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

[tv echo]

Here's my more accurate and detailed transcription of the July 31st "Wizard World Virtual Experiences Presents: From the Cast of Arrow" panel (with Katie Cassidy, Juliana Harkavy, Ben Lewis, Katrina Law and Kelly Hu, and moderator Seth Everett)...

ARROW Cast Panel - Wizard World Virtual Experiences 2020
Fandom Spotlite   Jul. 31, 2020

FYI: You can also watch the Wizard World video recording of this panel, which includes the 10-minute waiting time, a GoCollect promo, and the mod intro).

-- After Kelly Hu was introduced, Katie Cassidy: "By the way, Kelly and I were in acting class together a hundred years ago."
Mod Seth Everett: "Welcome. I just heard a big rumor. You were in acting class with Katie Cassidy? What was that like?"
Kelly Hu: "Yeah."
KC: "Do you know that?"
Mod SE: "No.  You just said it, though. I was listening."
KC: "I'm a diehard fan of hers. She just doesn't maybe know that."
KH: "You are too sweet. She's just saying that right now. ... Too bad I only do good work in acting class and not on film." (Laughs)
KC: "And that voice. That's such a distinct voice. I remember hearing it, like, um, early on, after we shot the pilot, I think - I can't think what episode, but I heard your voice in the trailer and I was like, 'oh, I remember this voice.'"
KH: "You must have heard my laugh. I have a very powerful - I have a Canary laugh. (Laughs) I can blow people's heads off with my laugh."

-- Ben Lewis said that when he joined the show, he was "lucky" to work first with Colton Haynes, who he knew "socially, a tiny bit," and Colton helped bring Ben "into the fold" and made him "feel comfortable." Then in his second or third episode, BL worked with Juliana Harkavy, who's "the warmest, sweetest person." BL then said that he didn't get to work with KC until later on and that he didn't really work with her until she directed that episode. He added that that was one of his favorite episodes. BL said that he only met Katrina Law while doing a virtual con during quarantine and that he'd never met Kelly Hu before now.

-- BL corrected Mod SE, who had earlier said that William was the child of Felicity and Oliver, by clarifying that William was Oliver's son by "the late, great Samantha Clayton." Mod SE agreed, adding that Katherine McNamara played Oliver and Felicity's daughter.

-- Brief discussion about how much information there is to remember about Arrow.
KC: "It's a lot of story to keep straight, for eight years."
Juliana Harkavy: "It is... And then I feel like, when you come on the show as a newbie, people expect you to know the answer to every question, and you're like, 'I've never even heard of that character.'"
BL: "All my new cast members, who I joined with, made me look really bad, because Kat McNamara watched every episode... I did not."
Katrina Law: "She would watch every episode. She is a go-getter."
JH: "Yeah, that's true. She made me realize that maybe I'm - I was just unprepared and irresponsible."
KH: "I'm with you, Juliana."

-- Mod SE: "Katie, in the - in the very beginning of the show, um, you know, people knew the Green Arrow comic book and they knew Black Canary and they knew Dinah Drake, but you were Laurel and you had to establish your own person there. How much did you know about the legacy of the character and just the idea that this was from a mythos that had been around for a long time, versus really just blazing your own path?"
KC: "Um, well, I definitely was, uh, very well - you know, made sure I was well prepared in terms of, um, knowing the comic book because, I mean, as we know, comic book fans are the best fans in the world and they are extremely loyal. But that's also why it's so important - you know, it was so important to me that I - I knew, you know, as much as I possibly could about the comic book and - and being true to the origin of that story, given, you know, the scripts and the story that the writers were - you know, where they were headed. It was a fine balance to - to - to, you know, really give - give it - give it to the comic book and play that level, but then also - you know, balancing the two between - they didn't always stick to the comic book story in our - in our - in our show, but that's just television... So it was - it was definitely a fine balance, but I made sure it was - I was well-schooled, especially when my character went through everything - her journey - I find sort of what my character was doing in terms of when I transformed, you know, after Laurel hit rock bottom and then coming back up and learning to - what it is like to be a hero and - and, you know, training and doing all that. So I tried to live as much of it as I possibly could. Um, but definitely learned along the way, uh, as the character learned. I didn't - I did not want to jump ahead because I feel like that would always confuse me. I tried to stay sort of like what I felt like the character would know, that's what I would know."

-- Mod SE: "But then, Juliana, when you came in and they - and you figure out that you're gonna be Black Canary and Katie had just done a whole run as Black Canary, and just taking over that and knowing that, no matter what you were going to do, you were going to be compared, you know, favorably, unfavorably, whatever it was, everyone was going to have an opinion on your role just at the same time just for being there."
JH: "Mm-hmm. Yeah. I was - I was scared poopless... I didn't know that I was gonna play Black Canary until I basically like got to Canada. They - they kept it a secret and, uh, and then I did a lot of homework and I saw Katie's work, which I loved. And as soon as I started - well, not as soon as I started watching you, Katie, but like, as soon as I realized that it was a character who already existed, I got anxious, so I very quickly dropped the need or the idea that it needed to be anything like Katie's character, which ended up working for both of us so beautifully in the future when she comes back and we were able to have these two dynamics like that were going. So we were similar but different. And, um, yeah, it was a lot of pressure, but it was - it was an honor. I mean, I wish that, you know, Katie had been there from Day One that I was there. But you came like - it was only maybe like 10 episodes that I did without Katie. So it ended up working out really well."
KC: "And, by the way, like, that's why it worked and why it's so cool, because you were - it's so smart, that's so smart to like bring your own, you know, you don't ever want to obviously mimic anybody's work, but to sort of take your - make it your own. Which is why everybody, I think, took well to it and liked it, because, like, you know, you're super professional and you were super, um - you had your own vision and own take on it, which was really cool to watch and, yeah, it was really - it's - you're awesome."
JH: "I fangirl over Katie still."
KL: "I want to throw in there that, um, it's - it's not as rare as you would think, but it is an unusual circumstance to have a cast with so many women in it who are - who play strong, strong, dynamic, female characters and get along off set. Like it is one of the most beautiful sets that I've ever been on. The cast gets along so well. They're so supportive. Um, whenever I was there, I never witnessed any animosity between women taking over other women's roles or like the perceived 'whatever.' It was just something but supportive of 'okay, you do this, you do that, I'm going to do this, and we're going to support each other.' ... I think it's just a testament to how wonderful our female cast is. Our male cast is great. Ben, you're wonderful."
Mod SE: "He's like - he's like, 'I'm still in the room.'"
KL: "But there really is something truly special about the women in the Arrowverse. They - I mean, Kelly is kind of terrible, but, you know, whatever." (Laughs)
KH: "What can I say?" (Shrugs and laughs)
KC: "I know. I was in acting class with her. (Everyone laughs) ... I was like, this girl is a genius."
KH: "I was hard to watch."
KC: "And I feel like - we feel like this about each other. We all play a role and we're a team, you know, doing something. And then you got to take one for the team. And we've all sort of, you know, it's exactly what you just said, supporting each other. You know, it's cool that Juliana - it's like a different, you know - you sort of have to like go with it to support the story."

-- Mod SE: "And, Katrina, just to play off what you were saying, you come in and it's the same thing with legacy. I mean, people in the - in the superhero world knew about Talia. They didn't know Nyssa. So you have a chance to carve your own niche in a character that now has become a huge part of the legacy of this show because of the key parts of Oliver's journey, but also your journey in this - in this whole run that they had. And coming back at the end was - was brilliant in the final season."
KL: "I was so happy to be coming back for the finale. I didn't think it was going to be able to happen because I was working on Hawaii Five-0 and the schedules were just gnarly and trying to get from Hawaii to Vancouver was a logistical nightmare. But, um, it just felt so good to be there. And - and, to be honest I think, with Nyssa, I didn't have the pressure that Katie and Juliana had. Like, I actually got off scot-free because nobody heard of Nyssa. Anybody who said they heard of Nyssa were just lying. So we basically got to do whatever we wanted. And, you know, Denny O'Neil created such a great character with Ra's al Ghul and everything and, you know, that's - unfortunately, he just passed away, uh, recently, as all the fandom knows. But, um, the world that he created and getting to play into that world and, with Greg Rucka and everybody who created Nyssa, you know, they didn't mind that the Arrow writers took freedom with, uh, taking her in a different direction than the comics that she was in, and then they didn't mind that we gave her a British accent and that we altered her sexuality from what she was in the original comic books. And everybody was just like, cool, yeah, do what you want, it seems cool, we love it. So there wasn't a bible that I needed to follow that - that, um, they needed to follow for Black Canary, so, you know, the - any kind of feedback was usually just like, oh, I love what you're doing with your character, I've never heard of her before. So, um, my job was a lot less stressful."

-- KL talked about her daughter, who's a year and a half old now and who speaks mainly Mandarin Chinese but also some English.
KH: "So wait, why Mandarin?"
KL: "Uh, because it's what I speak."
KH: "Oh. Wait, why did I not know that?"
KL: "You have been my nemesis for years. You are like the other Asian and I only worked whenever you weren't working."
KH: "Oh, that is so not true."
KL: "It is true. I had to wait until you were hired on something until they were like, all right, fine, we'll cast Katrina."
KH: "You're like - you're like 15 years younger than me! Or more even."
KL: "You're Asian. You don't crack... People still think you're 12."
KH: "Only my maturity level."

