with liking somebody who doesn’t like you back, which is something that will be explored further, down the road.  He sees that about her.  That’s certainly something we pick up in Episode 10.  The fall-out from Episode 9 carries over into the next episodes, as far as the Oliver and Felicity relationship is concerned.  Barry has had a profound affect on them, and that will carry through."

TVLine (Jan. 14, 2014) - TVLine: "Well, that brings me to one of my last questions. I know the whole Felicity thing surprised you in Season 1 — how that character took off, how Emily took off. And you’ve obviously got viewers out there who want something to happen between her and Oliver. Is it a balancing act for you, to touch on 'Olicity' now and again but not make this show about that?" AK: "One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned from working with Greg Berlanti, whose obviously had such amazing success in television, is to always have a really great plan, and then always know when to let the plan go. We are very cognizant of what makes people excited, and certainly seeing the fans respond to Emily last season helped cement her as a regular this season. We have a plan, but we also kind of go where the story takes us. So while it is a juggling act, we just do what we feel is right — and up until this point we’ve been lucky that most of the audience has agreed, and this is a show that we would love to watch. We really do make it for ourselves, and as long as we’re happy and excited, we feel like the fans will be happy and excited too."

SDCC press roundtable (Jul. 26, 2014) - In response to a reporter's question about Oliver & Felicity's first date, AK: "There were some people at the end of last season who were like, you know, thought it was sort of bait-and-switch when he said that 'I love you,' but we look at that scene on the beach afterwards and the way that they're looking at each other, they're - they're pretty much saying a lot of things without actually saying them out loud. And so, given that that is where we left them, it only felt right to honor that and, uh, uh, pick up this part of the story." In response to a reporter commenting about some fans' complaint that Oliver & Felicity were so good as (platonic) friends that there was no reason to turn their relationship romantic, AK: "Well, um, they have so much chemistry, it's like - it's literally insane. I mean, it's like, you know, if they were our friends in real life, we would all be going, 'Dude, why aren't you two together?' Um, so, I - you know, there are other women on the show, um, you know, like Amanda Waller and, you know - that - that he won't have had a relationship with... But I think, for the two of them, it was - you know, sometimes - you know, you have your plans for what you think the show is going to be, but obviously when we did the pilot for Arrow, we didn't think about Felicity Smoak. We didn't have her in it. And again, it wasn't this grand plan. Um, it was - you know, for us it was one scene and an Easter egg, that once we saw those dailies, we saw what Emily did to Stephen, um, you know, especially early on, it was just this thing that just kept growing and growing and growing. And it just, um - but I think what's interesting about it - and again to the friend part is, you know, there's a real similarity to what they do. There's only so many people in the world who understand the lives that they are going through. And, you know, I think that's part of the - part of the emotional arc for this season, both for her and for him, is, you know, is - is, can you really have a life, you know, if you do this? So much of the last two seasons was about the morality of what they were doing. And, you know, am I a hero? Am I a killer? And now that he's sort of on the hero track, it's, oh, is this all there is? You know, is this - you know, am I just going to do this until I die? Or, you know, are you - are you going to be my friend, you know? Can we be together? Um, you know, can I be with anybody else but not with you? So I think those are - those are the kinds of questions that will be asked this year. I think it's - it will feel different than what's happened before. Hopefully, it will feel like an evolution." In response to a reporter bringing up Clark and Chloe's relationship on Smallville, AK: "I mean, as a huge fan of Smallville, for my money, I never - I never felt like they should've been together. I mean, it was just - they were friends, even though she had a crush on him. They never felt right, in a way that I think Felicity and Oliver, uh, you know, it's different. But, uh, again, that's just one fan's opinion - one Smallville fan's opinion." Also: AK: "It's a rocky road and, um, there are complications and changes and obstacles... Some people will get what they're looking for, and other people will shake their fists and scream, and, uh, we just - as always, we just do what feels like the next right step. And if it turns out not to be right, we correct. And if it's right, we go [unintelligible words]." In response to a reporter asking how much they've been influenced by the fans "pushing so heavily" for Oliver & Felicity or whether they just did what they were going to do, AK: "It wasn't ever so much the fans pushing necessarily for them. I think, um, you know, we were - you know, when we first saw Emily on camera, um, and then when the fans got their first look at her, there was so much, like, 'Who the hell is that? Who is that girl? She's interesting.' And, you know, I think that the - certainly the fan reaction to Emily's performance as Felicity, um, may have galvanized all of us that, oh, wait a minute, this - you know, the way that we had envisioned the show, this could be an interesting new dynamic. And especially because, you know, the humor that she brings to the part. And, you know, as always, these things, they sort of live and breathe, and, you know - we, you know, were certainly interested in what the fans say, you know, but, uh, it just always feels right... Like I said, it's always felt like the right next thing. And, you know, so far with most of the decisions we've made, even though - even though they've been very difficult decisions, whether it was killing Tommy or killing Moira, um, you know, and, you know, pushing some relationships forward and other relationships onto the back burner, um, we just do what feels right. But as always, hopefully with success... We don't have to rush everything. You know, some things are on a slow burn on purpose, even though that might displease some members of the fandom. So, uh, we'll see."