-- Mod SE: "And then there's the question that we've been asked, I think, three thousand times, 'What can any of you tell us about the spinoff?'" Mod SE also read a fan question that asked what KC was doing right now.
KC: "What can you tell us about the spinoff?"
Mod SE: "All I know is, I did a podcast with Katherine McNamara and she said, ask you guys."
KC: "We don't - we don't know."
JH: "I think everything is just on hold right now. Like, we're just - we're waiting and we'll see how things evolve and change and - yeah."
KC: "Um, I'm actually writing a pilot right now, which I can't really get into details about it yet... It's based off a book and I will let you guys know at some point... It's action, drama, thriller."

-- Mod SE: "Question for Ben, 'Were you sad when you learned that Kat was going to be in the crossover and get to see Oliver's death and William wasn't?"
BL: "Uh, yeah, I guess I was. I guess I was because it just meant that I was sort of - like, my time on the show was - I was done sooner, although, in theory. But then the scene, uh, towards the end of the backdoor pilot where, uh, shhh, I am kidnapped for like the 50th time and, um, Kat is, uh, knocked out, the dart, um, that actually was - we shot after the finale had been shot, because they didn't yet have the monument of Stephen built. So we had to like - that was maybe the second to last scene of the entire series that was filmed. So I ended up sort of sticking around to the end, um, anyway. But, yeah, I guess so. I mean, the way that sort of, um - I was with - I was okay with it because of the way that, um, it worked out with the cliffhanger of the crossover. I was like, with this cliffhanger, I'm like, if this spinoff happens, there's no way they can't bring me back. So I was happy with that. ... Wait a second, I just realized you were talking about the crossover and not the finale, which I was also not in... I'm so sorry, I was speaking about the finale that I wasn't in, not the crossover which I was also not in."

-- Mod SE read a fan comment about binge-watching Arrow for the first time during this quarantine period.
JH: "It's awesome... It's cool to start it at any time."
KC: "And especially a show like this with - what I also - I really like - loved, always loved about this show is like, I felt like - like it brought families together in front of a TV. But at least when we first, you know, the pilot came out, Season 1, I felt like there wasn't a lot of connection with families and I felt like it brought people back together and that's sort of what's going on in this time right now, in this really difficult time. I think it's a cool story to watch and follow and, you know, when you are with your loved ones, you know, because there's a lot of not only - yeah, there's this heightened action, um, Oliver Queen, you know, mythology story, and - but then there's also family story and grounding and there's a lot of heart to the show. So I think it's - it's a good watch during this time."
Mod SE: "I just think it's cool that they still call it the Arrowverse, even next year, like, it's - it - if they - if they do anything involving those shows, all those shows are going to say they take place in the Arrowverse."

-- Mod SE read the following Fan Q: "Arrow was such an emotionally charged series with very complex characters. What did you personally take away from your experience on Arrow?"
BL: "I have to say that when I - I think when I first got cast on the show, I was a little bit intimidated. I think I felt like it wasn't necessarily a genre that I necessarily fit in or the way that I see myself. And so I think what was really great is, how I was able to bring so much of myself to the character of William and still have it be embraced. You know? And - and I think, um, show to the fanbase - I've said this before, but show to the fanbase and also show to myself, I guess, that there are different ways to, um, be heroic, you know what I mean? You don't necessarily have to be the most, um, coordinated in my case, or like physically dominating, or, you know, there's - there's a lot of different ways to, um, contribute to making the world a better place. And I think that, um, I think that Felicity - the character - the character Felicity was a really great model of that. And I think I was really lucky, um, to sort of take on that - take up that mantle as well."

-- Mod SE: "And Katie, you saw Felicity's evolution, because when she was first cast on the show, she wasn't supposed to be more than a bit part. And by the time Katrina or Juliana got to the show and definitely for Ben, you know, she was a - she was - she was a mainstay and she was a focal point of the storyline."
KC: "You know what? It's - it's interesting, but it's so smart. Again, I think it's really smart. I remember her coming on as - I don't know, it might have been guest star, co-star - I don't remember, but she was only supposed to be there for one episode and that character. But she brought such a life and lightness and presence that our show needed... We needed that, like some sort of, you know, lightness... There is a lot of heaviness going on, um, and drama, and it was just, like, refreshing. And I remember when she came, like she made Stephen smile, and you didn't ever see him smile, or Oliver smiles... It was so cool to see her come on and take on this like thing and, uh, it was just like really - I don't know, she's such an incredible actor. And to see a - you know, a young girl evolve into this like woman, who became the female lead of our show, was so awesome to watch... That's what's cool about - again, going back to what, you know, what Katrina was saying earlier, and the women on our - on our show and in this Arrowverse, you know, we're so fortunate because they've cast really incredible actors but also individuals. Not just women. The men are incredible actors and individuals as well."

-- Mod SE read the following Fan Q: "Our Laurel or Earth-2 Laurel, which is more fun to play?"
KC: "Oh, Earth-2 Laurel... It's always fun to play, uh, well, bad guy who sort of is learning what it's like to be a hero. Um, but they both - I mean, I'm just very fortunate to have had such like a playground and different arcs and levels to play with."

-- Mod SE read the following Fan Q: "Who's your favorite DC character and why?"
Panel responses included Batman, Catwoman, and Batgirl.

-- Mod SE read the following Fan Q: "If you guys could've added a character from the DC Arrowverse in your show, who would you want to add?"
Panel responses included Batman, Robin, Alfred, and the Joker (female version).

-- Mod SE read the following Fan Q: "If you got to play a different character, which one would it be?"
KL: "I would love to play, um - I would love to have Katie Cassidy's arc, actually... I think you got to go on such an epic journey with your character, from where you started, all the dips and valleys, and then where you ended up. And you want to talk about just having, like, your hand in every pot and being able to do everything. Like, that's a character that you don't get tired of or get bored of, watching or playing, because there's just so many facets - facets of the personality coming out. And it's just so much fun because, script to script, you never know what you're going to get."
KH: "And really you get to be two people. You get to play two characters."
KC: "Yeah. For sure. The writers - I mean, I'm - they wrote very well for me. I was never bored, except for, you know, I needed a few drinks [unintelligible words]."
JH: "I would've liked to have played Diggle... I like his vibe, like, I like his arc. I like, at the end, the little, uh - the, uh, Green Lantern reference, uh, you know. And - and I just like - I don't know, he always sort of plays this grounding presence. He starts off as - didn't he - he starts off as the driver, right? And then he turns into this, like, incredible hero, and he just - I don't know, I love his vibe. I love his character. I like how he's written. I think he's a very noble character. And I like how he ends at the end."

-- Mod SE read the following Fan Q: "What are you all doing during the pandemic?" Mod SE then mentioned that KC was writing a pilot (as she disclosed earlier).
BL said that he's also writing a lot and that he's written two movies which are "in different stages of development." He also said that he's tie-dying a lot (shows off the shirt he's wearing in this panel).
KL said that BL should hook up with KH because the shirt that KH's wearing in this panel is for charity.
KH: "It's from my line. Thank you so much... I'm doing these, uh, these shirts." She then added that she just finished her online store "yesterday" (July 30) and that everyone can get a Wizard World 15% off discount. Her store is called "33 Edge" and is launching "today" (July 31). She said that she's had this name for 20 years, but this quarantine period gave her time to finish her store.
Mod SE: "You should hire Ben to do tie-dye shirts."
BL: "I'm avail."
KH (joking): "It's the Arrow community store."
BL: "What is '33 Edge'? What is the significance of the name?"
KH: "The '33,' it was originally gonna be like a workout or yoga line. And '33' has so many - the number is such a powerful number in numerology. It shows up in the Bible, every religion. Um, and the reason why I sort of attached myself to it was because there's this island in north, uh, of the Hawaiian chain of the - of the main islands. It's one of these islands where early Hawaiians could row out to. Nobody could actually live there. It's not inhabitable. But they used to row out to it for their ceremonies and do like religious ceremonies and things like that. And, um, there's 33 ki or tiki gods, like, around the island. And then there's like this hole that, the certain time of the day that you look into, the Hawaiian symbol for 33 appears. So it just - it spoke to me in such a way, I was like, 33, that's such a powerful number. And then I was told in numerology that like, you know, 33 is my number and my number's 3 and super powerful, and if you make it 33 - so yeah, so there were just so many things and I just like the sound of it. It just sounds like a powerful number."
KC: "I'm freakin' proud of you. That's amazing." She then asked KH to send her information on her store.
KH said that she would send them all shirts and the store is 33Edge.com.
KC: "So the fact that I'm 33 years old is a good thing."
KH: "I could be your mother." KH then said that she was also writing a "treatment" about growing up in Hawaii and being in a pageant.