Variety (Jan. 21, 2015) - AK: "One day on the set I said to her, ‘The Flash, The Atom and Green Arrow are all in love with you,' ... She had the greatest answer; she goes, ‘I think the reason it works is because I don’t look like the girl that you’d think that about.’ Emily is really the superhero of both shows.

Fat Man on Batman Podcast 103: Passion of the Kreisberg - Part 2 (Dec. 16, 2015) - AK: "We saw like a bunch of actresses. I remember Marc was standing over my shoulder.  Emily read... - she was working in a pet store at the time, she had like one credit, one guest starring credit... one like co-star credit on like some Canadian show - and we were both just, like, bedazzled by her. Like, she was weird and quirky and funny and we were like ‘Let’s hire her’. We’ll make that scene fun. And then we got those dailies back and we were all like, everybody was like, ‘Did you see those dailies with Stephen and, and, and that girl?’ Because you could tell something happened to him. He, like, lightened up, and he, like, got smiley and he really liked her and it came through on screen… And then the network called, and then the studio called, and they were like, 'This girl, who is she? Like, what’s her deal? .... Fuck this. Imagine how much more fun this scene with him, Dig in the cave would be if he had Felicity there to... [Arrow] wasn’t Arrow until… the episode where [Felicity Smoak] kinda found out. Like from that point on it feels much more like the show." 

Edited by tv echo
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You can read her entire guest blog by going to the article link...

Katherine McNamara Talks Social Distancing In JJJ Guest Blog (Exclusive)
May 4, 2020
http://www.justjaredjr.com/2020/05/04/katherine-mcnamara-talks-social-distancing-in-jjj-guest-blog-exclusive/

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Katherine McNamara is opening up about social distancing in a new guest blog with Just Jared Jr!
*  *  *
“Hello world! First of all, I want to take a moment to say I hope you and your loved ones are safe, happy, and healthy during this time. It’s not easy for anyone and I wish you all the best,” Katherine wrote. “Secondly, I want to give my greatest thanks and heartfelt gratitude to the healthcare workers, first responders, essential persons, and others on the front lines who are keeping things running while working to heal the world. You are super heroes in real life and we are forever in your debt. I hope you feel the love, support, and gratitude sent your way by so many every day – at a safe social distance of course…”

“One beautiful thing to come out of this period of social distancing is the creativity and the art that is being spread throughout the world,” she said. “Every effort to bring a smile to someone’s face, a bit of comfort to those who are uncertain, or support to those who are fighting tirelessly every day to heal the world, has a profound depth and beauty because it is serving to unite us as a human community for the greater good of the world.”

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A Bleeding Cool interview with just KM and JH...

Arrow Stars Katherine McNamara, Juliana Harkavy Discuss Show's Legacy
Posted on May 5, 2020 | by Andy Wilson
https://bleedingcool.com/tv/arrow-stars-katherine-mcnamara-juliana-harkavy-discuss-shows-legacy/ 

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"Something that I think is so wonderful about the Arrowverse, in general, is that every single character… has their own hero's journey," Katherine McNamara related as she and co-star Juliana Harkavy mused on the finale and future of Arrow in an interview exclusive to Bleeding Cool. "We need heroes more now than ever," Harkavy chimes in, speaking to our current situation and the quarantine they both find themselves in.

As we sat and discussed the release of both the Arrow complete series box set and Season 8 of Arrow, we contemplated how far we'd come, and how much more there is to tell. Of course, the conversation was going to include the future of their proposed spinoff, Green Arrow and the Canaries, which they shot a backdoor pilot for Episode 9 of the last season. While there's no confirmed pick-up of the series, speculation is high that this is still happening.
*  *  *
Looking at The Future of the Arrowverse
Harkavy mused on what this could look like, "I'm excited to just build what we already have and to have these like incredible women with incredible history… So I'm excited to explore that and write new stories, especially this one." She added, "They've left it so open. It's beautiful. Dinah would love nothing more than to walk into the sunset with the hopes of saving a new city. And we actually have the freedom to do that right now. It's a very literal thing."
*  *  *
McNamara felt a strong legacy from the history of the show, and one which intersects with her character's legacy as well. "Stephen [Amell] created this massive legacy.  We're picking it up and hopefully moving it forward if we're lucky enough to be picked up. But it's kind of amazing just to think about the fact that even though this show may not continue, our characters still exist in that future."