-- Mod SE: "We're coming out at the, uh, at the end here, so I want to give you all an opportunity to just send a message to the fans of the show and fans of the panel and just people who have stuck in from all over, whatever their situations are, So let's just go around the room and - and - and just - you know, whatever you want to say to anybody, promote something, or whatever it is. Uh, Kelly, let's start with you."
KH said that she already did her promotion and then gave a "huge thank you" to the fans for all these years.
JH thanked fans for being "the most loyal, loving fans" and hoped that everyone was "healthy and safe."
KC thanked "the most incredible, loyal fans" and asked everyone to "please, please wear masks" and stay safe.
BL asked everyone to "please keep taking care of yourselves" and expressed his appreciation for the fans for welcoming him to the show, even though he joined later on.
(KC and JH put on their masks at this point.)
KL: "Look how sexy those ladies look with their masks on. (Puts on her own mask) ... During my quarantine, I've been making masks... You gotta wear a mask, you might as well look cute." 

Edited August 2, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Three of these actors first appeared on Arrow for significant arcs, so there were a lot of Arrow-related comments during this panel (also, new to me: Courtney Ford auditioned for the Arrow pilot for the role of Laurel!) - here's my transcription of this panel that I just posted in the LoT forum...

7 minutes ago, tv echo said:

Here's video of the August 1st "GalaxyCon's Legends of Tomorrow Live Experience" panel (with Caity Lotz, Brandon Routh, Neal McDonough, Jes Macallan and Courtney Ford, and moderator Patty Hawkins)...

(Posted by Franky Laaksonen on Youtube)

--- Moderator Patty Hawkins (GalaxyCon): "While our producers are curating questions from our audience, I would love to hear how individually this gig began for each of you on The CW DC Universe, sometimes called the Arrowverse." He then asked CL to start because she was the first to join ("you're the elder stateswoman").
Caity Lotz: "Yeah, you know, I'm the old lady of the group. Um, well, it started Season 2 of Arrow when I was cast as Sara Lance and then we found out - and then I found out that I would be playing, um, the first version of the Black Canary - the Canary - uh, which was very exciting. And that was Season 2. And then I was on there for a little bit. I think I died in Season 3. Then I came back to life in Season 4. And Season 4 is when we started, uh, Legends and the spinoff. And now we are going into Season 6."

-- Mod PH: "Jes, why don't you go next?"
Jes Macallan: "Oh, well, then I would be - well, I guess I'm not - I wasn't the newest to join - maybe I am in this group. Um, Season 3, everybody was there before me, right? ... I had just finished another show that I did for four seasons, um, and didn't really know much of the Arrowverse, wasn't really well seasoned with any of it, with any of the - the superhero stuff... (CL jokingly interjected that JM was a "big fan, come on")... I was a big fan... I loved Sara Lance. When I was in my chemistry read, I was like, oh, my gosh, Sara Lance! Um, I really - I didn't, but she - but I did - I read with Caity and fell in love with her, which is not a hard thing to do. And, um, you know, nabbed that role and I - and haven't turned back since. And, like Caity said, I cannot believe we're about to start Season 6. It's so fantastic."

-- Mod PH: "I'll tell you what, Courtney, sounds like you volunteered."
Courtney Ford: "Okay, um, okay. So the Arrowverse... I - my first audition in the Arrowverse was actually, um, for the pilot of Arrow, for, um, Laurel. And, uh, then the next time I auditioned for any [unintelligible word] was to be, um, Vandal Savage's daughter."
CL: "Did Vandal Savage have a daughter?"
CF: "Yes! Was it Season 2?"
BR: "Season 1."
CF: "Was it?"
BR: "Yeah."
CF: "Anyway, it was Vandal Savage's daughter. And then, uh, and then I started working on Supernatural, so I was up in Vancouver, and Supernatural and Legends shoot right next door. You come onto the lot and you either go left for Supernatural, you go right for Legends. So, um, Brandon and I were like having lunch sometimes when we worked on the same day, uh, going through the hole in the fence that they had. ... Then the call came in for - for Nora Darhk and, uh, and, uh, the rest is history."

-- Mod PH: "Neal, how did the, uh, how did the darkness begin for you?"
Neal McDonough: "I can't remember which season I started on Arrow. Was it Season 6? I can't remember."
CL: "Wasn't it sooner?"
NM: "Maybe.... I was in the first season shortly with Legends of Tomorrow, but I started on a very dark Damien Darhk in Season 6 - or I think it was Season 6. And that was a blast. You know, we had so much fun with that character, but I have to admit, when we got to Legends and we really lightened up Damien quite a bit and became, you now, the goofy dad at times, to me that was my favorite part of everything I've done on the show. We had - we had such a, you know, a great, fun time, especially down the home stretch, for me it was awesome."

-- Mod PH: "Brandon, where did Ray Palmer begin for you? And is that his figure behind you?"
Brandon Routh: "Uh, oh, it is. That's the Atom right there. Uh, he just happened to be visiting this room because, uh, we have a 7-year-old and now he actually wants to play with the figures and not just like tear the legs off and arms off and see if they can go back on and all that fun stuff... But now he's playing and actually using them as the action figures. Uh, so, um, I had, uh, I think I got my original meeting about this, uh, awesome role because of having played Superman. And they thought, oh, this guy could play another character who's kind of like this but different. Um, and so I joined, uh, Arrow in Season 3 and did, I think, 18 episodes as Ray Palmer, CEO of Palmer Tech. And, uh, halfway through that experience, uh, I was approached, and I think Caity was around the same time separately, about the possibility of Legends of Tomorrow and spinning it off to this, um, newfangled, uh, group up show. And, um, sounded like fun and was having a good time in Vancouver and loving the character, and so, said 'yes.' And, um, we shot on like - what did we do, two days? It was a crazy long, two-day promo shoot that we did. There was no script. It was just like shooting a teaser for this show. We didn't actually shoot a pilot at first. We shot this, you know, three-minute teaser. Um, and, uh, you know, ended up getting the show going. And we are five - five seasons later."
Mod PH: "And a follow-up, when did they approach you about the possibility of returning to Superman?"
BR: "Oh, uh, well, that - uh, that was, uh, probably six months before we started the - the Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover. Um, and, uh, Marc Guggenheim, who was heading up all of that, uh, you know, called me up and we had a nice, uh, discussion as he - he - he asked, uh, took my temperature about - my feelings about, uh, returning as this character."
Mod PH: "He and I spoke about this, uh, in one of our earlier shows, and we both agree, thank you. It was fantastic."
BR: "Oh, thank you... I appreciate it and I'm - and I'm happy that it was well received and, um, that, uh, it's - it's, um, it's doing what it's supposed to be doing, which is entertaining. The whole Crisis On Infinite Earths is an amazing, uh, achievement, I think, um, and I'm - I'm proud of it and everyone in it."

-- Mod PH read the following Fan Q: "If you could have the superpowers or skills of anyone in the Arrowverse, who would it be?
NM picked Superman. CL picked Supergirl. BR picked Superman. CF picked Charlie (original character in Legends). JM picked Elasti-Girl (in Doom Patrol). Mod PH picked John Constantine.

-- Mod PH read the following Fan Q: "Some of your characters have changed over long tenures in the Arrowverse. Have you ever had to advocate for a character's choices contrary to the script and were the writers usually receptive?"
NM: "Like I said earlier, when I was on Arrow, Damien was like that all the time, he was really deadly serious, uh, which was a blast to play. Stephen was, you know, just a joy to play off of, and we fed off of each other really well. And, you know, during the whole season we barely talked to each other on set because we were - we knew what we were doing and, you know, it was like prize fighters going at it. I was on one side of the ring, he was in the other, and we didn't really talk. The only time we ever talked was on conventions, uh, or afterwards, and we became great friends afterwards. And it was really interesting during that time, but we really appreciate what we were doing. That being said, when they asked me to come back to Legends, uh, I remember Marc, uh, called me, goes, 'I've got good news and bad news for you.' Like, 'what's the bad news?' 'You're dying next episode in - in - in Arrow.' Like, 'Well, what's the good news?' 'You're coming back next year in Legends.' Like, okay, great. Uh, I said, 'Can we please lighten him up a little bit? Can we have some fun and make him more of a family guy?' And he goes, 'That's exactly what we want to do.' So, especially when they brought Courtney on board, the goofiness of - I mean, the last scene that I did with you guys, sitting around that dinner table, I mean, we couldn't keep a straight face. In fact, when I went to ADR and I looped it, you know, it cut to my face, it was bright red because I was just laughing hysterically. And it didn't match, but it didn't matter because it was so cute to see, you know, Damien Darhk laughing his face off. And, you know, 'More champagne!'... It was so much fun to be loose as Damien Darhk on the show and then turn on a dime and become Damien again. So, yeah, for me that - that was my, by far my favorite - that was probably my favorite scene that I've done. That was definitely my favorite scene I did during, uh, the whole Arrowverse time because everyone was there, everyone was laughing, and everyone was having a great time."
Mod PH: "Caity, how about you? ... Have you had this situation come up?"
CL: "On Arrow, it was very set. Uh, they had a - they knew where Sara was going. And a lot of times I wouldn't even know, uh, until I got the - the script. Um, you know, there would be things I'm like, oh, like, this is new information. Um, and so that was very - like, I feel like they had a very specific vision on that. And I think Legends was a little - the show just in general is a more go with the flow, uh, kind of free form, live beast. And so, you know, I mean, like I asked for powers. Like, they gave me powers... You know what I think, a big, big thing of it, especially on Legends, they - they go off of you. So they - the writers - they're watching, you know, everything and they're like, oh, look, you know, Brandon's really funny with this stuff, and oh, you know, Courtney is so amazing when she's playing this, or, you know, so whatever it is that you're bringing, they start to lean into. So I think, that's always kind of the best way to get, um, get your character on a place, because, I mean, you know, so much of it is, you're there to serve a story and you're a piece of the puzzle, um, so it's not, you know, just about your character journey. But, uh, I - I find that that's kind of the best way to get the writers, uh, on board, is just to start bringing that and then they - they love to, you know, they'll latch onto that and - and amplify it and make it even better. And our writers are so good. I love them so much."
Mod PH: "Brandon."
BR: "Yeah, well, uh, what Caity says is - is - is pretty, is pretty much the - the - the truth, that thankfully our writers, uh, have listened to us and they will see the performance and they feed off of what - it's a - it's an ever-growing, um, organism. Um, they see what we do, we see what they do, and we - it's a - we create it together in a way. Um, there are some things that come up because story needs to happen in a certain way that, um, I have bumped on. The first season we were trying to figure out the show. The - the relationship with Kendra and Ray, and how that was handled, was - was - was what the biggest, uh, the biggest, uh, time I had to go to bat for Ray. Um, and I think that was - that was just because, you know, figuring out where the story is going, halfway through the season they decided certain things had to happen. So sometimes you get - you have to - you get forced into, um, a situation. And then - and then you go, okay, I'm here, this is what the character needs to do something like this. How can I - how can I zhuzh it? How can I soften it and make it, um, more - more true to Ray in small ways? And a lot of that is just - can just come from the performance. Because somebody can write a line, you can read it one way, um, when you first initially read it, and then realize that - (Everyone laughs at this point because someone wearing a NM mask hands NM a glass of something liquid, and NM yells, "More champagne!") ... It was probably a fine place to cut me off anyway, but the idea is that a line can be said many ways and have many different intentions based on the character - the actor and what they're giving. Um, you know, we may not always agree with how, uh, things end with characters and so then, [unintelligible word] to find a way, you still have to go and do the work, um, and find a way to make it work for the character and to appreciate the fans and everyone who's loved the characters. And so, you know, that's part of our job, is, uh, is making it work and that's why we're professionals. So sometimes you don't always win."
Mod PH: "Courtney."
CF: "Uh, the - the - when I first, uh, started playing Nora Darhk, I think it - my understanding was - I was on Supernatural and I was going to come in and kind of just have this fun thing for like three episodes. And I kind of thought like, ah - and I think I'm gonna die, because my function was to bring the glorious Damien Darhk back to life. And that was my function, and I was like, okay. And then as I started to get to know Nora more and more, I fell in love with her, and then I said, oh, no, now I love her and now I'm attached. And when I was first - those first couple episodes I was kind of feeling my way. I didn't really know what I was doing or I didn't really know who she was. I hadn't established the relationship yet. Neal and I hadn't worked together as much. And then when it started to, um, evolve, the only thing that I was bumping on at first was, they were like, 'Stop smiling, stop smiling. Be darker, be more -' you know, just a lot of like, you know, uh, smirking... Even that was too much smiles. So I was like, 'No, I really think that she's so happy to be on this journey with her dad.' He's back and now they're like partners and they're doing this stuff together. She has to feel, even though she's possessed half the time, she has to really relish it. And so that was the thing that, um, before she has her turn, that Ray Palmer kind of stop - softens her and gets her to see another, you know, that there's another way. Um, that was the only thing - it was at the beginning, when I was like, no, I really - I really think that she can have fun with this and - and - and not be so - at the beginning."
Mod PH: "Uh, Jes."
JM: "Honestly, I think what everyone has said has been - it's been a pretty good, um, representation of how open the writers are and how malleable they are to ideas and what you bring as, you know, naturally to the character. Caity and I have certainly had a lot of, um, protection of AvaLance when that - you know, when our relationship became kind of a, um, you know, a popular thing and a welcomed thing and a, you know, a good thing. We really, um, you know, went to - went to bat for a few things that - that the writers saw us doing. I - I don't know if I could specifically say them because they might still happen - but just things that we didn't, you know, we wanted to not go the, um, traditional route, not be - not make our relationship the everything, um, you know, the fact that we're together and, you know, we're lesbians, and now we have to talk about it all the time. We just wanted to be. And they were - they've been so great. So certainly I think, to answer the question, um, we've all gone - we've all gone toe-to-toe to work with the storyline, but they - they're amazing. It only makes the show better. The writers are so open to that."

-- Mod PH read the following Fan Q: "What's the best piece of advice that you've ever received?"
NM said that, acting-wise, the best piece of advice he ever got was from a girl he was dating (named Ruve, now his wife). He's a Method actor, but she told him that unless he can leave his work at work, their relationship would not work. So now when he's on set, he's 100 percent into his character. But when he's off set, he lives his real life and enjoys it. 
CL said that you don't have to have everything figured out, but you just have to start and keep pushing forward; just don't stand still.
CF agreed with CL and said that, if you're faced with an overwhelming, "insurmountable" task, just do the first piece, just take the first step, and keep moving.
BR said that the advice that he's been receiving from many sources is (his video froze for a moment at this crucial point, before becoming unfrozen): "The world is showing me and, I think, a lot of people right now, that there are a lot of things that we don't, uh, maybe we weren't - we didn't understand. Um, other people's experience, the full range of another's experience, whether that be someone who lives in your - who is someone who you've known for many years or somebody who you don't know, someone from a different background. And I think the important thing, uh, the important thing for life is allowing for another person's truth to exist, um, that they have the right to their own feelings, whether that be of trauma or of oppression. Um, and to try to take that away, to say that it didn't happen or belittle it, um, I think is an injustice to that person and to yourself, because not allowing for another person's truth and existence, good and bad things to happen in their life, is to not allow - not - is to not allow for you to see them as a human being and to deny their existence, um, and humanity, and we're all here trying to learn from each other. So don't try to push away another person's experience, but allow for it, and that can allow for amazing conversations and - and growth, which is all something we can do more of, I think."
JM said that, for her, she likes to surround herself with joy. She also quoted John Lewis: "Answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you believe."

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Edited August 3, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

 

Edited August 3, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

FYI: Arrowverse actors who auditioned for (but did not get) Arrow roles...

Amy Gumenick - auditioned for Laurel Lance
Courtney Ford - auditioned for Laurel Lance
Melissa Benoist - auditioned for Thea Queen
Grant Gustin - auditioned for Roy Harper
Jes Macallan - auditioned for Dinah Drake

Edited August 3, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Between Takes podcast interview with KM...

episode 004: Katherine McNamara
The Between Takes Podcast   Aug 3, 2020

Quote

It’s easy to look at Katherine McNamara — 24 and famous for her roles on the fantasy series Shadowhunters and the DC Universe superhero series Arrow — and think success came easy to her. In reality, she’s where she is today because of years of hard work, drive, intelligence, a great approach to auditioning, and a kind heart. On this episode of “Between Takes,” Katherine sits down remotely with her friends Hart Denton and Cameron Fuller to talk about how she got into the acting in a family full of scientists and doctors, graduating high school at 14(!) and college at 17(!), the crazy — and occasionally embarrassing — casting process to become the lead on Shadowhunters, the helpful perspective a mentor gave her on auditions, playing the female Green Arrow on Arrow, and more. Check it out!

-- Katherine McNamara: "How did I get into acting? Well, originally I wanted to be an economist. So that was my career path. I wanted to go into developmental economics. But I'd also danced my whole life. So I randomly ran into a family friend who was directing a community theater show and needed a dancer, and I said, well, sure, I'll come, you know, do something fun for the summer and see how it goes and try something new. And we all have those rare moments of clarity that happen in life and I had that happen. I walked on stage on opening night and it hit me like a brick wall that, oh, wait a minute, I was put on this Earth to tell stories and to be a part of this sort of creative experience and to create characters and do all of this. And then I, you know, was working theater in Kansas City for a little while, then booked a job in L.A., came out here for two months, and nine years later I'm still living here.
Cameron Fuller: "That's very impressive."
Hart Denton: "How old were you with the community theater thing? What age was that?"
KM: "I think I was about 12 at that point. So early-ish on, but I still basically had a chance to have a childhood because I, you know, still living in Missouri until I was about 14."
HD: "Did you have family... that liked the arts and did theater or anything like that?"
KM: "My whole family is in science and medicine, so nobody career-wise is in the arts. There's a lot of people who, you know - my grandma does watercolor and my grandfather's played guitar his whole life and my, you know, my great aunt and her church choir. But, you know, my grandma's an ER nurse, my grandfather's a dentist, and my great aunt's an x-ray crystallographer. So it's not necessarily what they do for a living. There's been an appreciation for the arts."