As to what that looks like exactly, the future is wide open, but McNamara teases that it could largely about living up to the legacy of her parents. "So you've got to see the possibility of a future, whether or not we actually see that play out. The series is one thing, but we got kind of an idea. We have each character in it, and for me in particular, she's got this sort of new reality shift with these two lifetimes, these two sets of memories. These two sets that she can use to rise to the challenge and live up to the legacy that her father has had left for her– as well as 'reality' for me."

Harkavy agreed, "I'm just I'm so excited for the whole thing. I have faith that when the time is right and everybody is safe, then it'll be time to tell the story and like we'll be like in a really good place when it does happen."
*  *  *
We also discussed what else they were binging, and the answers ranged from Juliana getting outside and being active and running (in a socially distant and responsible manner, of course!) but also watching stand-up comedy on YouTube to both of them upping their baking games. McNamara bragged about "my specialty" of butterscotch oatmeal cookies and how upon noticing her fresh fruits was about to go bad, made a blueberry peach crumble. Harkavy upped the ante by talking about taking matzoh and topping it with homemade caramel, chocolate, sea salt, and other toppings. Truly, these are treats worth binging.
*  *  *
But in terms of other media, they both admitted to branching out into other media. McNamara has been enjoying lots of podcasts, especially Joel McHale and Ken Jeong's Community podcast, as well as getting to the books she hasn't had a chance to get to with such a busy filming schedule. She also calls it "a bit of a separation" in her tv habits, either watching reality shows Married at First Sight or Love Island or more heady dramas like Ozark and Mindhunter.

Harkavy, on the other hand, has been binging music. Herself a talented musician, she showed off her talents in the backdoor pilot. Would we like to see more singing in future episodes? "Yes. Yes. Yes." She brought up her ideas as they were developing the pilot, "I would like us all to sing together. You know, the three of us [including McNamara and co-star Katie Cassidy] sing and are musical. And I just think, why wouldn't we use that?"
...
McNamara agrees, "Let's do an entire musical episode! The Flash did it!"
*  *  *
So What About Arrow Stood Out?
McNamara had a very specific favorite scene which was a giant emotional climax for her. She explains, "Each episode was a love letter and was hearkening back to what made Arrow so special and to its legacy. And I always call the Lian Yu episode [Purgatory] the "last episode of Arrow in its original form" because of this." And one of the last scenes in that episode was between me and Oliver, where they finally–finally– released emotionally." She explained the arc of several episodes had been the two sort of dancing around each other and pushing and pulling away, "And finally, they had this wonderful tearful release and they hug for the first time and the last time.  It's such a touching moment. I had such a blast working with Stephen and that scene was sort of the culmination of all of it for me."

"Well, I got chills," Harkavy injected. Her favorite was a quieter moment near the end of their pilot, "I was quite emotional towards starting around like episode eight and I was like 'It's the end.' So just the very end of our pilot we toasted and said: "To the teacher"– that felt very real. And it gave me a lot of hope that there would be a teacher and that it wasn't the end."
...
Both agreed that Arrow created a giant legacy, now an entire expanded Arrow-verse, and are excited to take their own next steps within that legacy themselves. After all, McNamara quipped, it would be a pretty big waste of a really cool custom superhero suit that they'd made just for her if they didn't. We'll see you on the other side, Canaries.

Edited by tv echo
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My 2 cents: the producers like KC and they liked Laurel Lance but their vision of LL Earth I is something that KC had difficulty delivering. They gave her chance after chance (I think it would have been more interesting if she had died and Tommy had sought vengeance) but it wasn't until LL1 died and they wrote for LL2 that she fit the character that was on the page.

On 5/3/2020 at 10:23 AM, tv echo said:

Also, here's what KC has said before about how she came to Arrow...

-- Collider article (Christina Radish) titled "Katie Cassidy Talks ARROW, Her Desire for Laurel to Take the Black Canary Path, the Character’s Relationship with Oliver, and More" (Oct. 9, 2012):
http://collider.com/katie-cassidy-arrow-interview-2/

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CASSIDY:  No, there wasn’t.  There was nobody attached.  We had to wait to see who they were going to get for Arrow.  I told Stephen [Amell] that I pictured him, before he got the part, even though I had never seen him.  When I read things, I get a lot of visuals, and I guess he was the visual.  And then, he was attached and that was it.  I was like, “This is exactly what I thought.”

 

I wish she wouldn't do that. I know that people respect her directing but saying things like that make her seem like a flake.