-CF: "For people who don't know Kat, she graduated high school at 14 and she graduated college at 17. So she is very bright and - and - and brilliant. Um, and I think it's very impressive. I mean, what was that like? You graduated college at 17 years old. Most people go to college when they're 18, you know."
KM: "That was completely by accident, to be honest. I loved school and had an amazing pre-school teacher who saw this sort of voracity for knowledge and this love of learning, and she was able to foster that. So I - I then, um, ended up - I got kicked out of school in first grade because it was - she taught me so much and I ended up in a place where the public school could - couldn't accommodate me academically. So I would for recess and lunch and art and music and before and after school activities and field trips. And then I did all my academics at home through a - it was then a correspondence program - this was before online school - uh, that a lot of like ambassadors' kids used in things. And so I was allowed to go at my own pace academically. And that's how I ended up graduating high school at 14. And then I didn't want to stop learning at 14. So I ended up going to university."

-- CF: "Because you've done so much at a young age and, uh, you were just the lead of this massive show - two massive shows - um, what was that like? Like, I mean, Shadowhunters, Arrow. These are two shows that have massive fanbases, and you built massive fanbases with, and, uh, very loyal, you know, and I feel like you're one of those people - Hart and I both talked about this - where you give back to your fans just as much as they give to you, and you appreciate that. So what's - what's that experience sort of been like?"
HD: "But also, too, start us with the - how did you - what was the audition process like? Like, how did you get it? Before, you know, let's - let's start with that."
KM: "Well, for Shadowhunters, the audition process was quite long. I mean, and - and to be fair, it makes sense, given that, you know, the book series has such a following and that - that story in and of itself is so character-based. You know, the world is so rich, but it's rich because of the characters, and you need the right people in order to really bring that story to life. And I give, you know, Freeform massive credit because I really do think that, you know - I can't talk about myself, but the - having read the books, I think it was perfectly cast among, you know, the - the people that I got to spend that amount of time with. But it - I auditioned and then about six months later, I got called back in and had multiple tests and multiple work sessions and multiple, you know, rounds of producers and everything else that sort of culminated in a bunch of chemistry tests. And that was the most fun part for me, mostly because Dom Sherwood, who'd just been cast as Jace - he and I had been friends for years. And so that was immediately, uh, a relief to know, okay, there's somebody I know, somebody who's - the ice is broken with, and I can just go in. And, uh, funny thing is, is when I read this script initially, I instantly thought of Dom for that role and I was like, oh, my God, he'd be so perfect for Jace. And then he was cast, and I went, all right, that's it, I have to - I have to do the part now, because there had been no part like Clary that I had ever - I'd never read a script and known instantly what I wanted to do with a character so much. It just - it all clicked in my mind as soon as I read it and I went, this one I'm gonna fight for, because I - I know I'm meant to do this. And, uh, did a bunch of chemistry tests and ultimately ended up very shortly thereafter in Toronto trying to find an apartment, trying to figure out and - and realize that this fanbase is huge... The family that surrounds Shadowhunters among the fans is so fierce and so loyal, but also so - which is what I respect most about them, because they're able to discuss things and able to have opinions, but still respect each other through them. And, uh, I saw that for the first time when my casting announcement went out. So I found out - I found out that they were announcing Clary on Twitter, before I even knew anything, before I even knew I was cast. They had tweeted out from the show account and they had said, 'You guys. #WhoIsClary? We're announcing in two hours.' And I immediately went, well, okay, it must not be me because I haven't heard anything yet. I knew it was between me and one other actress. And then I get a phone call about 10 minutes later, saying, 'all right, they haven't told anyone anything yet, so sit tight.' 'Okay.' So I went to the gym because I knew I needed to put my head somewhere. And, uh, 'Who Is Clary' is trending on Twitter and there's all this speculation going on and there's tweets running wild. And then 10 minutes before that time limit was up, they called and said, 'Congratulations, you'll be playing Clary in Shadowhunters: Mortal Instruments. By the way, we need you to come over to the Freeform office right now to do some videos and stuff.' ... 'Great. I'll be right there.' ... I lived close by. So I put myself together very quickly and then it hit me. I realized within that very short time frame, all of these people who've been putting all these messages out there and their hopes and dreams for this part, we're about to find out that it was me.  And I didn't even know what to think. I was just hoping that they - that they would think that I was an okay choice, that they would approve of me, um, to play this character... 'Cause I read YA growing up. I love YA. And I - I understand the attachment to those characters and what those characters mean to someone who is that age and who's reading this material. And, uh, I give so much credit to the fandom because they instantly welcomed me in with open arms. They've been so open throughout this entire process. And I - I have so much love for the Shadow Fam and I always will, because they have created, beyond us, beyond our characters, beyond the show, they've created a community among themselves that, they support each other."

-- HD: "To a lot of people it - it comes across as an overnight success, but break that down a bit, because it's not."
KM: "Well, at that point, I'd been in L.A. for about six or seven years and that's six or seven years of pilots and TV shows and guest stars and indie films and just trying to work as steadily as I could. You know, even, for example, the job that brought me out to L.A. was the first time that Disney Channel wanted to do High School Musical, so they did it as a pilot way back like nine years ago now, and you're just now seeing it as a series on Disney Plus. And we shot the pilot and it was a completely different version of the show than is out now. But we did the entire pilot. It was an hour long thing. We were on hold for an entire year. And that was a - that was a show that they had been talking about lunch boxes and action figures. I mean, two full weeks of two-hour fittings every single day, to try and figure out what my character's look would be, because they were so wanting to meticulously get it right, because of, you know, anything that could be in the future, which they did. And it was all worth it, because the pilot looked amazing and it came together so wonderfully. Ultimately, for some reason, who knows, it didn't work out for me. But it just goes to show that it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of - a very thick skin, because you do hear a lot more 'no's' than you do 'yes'es.'"

-HD: "Has there been something that you really wanted or really put a lot in and - and didn't get it? And if that has happened, what's your advice with that?"
KM: "Well, I was very lucky early on in my career that I had a mentor of mine put everything in perspective and they told me, look, an actor's job is to audition, and you go into that room and for 10 minutes that's your performance. That is your art. That is what you do. You create that character. You perform for those couple of people. And if you're lucky enough to actually get a job, that's something special. That's something else. But you go in, you lay everything you have in, and then you forget about it and you move on. And if it's yours, it'll come back to you. And if it's not it wasn't meant to be and there's something else out there for you. So most of the time, that's my perspective when I'm going into these auditions, which is, I think, why I love auditioning so much, because it's [unintelligible word]. But occasionally, there will be those jobs that you get so attached to and that means so much to you and you just in every fiber of your being want. And sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't. There was a film that was based on one of my favorite childhood books, that was the book that I carried with me for years as a kid, and I'd done the play in Kansas City, and it was one of these things that I had to do... And the character description in the book was exactly me, and it was a live, red-headed, freckles, and green eyes, and all this stuff. And I'm like, it's me, this is my chance. And I went through all of the rounds. I mean, I was even on my way to do a final callback for a Broadway show and I was on my layover in Texas and got called back to do a director's session. So I went back, and then the next day, when I was really supposed to go to this, uh, Broadway show final callback - it was like the do-or-die, you can either choose to do the final callback for the Broadway show or you can choose to do the final chemistry session for this film, I chose [the film] because, I mean, this is - this project has meant so much to me, this story and this character have meant so much to me for so many years, I have to do it. And it didn't go in my favor."
HD: "Do you have resentment towards the project after?"
KM: "Absolutely not... You got to let it go, because it doesn't do you any good. And also, so many of the choices are so subjective. You know, it comes down to whether or not they want to cast with the book or against the book. In this case, they went completely against type for the book and cast someone who was completely different. You know, and it comes down to maybe eye color or height or hair color or just a feeling a producer had when they woke up that morning. It has nothing to do with you, your talent, or - or whether or not you should be doing this... It's purely subjective."

-- HD: "Do you have an audition horror story?"
KM related a story of arriving in the parking lot for her audition and getting a phone call informing her that they had already offered the role to someone else. She also related an "embarrassing" story during her audition process for Shadowhunters, where she had to storm out in a scene, and she turned and ran into the wall.

-- CF: "You are the female Green Arrow. That's a - that's a big, uh, mantle to take on from the Green Arrow himself."
KM: "No, Stephen's amazing. And - and honestly, coming off of a show like Shadowhunters, it was such a family on that set and I was so worried that I wasn't going to have another experience like that. And, you know, obviously Arrow had been established for so long, I felt like the new kid coming into the senior year of high school. I had no idea it was such an established family, and they welcomed me with open arms. You know, Stephen in particular. I, uh - my first day on set, I was there for some meetings, and he was in the middle of a big fight scene on the episode, just covered in blood and exhausted and been fighting all day... And as soon as he saw me, he jumped out of his chair, ran over, gave me a huge hug, and goes, 'I'm your dad,' and then, you know, just immediately welcomed me into the show. And that was the best way to sort of start off, to immediately be a part of the family and dive right in."
CF: "You see it on TV and they're awesome. What's it like in real life? Like, are there funny moments, are there frustrating moments? Like, what's that process?"
KM: "Oh, for sure, it's hysterical. It always makes me laugh, because everybody gets on set and takes off the warming jackets. And then they're all - you know, everybody's posed and all badass and running around and being superheroes. And - and then they call 'cut' and we go sit over in the chairs. And by hour 17, everybody's, you know, [unintelligible word], sipping on coffee, or just, you know, trying to stay awake or asleep or something. And it's - it's the funniest dichotomy to see. But the more people of that family that are on set, it just becomes a party, you know, because everybody's there, everybody's having a good time and giving each other trouble. And it's - it's such a great community to be a part of. You just can't help but have a good time."
CF: "Is there any crazy memory you have or, you know, something of that nature?"
KM: "Yeah, there were no pranks that happened. I think - I mean, as far as - as far as, uh, Arrow goes, I think the - the silliest thing to happen was that - it's - it's silly in the sense that it was just an odd situation. My first day in my super suit, I was so excited because, you know, they make this suit for you to fit your body and design it to be, you know, part of that world. And then we were on set and it was my first day also with everybody, with all the Supermen and Flash and Green Arrow, Batwoman, Supergirl, Caity, everybody was there. And it was also the day that we were shooting Stephen's death. So I got on set and I'm all excited and literally bouncing out of shoes because there's so much energy going around. And then I get to set and I go, oh, wait, I have to bawl my eyes out right now, because I'm seeing my father's corpse... Alright, let's harness this energy and put it in a different way. But I think we had more pranks happen on the set of Shadowhunters than on, uh, Arrow."

Edited August 3, 2020 by tv echo

[Kymmi]

9 hours ago, tv echo said:

FYI: Arrowverse actors who auditioned for (but did not get) Arrow roles...

Amy Gumenick - auditioned for Laurel Lance
Courtney Ford - auditioned for Laurel Lance
Melissa Benoist - auditioned for Thea Queen
Grant Gustin - auditioned for Roy Harper
Jes Macallan - auditioned for Dinah Drake

It's hard to imagine anyone else in the roles, but I really like Amy Gumenick, and will always wonder what her Laurel would be like.

[Mellowyellow]

12 hours ago, tv echo said:

FYI: Arrowverse actors who auditioned for (but did not get) Arrow roles...

Amy Gumenick - auditioned for Laurel Lance
Courtney Ford - auditioned for Laurel Lance
Melissa Benoist - auditioned for Thea Queen
Grant Gustin - auditioned for Roy Harper
Jes Macallan - auditioned for Dinah Drake

I can totally see Courtney Ford as Laurel Lance. Based on her performances I think she could have given some depth to the character.

[tv echo]

Posted yesterday (Aug. 3)...

FYI: You can also watch a youtube video of this interview (posted by Golden Warrior) here.

-- Tommy DiDario: "How did this all happen for you?"
Katherine McNamara: "You know, I always say that I kind of fell into it backwards. I wanted to go into developmental economics, um, originally, and I thought I was the black sheep of my family then, because everyone in my family is in science and medicine. But then I - I'd been dancing ballet my whole life and I was a kid who would try anything, um, and I had a friend who was directing a community theater show and needed a dancer. And so I said, well, sure, I'll spend the summer trying something new and seeing how that goes. And, uh, I fell in love with it and I had one of those rare moments of clarity, the moment I stepped on stage and I went, oh, no, no, this is - I have to tell stories for the rest of my life. And here I am. ... You know, it's kind of been the whole course of my career and my life, has kind of been going, well, this opportunity has arisen and, if I don't give it a chance, I'll never know."

-- Some talk about KM's audition process for the role of Clary on Shadowhunters (similar comments to what she said during her Between Takes Podcast interview, also on Aug. 3), her favorite memories from that show, her most challenging scene to shoot, her fight training, and the message of that show.

-- TD: "And from one show with a massive following to another, which is Arrow, I see a lot of Arrow fans in here, too. How was that experience? I mean, you were joining - you were part of both of these shows in a relatively short amount of time, I want to say, and - and the fandom on both ends is crazy."
KM: "It was no less nerve-wracking jumping into Arrow... Well, when I first auditioned, I had no idea that I was auditioning for the Olicity baby... They were trying to keep the role really under wraps, given the fact that, you know, the relationship of Oliver and Felicity was so beloved on the show. Um, they wanted it to be a surprise that they were bringing in their daughter. So I knew it was - it was a - the sides were for a rookie cop, I think, that had a dark past. And so I was completely in one direction being like, okay, so I'm gonna start researching, you know, the - the sort of training that cops do and what they go through and the kind of education that they're getting and sort of what that perspective is. Then I get a call from the showrunner going, 'Hey, congrats, we're so happy to have you on the show. By the way, you're playing Oliver and Felicity's daughter and she's a cage fighter'... 'Wait, wait, wait, wait. What, what is happening? What's going on?'... I couldn't even breathe because I knew how much the fans cared about this relationship. Um, and - but it's a huge honor, you know, and they did so right by Mia in the way they wrote her and everything they did on her story. And, uh, I'm just so thrilled to have been a part of it."
TD: "And what was your favorite part working on Arrow and with your story - your character's storyline?"
KM: "I had a lot of fun both working with Emily and Stephen, because I had watched through the entire series to sort of pull any - any little mannerisms or character qualities or anything I could from each of them to create a kid that was sort of the amalgamation of their best and worst qualities. But then getting to have us - have a lot of scenes with each of them, it brought out different aspects of Mia. And so it was really interesting to see that interaction. But, uh, I had a lot of fun doing the crossover. You know, I mean, there's - there's few moments in - in an acting career where you kind of have to pinch yourself and go, okay, this is kind of cool. But when you're on set in a super suit, with your superhero dad in a matching suit, and there's a couple of Supermen and Batwoman and Supergirl and White Canary and the Flash and all these amazing literal superheroes, it's - it's really insanely cool. And I just, you know, I just gotta have to pinch myself."

-- In response to a fan question, KM said that she sort of "fell into" playing an action hero, starting with Maze Runner, then Shadowhunters and Arrow. But she added that she wanted to act in all different genres.

-- In response to a fan question about who would win in a Clary versus Mia smackdown, KM: "I get asked this question a lot... I think it depends on what rules you go by... Technically, if you go by strictly fighting technique and - and their skills as a fighter, Mia would wipe the floor with Clary. I mean, she's been a fighter her whole life. But, because Clary's a Shadowhunter and has her superhuman abilities, I'd think she'd stand a chance if magic is involved. So that - you know, it depends on what rules we're playing by here."

-- Some talk about KM's focus on "positivity" (rather than negativity) and making the choice to focus on the good. Also some talk about the "loneliness" of being in self-quarantine by yourself if you're a social creature. Also remembering that "everyone is going through the same thing." And some talk about what she's been doing in quarantine.

--  TD: "What excites you for the future? What do you want to do - like, one of the first things you want to do? Will you do anything more with The CW?"
KM: "[Muted words] more with The CW. I had a great time working with them, you know, and whether or not Green Arrow & The Canaries goes forward, I - I'm not done with Mia Smoak... So if they [unintelligible word] her back, she can go play in the crossovers, if there's another Crisis, I'm there. Um, but I think the thing I'm most excited for is traveling. Once the world opens up again, I have friends, you know, in different parts of the world that I haven't seen. My best friend lives in London and I haven't seen him in eight months. So it's one of those things that I - I want an adventure and I want to explore and I want to eat different foods and see different places and climb another mountain and take pictures and do all of that. It's - it's a - such a learning experience and such a - it's soul food for me, um, and I miss it. So that'll be the first thing I do."

-- TD: "What advice would you tell your younger self?"
KM: "I would tell my younger self to take a breath and know that it's all gonna work out and it's all gonna be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end and just hang on. You're going to be fine, if you just stay the course."

-- KM expressed thanks to the fans.

Edited August 4, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Two of these actors first appeared on Arrow...

Wizard World Virtual Experiences Presents: From the Cast of DC's Legends of Tomorrow, August 16, 2020 (at 10am PT)
Caity Lotz and Brandon Routh (also Jes Macallan, Adam Tsekhman and Courtney Ford)
https://wizardworld.com/comiccon/from-the-cast-of-dcs-legends-of-tomorrow

Edited August 6, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

BLONDE AMBITION
Interview & Photographs by John Russo
https://giojournal.com/blonde-ambition/ 

Quote

From Shadowhunters to Arrow Katherine McNamara is leading the way in the female action hero genre. It seems this Kansas City girl is on a mission.