On 5/4/2020 at 9:58 AM, tv echo said:

There was a sequence that we did, you and I, on the rooftop, and it was a comment, um - it was the way they wrote stuff for us because we were - we knew each other outside and they were kinda putting our personalities into it a little bit. And I turned to you on the rooftop and went, 'You're not that good-looking.' (Laughs)

Am I  remembering it wrong?  I remember it as Malcolm telling Oliver that he was pretty but not that bright, which I think is funnier because everyone can see that Oliver is pretty.

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8 hours ago, statsgirl said:

Am I  remembering it wrong?  I remember it as Malcolm telling Oliver that he was pretty but not that bright, which I think is funnier because everyone can see that Oliver is pretty.

Malcolm told Oliver he was very pretty but not very bright, which was true Oliver was being a huge dumbass at the time. Maybe JB is talking about how he turned to SA and said "you're not that good looking?" As a joke. There are other instances where JB has said he thinks SA is, IIRC. 

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Blake Neely is the music composer for Arrow, Flash, Legends, Supergirl and Batwoman...

Composer Coffee Break 7 - Blake Neely, Kate Simko, Tom Gray & Anna Phoebe
Michael Price   Apr 27, 2020

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An hour of composers chatting to composers about the current changing times we find ourselves in. This seventh episode features Blake Neely (@cowonthewall), Kate Simko (@Kate_Simko), Tom Gray (@MrTomGray) & Anna Phoebe (@AnnaPhoebe), along with host, Michael Price.

-- Michael Price: "Blake, did you start at Disney... or was it a publishing house?"
BN:
"Well, I interned at Disney when I was in college. And then I got my first job at their record company, Hollywood Records, which I'll admit to everyone on this, was a horrible job. But I was working in music, so I'm like, that's great. And then I worked for two years and wrangled my way over to publishing. And then through publishing, I started meeting a lot of composers. So when I left Disney, I had a relationship - not - not a big relationship - it was similar, somewhat relationship with Michael Kamen* and a lot of other composers when he was looking for, um - he was looking - you were there at the time, Mike... Kamen was - was going - he was going to do a tour of all of his film scores and he was looking for someone to put together his entire library. And I was the guy. And he reached out and that was it. And so after - I mean, I worked for Michael for a couple of years, just putting together his, um, library to go on tour - talking with Michael Price every once in a while, and him saying, 'You're - you're an idiot.' ... And then this one night I get this call from Michael and he said, 'Hey, you - you must be an orchestrator.' I wasn't, but I said, 'Yeah, sure.' And he said, 'Well, we're doing this little concert with this little band Metallica. I'm going to send you a chart. Can you - can you do it?' And I said to my wife, 'I'm - you're not gonna see me for the next two days, because I'm just gonna nail this.' And that was it. Like, we - we did this concert with Metallica. I orchestrated the chart. I sent it to Michael. He's like, 'Great, I'm going to send you three more.' And Michael - Michael Price is like, 'What the hell? Why are you calling him?'"
MP: "Just to fill everybody in on the back story there - so, I worked for Michael Kamen for five years, along with another brilliant composer called James Brett. And so we were the London end of the operation, because Michael came and lived in London. And so we would find ourselves sort of at the center of some very complicated storms a lot of the time, with a lot of people, in a lot of different time zones. And, uh, just trying to keep the show on the road...."

(* Michael Kamen was an award-winning American composer, who was born in New York City His musical work included the films Lethal Weapon, Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. He passed away in 2003 at age 55 in his home in London.)

-- MP: "The group of us represent various kind of - various experiences in this world. I mean, you know, Blake, who did a thousand hours of network TV. Did I see that?"
BN:
"1,400."
MP: "1,400. Jesus, go to sleep, mate."
BN: "Thank you. ... Plus with worldwide. I mean, [unintelligible word] like these superhero shows, they're like in 55 countries."

-- BN: "I'd do, like, all these network shows and make a really good living. And then I did this show called You - You on Netflix. ... So I did You, and Netflix announced, like, it had 40 million views in the first two weeks. I'm like, that's gonna be sweet. Then nine months later I get the royalty statement. Uh-huh, that's what 40 million views is. Nice, okay, whatever."

-- MP: "What do you think you'll be doing in 10 years' time? ... Blake, when are you going to stop, so I can do your work?"
BN:
"Well, in the last year, I've done a lot of - of collaborations. And this - this kind of sucks, like, sitting in a dark room by myself and just making - So in the last year I reached out a lot, and I've been working with different artists, different composers. And so I see a lot more of that and, um, you four are on my target now... We can do this together. It's not about ego. It's about making cool music. So - I don't know. I think, hopefully, in 10 years, I've stopped and you can take it over. ... I like collaborations... I think that this, even though we're isolated, is making us want to work more with people, in a weird way. And so I think this might really get us to the collaboration point where, you know - it's - it's - it's strange what's happening. That we're so isolated that we just need to - 'I can't do this by myself. Please do it with me.'"

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A review of Blake Neely's Oliver Queen theme music from Arrow - if you're into music, this is an interesting musical analysis...

The Perfect Score S1 EP1. Blake Neely “Oliver Queen Suite”
SHADOW VEIL TELEVISION   Apr 18, 2020

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Please join us for our brand new series “The Perfect Score”, where Maxwell Straff will be talking about his favorite music from a variety of films and television series.  The first episode covers “Oliver Queen Suite”, by composer Blake Neely, from the CW Network and DC Comics series “Arrow”.  We hope to have you enjoy this brand new series from SVTV.

 

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Echo Kellum was the guest on May 6 - he's in his house in Los Angeles (I only transcribed Arrow-related comments)...

You can also watch on youtube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXE4g5N9CKU

-- SA: "Do you remember - you and I had a discussion, I believe that it was in Chicago, when you got an offer to be a series regular on Arrow. We had a really nice chat. I - it was actually the first time also that I met your family. Do you remember that chat? Where I was just like, 'Dude, I - it would be an honor to have you on the show. I think that you would bring value.' And we had a nice chat and because you weren't totally sure if you wanted to come on as a regular."
EK: "Yeah. I - I was still very much thinking about it. And this was the year we were doing the Chicago con. And, yeah, that talk really did help solidify for me in a lot of ways, 'cause, you know - yeah, you know, it - being like a comedian and things like that, you know, um, it - it was tough to be like, oh, do I want to uproot my life, you know, and not do comedy for awhile and really, you know, go for this drama. But then also have to leave and is my - are my children going to come with me? Like, how's that gonna work? Am I gonna be back and forth so much? There was a lot, like, to think about. But I remember we had that talk and that put things in perspective where I was like, man, it just feels like the right thing to do, like, this feels like where I need to be in life right now. And - and it was - it was really a great talk and really helped crystallize some things for me. And - and I think I was leaning toward it, but I still was not fully, like, in to say 'yes' or not... That's why I wanted to talk to you about it... Yeah."

-- SA: "And to that end, um, explain your decision after your contract was up. It wasn't as though you just, like, left out of nowhere. But when your contract was up, deciding to leave."
EK: "Yeah, yeah. I mean - the truth is, my contract wasn't up."
SA: "Oh, really? I didn't know that."
EK: "So... yeah, yeah. So they let me out of my contract. They were very awesome. Uh, you know, I just needed to be back home. Like, you know, there was just - I just needed to be more home with the kids and, you know, just back with my family and just kind of - there were just other things I really want to do with my career. Even now, like, I love acting and, you know, even this year I've been very fortunate, like, I'm like recurring in this FX show with John Lithgow and Jeff Bridges and like I'm the lead on my own like NBC pilot right now.... I'm thankful to have acting work, but acting's like the bottom of my totem pole right now of what I want to do with my career, you know. Um. So that was a big part of it, that I just knew I wanted to make a big shift in what I want to focus on and what I really want to focus on was being more behind the scenes directing, writing and delving more into music as well, even though like acting is still my first love and still my first heart. I'll definitely, if it's an amazing role, I'll take it. You know, I'm not gonna like pass up a really great opportunity, but I just - I just found myself really loving directing and writing, really just so much. Just telling a story and helping craft it just feels like the right - the right place I want to be right now."
SA: "Well, honestly, man, it sounds like the same - the same testicular fortitude that it took you to, uh, move to Los Angeles when you got a little bit of a money from a commercial is, you have that same fearlessness right now, even though you clearly show a sense of responsibility to your family and all that stuff. But I'm excited, man. I'm excited for anyone who just loves being creative and loves trying new things."
EK: "Yeah, yeah. And, I mean, honestly, this pandemic I want to be over like ASAP, but the one thing I have done is like, I have really been just grinding and just writing. Like, I think I've only taken two days off this whole pandemic. And like every day for four or five hours, it's just in the morning and just like pushing, pushing. And - and still finding time to like chill and play Modern Warfare and, you know, War Zone and things like that too... Like still getting out to run and like still being active, that helps me not think about what we're going through. And I totally get that some people are like, it's cool to chill. And I'm like, yeah, it totally is, you know, and that's good. I feel like when I'm just chilling, my mind is just racing in so many places and I'm like, oh boy, we're in a pandemic, I'm stuck in the house, you know? And so, I kind of have this really nice routine that's happened. And it's - and because there's been no distractions, I haven't had to go on auditions or go out to take this job, I've just literally been writing, writing, writing, and it's been really great."