Q:  Everyone knows you from Shadowhunters as the sexy redhead, now you are the even sexier blonde. As cliché’ as its sounds do blondes have more fun?
A:  Not cliche at all! Actually, when I first changed from my natural ginger locks to blonde, I did clock quite a difference in the amount of notice I received. Folks always mentioned and inquired about my fiery hair, but as a blonde, I was suddenly getting approached by strangers at a much higher frequency.I have spent a lot of time trying to determine why that may be the case. I’m not sure if it’s a societal perception or if it is something else entirely, but I certainly found it interesting. But the real fun began when I dyed my hair pink for a few months for THE STAND which shot earlier this year. I can definitively say I had the most fun with that hue. All that aside, I make an effort to have fun whatever I’m doing, regardless of my hair color. I am quite thrilled at the opportunity to get to change my appearance often – being a chameleon is one of my favorite aspects of my job. I want to live a thousand lives and tell every story I can get my hands on – to create and hold a mirror to the human experience. Who knows… maybe I’ll try brunette next!
*  *  *
Q:  Do you prefer yourself with or without makeup?
A:  That depends. Through playing characters and doing shoots with many diverse looks, I have grown to love playing with makeup. I find it fascinating how simply “painting a face” in a slightly different way can completely change how a person looks, feels, and translates on screen. So, yes, I am very much a woman who loves putting on makeup and being creative in that way. However, that being said, there’s such a freedom to waking up and feeling comfortable in your own skin with a completely fresh face. It’s actually something I’ve had the luxury to enjoy, play with, and form new habits in during quarantine. I’ve taken more time to fine tune the skincare regimen that works best with my skin so that I feel comfortable no matter if I am wearing makeup or not. Also, I’ve been spending more time in the sun this year (safely and with sunscreen) so my freckles are out in full force which makes it fun to play with!
*  *  *
Q:  What are you working on? Any new things in the works?
A:  Surprisingly, or perhaps not so astonishingly given my workaholic nature, I have been working even in quarantine! My business partners and I are developing a few YA projects (soon to be officially announced.) I also just finished filming a horror-comedy called Untitled Horror Movie entirely over Zoom with an incredibly patient and talented team who somehow taught six actors how to light, set up cameras, rig sound, set decorate, put together props, make costumes, and every other department from our own homes. Earlier this year, I wrapped production on the CBS All-access mini series of Stephen King’s The Stand. As a King fan myself, I’m very excited for folks to see this adaptation. We got it all in the can just before the lockdown began so hopefuuly it will be released later this year. I am also finishing up an EP that will be out soon – so stay tuned!

Q:  How have you been handling the current situation?
A:  This has been a very interesting – dare I say puzzling – year. Those who know me know that in any situation in life, I attempt to find the silver lining. I have been through enough to know that life is too short to live in negativity. It is not what happens to us that defines us – our lives are dictated by the choices we make and the perspective we choose to have. So during this strange year, I have been taking time to spend in nature hiking, to self reflect, to attempt to appreciate time off and not go too stir crazy. It’s been lovely to take advantage of the time to re-connect (virtually or at a safe social distance) with friends and family who can tend to be ships passing in the night given how busy life can become. That being said, I always endeavor to have something in the works. During this time, I have thrown myself into developmental efforts in trying my hand as a producer and director to keep expanding my creative exploits. Above all, I am a storyteller and can’t sit too long without some sort of creative exploit be it on stage, in front of a camera, behind a microphone, or in my living room!

Q:  How do you see the future of productions being handled?
A:  That remains to be seen… It will be interesting to see what creative solutions productions find to deal with the health and safety concerns of this new era in which we find ourselves. My mother is an infectious disease scientist, so it has been a huge asset having her as a resource to cut through the information and misinformation floating around in our world at the moment. The question for productions is that so much of this will depend on trust, which is already intrinsic in the nature of productions and among actors for any successful project, but there will have to be a collective agreement that everyone will “play by the rules” for the good of everyone in the production family. All in all, I have to remain hopeful that a solution will be found. The good news is the show must go on and it will – we will find a way to create and tell stories no matter the obstacle.

ETA: The rest of her interview (not quoted above) is about KM's skin care regimen, healthy balanced diet, whether she'd ever have plastic surgery, who she considers to be the most beautiful women and men, and whether she thinks the future of movies is in streaming.

Edited August 7, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

FYI: I've listed all of the DC TV names that I spotted on the scrolling guest list below - they're listed alphabetically by first name (I've bolded the ones who've appeared in or worked on Arrow episode(s))...

Caity Lotz
Camrus Johnson
Candice Patton
Carlos Valdes
Caroline Dries
Chantal Thuy
China Anne McClain
Cress Williams
Danielle Nicolet
Danielle Panabaker
Danny Le Boyer
David Harewood
Elizabeth Tulloch
Geoff Johns
Grant Gustin
Greg Berlanti
James Remar
Javicia Leslie
Jes Macallan
Jesse Warn
Jessie Graff
Jordan Calloway
Keto Shimizu
Lynda Carter
Marc Guggenheim
Marvin "Krondon" Jones III
Matt Ryan
Maya Mani
Meagan Tandy
Nafessa Williams
Nick Zano
Nicole Kang
Nicole Maines
Olivia Swann
Phil Klemmer
Rachel Skarsten
Sarah Schechter
Shayan Sobhian
Tala Ashe
Todd Helbing
Tyler Hoechlin

Edited August 9, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Edited August 8, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Halloween or Cosplay Alert! - You can apparently buy copies of Arrow characters' jackets/coats at this Celebs Outfits site; however, I have no idea about the quality of these products (so buy at your own risk) and no knowledge of or experience with this site...

View entire gallery of Arrow-related clothes (superhero, casual) here:
https://celebsoutfits.com/?product_cat=&s=arrow&post_type=product

Green Arrow Stephen Amell Hooded Jacket
https://celebsoutfits.com/product/green-arrow-stephen-amell-hooded-jacket/

Green Arrow season 5 Jacket
https://celebsoutfits.com/product/green-arrow-season-5-jacket/

Arrow Felicity Smoak White Coat
https://celebsoutfits.com/product/arrow-felicity-smoak-white-coat/

Arrow John Diggle Spartan Jacket
https://celebsoutfits.com/product/arrow-john-diggle-spartan-jacket/

Arrow Season 6 Black Canary Jacket
https://celebsoutfits.com/product/arrow-season-6-black-canary-jacket/

Dinah Laurel Lance Arrow Black Canary Jacket
https://celebsoutfits.com/product/dinah-laurel-lance-arrow-black-canary-jacket/

Arrow Black Siren Leather Coat
https://celebsoutfits.com/product/arrow-black-siren-leather-coat/

Arrow Season 8 Laurel Lance Jacket
https://celebsoutfits.com/product/arrow-season-8-laurel-lance-jacket/

Arrow Season 4 Thea Queen Leather Jacket
https://celebsoutfits.com/product/arrow-season-4-thea-queen-leather-jacket/
 

Edited August 10, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Panelists included Dr. Bertha Chin, an Arrow fan and scholar* ...

Transcending Realms: The Fan Culture Experience
Project Insight was live on August 8, 2020

-- Dr. Bertha Chin: "If we go back to what we were talking about earlier, about why people become fans of things, we kinda stopped it off at that place of love... And I think, when you love something, you want to create more 'screen time' in a sense. This is why, you know, you read fan fiction or you write fan fiction, or you do a lot of fan art... and you produce fan vids, and you watch fan vids... because you want to prolong the experience, that love, in a sense. ... I keep going back to Arrow, but that's only because I've written on it enough. I've kind of looked at it from a very academic kind of perspective as well. If you take one of the characters, for instance - um, there was a female character who was just supposed to be - who was supposed to be there - supposed to be originally there for one episode. Her name was Felicity Smoak. She appeared - she was like a very B character in the comics, um, in DC comics - and she was introduced as a character in Season 1. And her chemistry - the actress's chemistry was so great with Stephen Amell, who plays Oliver Queen, that this character - a bit character who was only supposed to appear for one episode - became the lead character of the show itself, um, even bigger than, um, you know, the title character, in effect. She became a superhero for a lot of the girls who were watching, a lot of the girls who didn't know anything about the Green Arrow comics and would go back to the Green Arrow comics to read the comics, only to be disappointed that there was no Felicity Smoak in the comic universe... And, you know, the creators responded to that. They created kind of, um, like accompaniment comics in between seasons, to extend that storyline, to give the fans what they want. Sure, you know, it's economics for the producers, but for the fans it's - it was something more to discover about the character... It goes back to love, at the end of the day."

(* if you remember. Dr. Bertha Chin gave a speech titled "'Felicity Smoak is a superhero': CW's Arrow and the Felicity Smoak fandom" during the Superhero Identities Symposium in Melbourne, AU, in 2016.)

Edited August 10, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Edited August 12, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

#FlashbackWednesday: From 2012 SDCC, but new to me - interesting to watch now when the series is over...

Katie Cassidy - CW's Arrow at Comic Con 2012
Gossip Girl NextChapter   Aug 6, 2020

-- On Laurel wanting to do good in the world and feeling that it's important for her to work at CNRI, KC: "I feel like at a young age, she sort of had to take care of her sister and her father. I believe, you know, assume she lost her mother at a young age. And so she had - she's a caretaker. Um, she sort of took on that role, which later developed into, you know, her wanting to become a lawyer. And she tries to see the best in everyone. You know, I just think that she's very, very driven and she has a huge heart and I think she's sensitive and I think she - you know, she wants - she has really, really strong moral values and she expects everybody to live up to them the way she does."