-- SA: "Hey, Drew, you're a lover of sneakers. ... I would wear the same thing to the set every day, especially days when we're in the bunker, right? And everyone's gathering and I'd roll in, again, like legitimately wearing what I wore yesterday and what I slept in that night when I woke up and what I wore to set, because I wouldn't even shower until after we had blocked the first scene. I swear to God, this is true. And I'd walk in thinking, yeah, I look cool, maybe this is style, and Echo would walk in and I never saw him wear the same Kicks twice in a row... Like, maybe I saw - maybe I saw him like break out something 18 months after he had worn it the previous time. But that was it. Tell me about your love of sneakers."

-- SA: "Hey, listen, man, Echo, it's - I'm glad you're doing great. It's been awesome to cut it up with you, man. You'll never know how many takes on Arrow you ruined, because before we rolled camera, you were just riffing off on something and you absolutely destroyed the entire cast. I spent hours and hours away from my family because you were too funny on set...."

Edited by tv echo
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(edited)

New interview with David Rapaport (Arrowverse casting director) - I only transcribed portions of this interview, so you may want to watch the entire thing (it's a little over an hour long)...

Casting Tips & Best Practices w/ David Rapaport | AfterBuzz TV's Spotlight On
AfterBuzz TV Red Carpets & Interviews    Streamed live on May 5, 2020

-- Alikona Bradford (AfterBuzz TV): "Have you actually had the opportunity to watch the fruits of your labor?"
David Rapaport:
"Not yet. You know what? It's amazing how busy I am, um, like doing housework, like laundry and dishes and things like that. And I'm also casting a movie right now. Obviously we're just doing it over self tapes. Um, but we've gotten so many tapes. Like, the number of people taping for a project is [unintelligible words]. When you go over the last two weeks, for one role we had over 600 self tapes. So I wake up in the morning, I start watching tapes, I have lunch, I keep watching tapes, do a little laundry, do a little dishes, have dinner, and then like take a break. Um, so I still feel like it's just as busy, but, you know, I'm hopeful that we'll all go back to the office soon. We'll see, but, um, for me, it's just as busy."

-- AB: "I'm all bummed that you haven't gotten to watch stuff, but at the same time I don't know if you had the chance. Is there any particular shows or story arcs that you've gotten a chance to watch and you're like, 'this is so amazing'?"
Rapaport:
"I'm so behind! I mean, I'm embarrassed to say it. It's funny, my dad was watching this right now. Um, when I first started doing Arrow, we - Arrow kind of opened the world to like Flash and Supergirl and all those other shows - I just got so overwhelmed with work that I wasn't able to catch up and watch the shows. And so I would call my dad and say, 'Dad, what is happening on this show?' And he [unintelligible words] to get me up to speed. Um, so - you know what? I dip in every once in a while to kind of see an actor maybe that I've cast to sort of see how they're doing, how their stories are progressing. I love to see how actors I've cast in the pilots have grown throughout the seasons. Um, I'm a fan of all the shows, but I would say, most recently I probably checked out You Season 2, um, Riverdale, um, I'm trying to think of what else. I'm a little bit behind on Sabrina and The Flash, but I guess I have a little bit more time. I'll do it soon. I'll it soon... I do love to see, as I said, like, actors who I've cast. I get surprised by their performances and, um, that's really, really nice to have seen them in the room and then see the finished product."

-- In the context of a discussion about Gossip Girl (Rapaport's first pilot casting about 13 years ago), AB: "One of your prime choices was Blake Lively. You brought her in and she obviously got the part. But also Katie Cassidy from Arrow had been brought in as well, too. So what was it about Blake that made her more right for the role than Katie?"
Rapaport:
"That's a tough question. I don't want to - I can't reveal too much about sort of the casting process of that specific show. Um, but I will say, you know, I'm a fan of both women. Obviously, you know, I've cast Katie since. Um, and I think it's, um - it's just a matter of kind of timing and an essence. And, um, you know, there was something special about both of them, and I wish I could cast a hundred actors and actresses in each role, but ultimately you can only cast one. So it's just a matter of whoever fit best, and all the producers kind of, uh - producers, studio network all agreeing on the same person. And it's a process we've done over and over and over again. And it's, um, it's kind of - it's a mix of timing, talent, luck. You know, there's no - I wish I could say there was one sort of like magic way to reveal how to cast a show and there isn't. It's a - it takes a lot of work and a lot of trust in your instinct and really gather a group together to make one final decision. It's a tough job."

-- Rapaport: "As a casting director, I always keep an eye out for people that have sort of been in the family, so to speak, you know. I love to use a lot of the same actors or see the same actors over and over again and give them a lot of opportunities."

-- AB: "What really makes an actor stand out?"
Rapaport:
"It's a really good question. Um, I often say that it is about someone being able to channel their unique self and share it with me. Share it with the room. ... I want people to show me their real personalities... I can tell a faker a mile away. ... What I would prefer is someone to come in, to be professional, on time, know their lines, have the material ready to go, be kind, say 'hello,' say 'thank you,' and go... It's really as simple as that." 

-- AB: "I guess this is diving a little bit into Arrow, but I know like a lot of the actors have a bit of a physical background. I mean, I believe you weren't like super aware that Stephen Amell could do all the crazy things that he could do. But, um, is that something that is an extra bonus or you might sort of look for?"
Rapaport:
"Right... Um, it's interesting. I don't usually for any superhero shows do like an additional test for physicality. Um, I think, based on like the tone of the network and a lot of the stuff that we're looking for, we're looking for physically fit people. Um, but I also know that we have amazing stunt teams and stunt departments on every single show. So, more likely than not, um, actors won't be doing their stunts regardless. You know, I think, at a certain point, when a show gets comfortable with actors in some cases, they let them do their own stunts, things like that. But initially, I am looking - you know, if the role requires it - I'm looking for people that are fit, that could likely throw a punch... But interestingly enough, we really don't - in the casting world, I'm just looking for here (Gestures to chest level) and here. (Gestures to above top of head) I don't really look for someone who, um - who has necessarily has that background. Um, it brings up a good point about auditions where - you know, in the sides sometimes - um, the sides are the audition scenes that people read - it'll have some of the action written down. And in an audition, again, I'm looking from here to here (Gestures from chest to top of head) and sometimes an actor will read that and misinterpret it and think, oh, I should do the action. And they come up, like all these punches and these fights, and it just kind of takes me out of the scene, because they're not the stunt choreographer, they're not a stunt performer necessarily. And so I say to them, let's just pull that out, focus on here to here, (Gestures from chest to top of head) um, don't worry about what you did before. Like, it's a little off-putting when you're like punching into the air. You know, every once in a while it works, but if they've kind of put together a whole routine, it just - it feels weird. So I just want to simplify it."

-- AB: "I don't know if you can tell me this or not, but this is something that Manu Bennett had said about his interview, that he actually choked out one of the casting directors on accident? He said that. David Rapaport did not say that."
Rapaport:
"I have to, um... Yeah, no. If he said that, then, you know -"
AB: "I was like, wow, that's awesome."

-- AB: "Is there an actor specifically that maybe we might know that popped a lot for you and a reason why you maybe brought them back? Because I know you do do that a lot, whether it was Melissa Benoist, who came in for Arrow, and then Stephen Amell had done the 90210, stuff like that. So can you tell me maybe what made them pop a little bit?"
Rapaport:
"Um, I mean, I just found them to be unique, uh, hard workers, consistent, professional, reliable. Um, I love an actor who comes up with their own ideas, but also is able to - to work with others and take direction and, um, sort of play around a little bit. Uh, I love actors who, um, really love to collaborate - who come in with an idea, 'this is how I see the scene.'  I’d love to see how they - they do it. And then I like to sometimes just throw a direction at an actor, just to see if they can take it, um, just to know that they’d be able to do it on set... Those two are extraordinary when it comes to that. I think they're real team players."

-- AB: "How has social media changed or influenced your selection process?"
Rapaport:
"Not at all. I get that question a lot and it's a good question. Um, I have never - I can safely say I've never cast someone or put someone forward based on the number of followers that they have. Only advice I would give on social media really is, think about your account, if it's public, as a professional account. Not only are your friends looking at it, but industry people are looking at it, casting directors, executives. You know, we may be curious about like other looks, for example. Like, if it's a woman or man, like, could they - did they ever have blonde hair? Or what do they look like, um - I don't know, you just want to see them in like a different - in a different light, I guess, so to speak. And so we sometimes look at people's social media and if they are like an absolute disaster and doing a lot of like unprofessional, weird things, and like getting drunk and falling off tables... again, as an HR person, that red light goes off... like, oh, this person seems like they could be a liability, you know, that scares me. Um, I'm not saying, don't do those things and don't have fun. But do that on a private Instagram account, because you never know what executive or casting director is going to be looking at it and, um, you want to present yourself in the most professional way."

-- AB: "I do want to take it just a little bit back to the Arrowverse, for anybody who's a TV fan that would like to know, um, when you first got the call to start doing this particular project, what type of research did you do for that, 'cause, if I'm correct, you didn't have like a super thorough knowledge of comics? Did you dive in or leave a little bit of mystery?"
Rapaport:
"Um, for me - I've always known this, and I can actually talk about this in terms of the horror movies that I did as well, because I'm terrified of horror. I hate horror... but I've cast like 10 of them. Um, and, I think, for me, whether it's a comic book show - which I don’t know a ton about comic books - or a horror movie, what I'm looking for is like the essence of the character on the page. What is it about this person that I need to find in another person? Um, sometimes in the comic book, you have an idea of what the character should look like, um, and sometimes we try to make them look like that person. Other times we take our own liberties and, you know, we're sort of reinventing these comics in our own way. And so, um, we may change the age or the race or ethnicity or what have you of our character from a comic book onto the screen. But, um, I bring up the horror movies because, when I get those scripts, I really skip over like the blood and guts kind of part... I'm looking for what is happening with this character? Um, what are they like? What are - what are their fears, what are their goals? ... Are they zany, witty - whatever it is? And then I try to find an actor that matches it. So for me, it's really about - and I've used this word a lot, but it's really about essence. Um, it's about essence, it's about talent, it's about preparedness, and it's about having - for the stuff that I do at least for television - mostly having a presence, having, um, that sort of - that 'it' factor that everybody talks about."

-- AB: "I'm so, so glad you said that, because it is a term that we hear all the time. Like, she has had 'it,' and 'it.' And I think some people are trying to figure out like what is 'it'?"
Rapaport:
"We’re all trying to figure it out. If we could bottle it up, we’d all be billionaires, you know. It's, um - it's tough because I think, you know, like I said, with the studio, networks, producers, directors and casting directors, we all have different points of view.  We all have a different sense of what 'it' is. Um, I think what casting directors have to do is look for a person who has 'it' that everyone will respond to: the studio, the network, the producers, the director, and the TV watching public... Imagine, you know, if you walk into a room and there’s 10 men there staring at you, one or two of them is going to be like your type, or you’re going to like be attracted to them for whatever reason. There’s like a - a pull to them, right? Another woman comes in, and she’s going to be attracted to a different guy. As a casting director, I have to walk into that room and say, who in here will - let’s just say, for a leading man or like a romantic lead role - which guy in here is every woman, every man going to fall in love with? Who is like the common denominator that has that 'it' factor, that presence? And so, for me, I’m like a dating, um, not a dating coach - what’s the word I'm looking for?"
AB: "Like a dating app?"
Rapaport: "Yeah, but for studios and networks and producers and actors."
AB: "Matchmaker."
Rapaport: "A matchmaker! Yes, yes, yeah. So I always joke that like that'll be my next career, being a matchmaker, because it is about kind of, you know, um, both - both matching a character to an actor, um, an actor to production, and sometimes actors together. We don't always get to chemistry read actors together, so you really have to guess and assume who's going to have chemistry on-screen."

-- AB: "What's a good example of great chemistry? And again I know you can't tell me specific auditions or specific names, but an instance where you can say right off the bat, I can tell like these people are just gonna click so well."
Rapaport:
"Um, oh God, it's like a gut instinct, but, um - I don't know why I'm thinking of the show PEN15, but those two women are so genius and they work so well off of each other, and the success of that show, I believe - I mean, there's so many reasons, but number one is really their chemistry. And, you know, it's unfortunate because for a lot of our shows, we don't really have the time or the ability to do chemistry reads, to really see that people will fit. So you kind of just have to go with your gut and hope for the best, and otherwise we have our incredible editors who make it all work out. Um, but, uh, you know, it's again - it's sort of like it's an undescribable sort of gut feeling."

-- Rapaport: "I don't imagine having casting sessions in person until there's been a [Covid-19] vaccine for awhile. Um, I'm not a doctor. I don't know any specifics. This is just my [unintelligible word]. But it seems like that's the safest way."

Edited by tv echo
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(edited)

KM is participating in another project to raise money for charity on May 8th (ActingforaCause.org is an organization that has been hosting a series of live script readings by young actors to raise money for certain charities)...

You will be able to watch this live reading later today on youtube here (live at 4:00pm CST/5:00pm EST):

"Pride and Prejudice" Feat. Jacob Elordi, Melissa Barrera, Madelaine Petsch Dir. by Brando Crawford
Acting for a Cause  Scheduled for May 8, 2020

ETA: You can watch past live readings on youtube here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSaMwiDY_ojee-0dU2t4JmQ/videos

Edited by tv echo
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53 minutes ago, Trisha said:

It's SA's birthday today so I'm guessing there'll be more posts from the jar soon:

Carina posted yesterday that she and her "best friends" had tested negative for COVID and that their doctor told them they could hug now, so I assume there's going to be a party that she of course wouldn't miss an opportunity to let the internet know she's at lol.

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2 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

Carina posted yesterday that she and her "best friends" had tested negative for COVID and that their doctor told them they could hug now, so I assume there's going to be a party that she of course wouldn't miss an opportunity to let the internet know she's at lol.

Ugh, probably. And they won’t think about the fact that as soon as they got the test and encountered one other person, that test is void. 

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I swear I've seen that foot holding picture before, is it from last year or did she repost it?

But yep darling it is absolutely normal to hold feet with people, don't worry. 😂

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