-- On Oliver and Laurel, KC: "Oliver and her obviously have a huge history. And even though he's broken her heart and she's been as angry and frustrated as she's been with him or at him, you know, she - she does have it in her heart for forgiveness and she sort of just has to let herself emotionally go through that path, uh, to get there. ... I've actually - I've only - well, the pilot, and then I've only read episode 2. So I don't - I mean, yes and no. I feel like they'll probably have that emotional struggle between the two of them because they were romantically involved. And I think at some point you'll see, you know, her want to go down that path, but, you know, her heart's not letting her or her brain's not - it's just, you know, it's like, you go with your head or you go with your heart? And I feel she has that internal struggle with him right now, you know, it's a love-hate thing she has with him going on. Um, but I'm sure they'll - they'll flesh out and we'll get - we'll get a chance to see the history between these two, for sure."

-- On what attracts Laurel to Tommy, KC: "I think Tommy was there for her when Oliver disappeared. You know, they both - it was a huge loss, and I think they both sort of leaned on each other. It was a shoulder to cry on. And I think Tommy, I say Laurel and Oliver grew up together, I really think it was the three of them. You know, I think Tommy was like the best friend. Um, and once Oliver disappears, she - she looks towards Tommy, and Tommy's there for her, you know, and helps her and, you know, maybe takes advantage of the situation. Um, and I think she - you know, he'll never be Oliver to her. Like, Tommy can - nobody will ever be Oliver but Oliver. Um, but, you know, I think that she - maybe there was a few nights, maybe they were romantically involved. For Laurel, I don't think it was anything ever too serious."

-- On what she wants the writers to write for her, KC: "Probably that [referring to Laurel becoming a superhero like the Black Canary]. Um, I think it would be cool if, you know - who knows, but at some point, if it's like, Oliver sort of takes her under his wing and sort of teaches her, you know. Yeah, that would be awesome."

-- On whether they've "tried [her] out in fishnets" yet, KC: "No, they haven't. I don't know if we're going to see it this year. I saw - I have this little action figure, um, and it is the Black Canary. Some fan sent it to me and it was really sweet. Um... fishnets and a leotard and these high-heeled boots. And it's like, this is not a lot of clothing. If that happens. Um, but yeah, it would be - it would be fun."

-- On how Laurel feels about her sister now that five years have passed since Sara's death and whether she's come to terms with it, KC: "Um, as much as one can, you know, having been betrayed by someone and then losing that - I have two sisters. You know, thinking about that, uh, I just - if one of them betrayed me that way and then disappeared, you know, died, I think I would quickly forgive her. It wouldn't even be a thing in my - you know, whatever she did to me doesn't matter at that point. Just the fact that she - she's gone. I can't even imagine - that dude came and I saw him again, and one of my sisters was gone, it would not be good."

-- On how Laurel is different from her past roles, KC: "For me, Laurel is almost angelic, if that makes sense. Like, I feel like she's so pure and she's so honest. And, you know, for me, I've played a lot of bad girl roles in the past. So it's nice to do something different in that- yeah, it's nice to be able to play a character like this."

Edited August 12, 2020 by tv echo

[lemotomato]

Reading KC’s interviews reminds me of the Fred Armisen SNL character who never finishes a sentence. https://vimeo.com/36788443

 

[statsgirl]

On 8/3/2020 at 10:37 AM, tv echo said:

FYI: Arrowverse actors who auditioned for (but did not get) Arrow roles...

Amy Gumenick - auditioned for Laurel Lance
Courtney Ford - auditioned for Laurel Lance
Melissa Benoist - auditioned for Thea Queen
Grant Gustin - auditioned for Roy Harper
Jes Macallan - auditioned for Dinah Drake

Seems like getting an audition with David Rapoport is a key.

On 8/10/2020 at 12:50 PM, tv echo said:

Dr. Bertha Chin: "If we go back to what we were talking about earlier, about why people become fans of things, we kinda stopped it off at that place of love... And I think, when you love something, you want to create more 'screen time' in a sense. This is why, you know, you read fan fiction or you write fan fiction, or you do a lot of fan art... and you produce fan vids, and you watch fan vids... because you want to prolong the experience, that love, in a sense.

Very true. I love the respect for the fans that she has.

[RS3]

On 8/12/2020 at 3:18 PM, tv echo said:

Um, and once Oliver disappears, she - she looks towards Tommy, and Tommy's there for her, you know, and helps her and, you know, maybe takes advantage of the situation. Um, and I think she - you know, he'll never be Oliver to her. Like, Tommy can - nobody will ever be Oliver but Oliver. Um, but, you know, I think that she - maybe there was a few nights, maybe they were romantically involved. For Laurel, I don't think it was anything ever too serious."

It's interesting how she had already made up her mind about these relationships after reading episode 2. I don't think she ever wavered from her headcanons  even when the show went against them, cause I remember her saying it helps her portray the character better. In the end, Tommy died carrying a torch for a woman who didn't reciprocate but the same thing happened to Laurel with Oliver because of Katie. Ironic.  

[tv echo]

In this recent interview, GB again talked about how he and his showrunners respond to dailies...

MPTF Influencers: Greg Berlanti
MPTF   Aug 11, 2020

Quote

Writer-producer-director Greg Berlanti appears on "MPTF Influencers" hosted by MPTF Chief Development Officer Courteney Bailey on July 24, 2020, featuring MPTF Studios' Jennifer Clymer. Berlanti's credits include such TV shows as "Dawson's Creek," "Brothers & Sisters," "Everwood," "Riverdale," "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" and "You" as well as The CW's Arrowverse. He also directed the feature films "Love, Simon" and "The Broken Hearts Club." To find out more about MPTF's mission and services, visit mptf.com

-- On his process for writing for so many different "personas" (voices), GB: "Many times with some of the shows we do, there's - there's other creators there but I - I - you know, storytelling is still an art form. And so, you know, I'll help them develop the characters and develop the storyline and the narrative, sometimes for the season, sometimes for the, um, you know, uh, pilot episode. It depends on the nature of the show... I've done it so long now, I can kind of tell when we've kind of, you know, we're arriving at something that, you know, you know, has to go through a system then, too. You're gonna have to pitch it to the studio, to the network, um, you know, then it's gonna have to be a draft, and the actors are gonna read it. Then you're gonna bring in production people, and they're gonna have a thousand questions. And so, it's a lot of vetting of things... but always trying to build stuff from the inside out... I think when people get caught up in, like, what's a fad now or what is, you know, get too in the head of, like, well, what will this actor think or what is the studio or the network going to think about this, you know, it's - it's more - almost like you're divining the thing and you have to listen to the characters first and the story first as to what it wants to be. Um, you know, and I ask a lot of hard questions of all them. I do more of my creative work in the - in the mornings. I'm more of a morning person than a - an evening writer, in that way... There are some, uh, writers like the David Kelleys of the world who can sit down and pound out a script themselves in two, three days. I was never that kind of person. From the day I took over, uh, my first TV show, I - I realized how much I relied on - that I could - I could break stories fast, I could come up with stories fast, but I really need a team of writers to draft the scripts with me and - and to, uh, work on it with me...   When I started out, uh, in college, I did a little bit of acting, so - so I do tend to find that, when we're writing, I'm - I'm, you know, I'm always try to write scenes that I know will be inspiring to the actors. And then when we start to get the dailies on the material of those scenes, that's almost when I get even more inspired as to what the stories could be, because you're really - it's almost like playing tennis with you - you're hitting the ball across the net, and the actors are getting those scenes and they're bringing them to life. And that's the great thing about television as an art form, because it's not like - it's not like you write it first, beginning, middle and end, and then you go make it, you know. Very often, you're still working on the episodes while [still developing]...  So you're - you're responding to the thing, and it almost has an evolution to it in a different way. Um, you know, sometimes an actor is so brilliant with a storyline that you just can - you decide, oh, my gosh, we have to continue this storyline, or we have to change it, because look what's happening. Um, so you're really responding to that in - on live time.... You know, I try to be present, you know. I mean, I think, there's always a lot of distractions in the day and - and , you know, I divide my day up, not necessarily between the hundreds of characters who we touch, but the, you know, the 10 or 12 showrunners that I'm working with most closely at that given time. And then, you know, when I'm with them, I try and be just all about what they need from me in that moment. Um, you know, and I find, if we do the really hard work of getting the story right and the script right, then it makes the rest of the process a thousand times easier. But when you haven't, you know, and you miss something or, you know, you're just a little bit off, inevitably there'll be a problem with that episode, either while you're shooting it or sometimes in post-production, most times in post-production when you're there and you're thinking, oh gosh, you know, why didn't we think of this or why didn't we get this moment, and you're having sort of, you know, fix it in post, as they say."

Edited August 14, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Wishful thinking or a tease?...

Edited August 14, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

The DC Fandome schedule went live this morning (to view it, you have to create an account) - believe it or not, there are actually a few Arrow-related programs (I used EST times)...

Saturday, Aug. 22 (InsiderVerse)*

1:00pm    Arrow - Pilot EPK

Quote

A truly exclusive opportunity as an insider to see behind-the-scenes and hear from the creative team during the filming of the Arrow pilot episode. 5 min On Demand

1:00pm    Returning to the Roots of Arrow: Prometheus

Quote

Okay, DC InsiderVerse, get ready to return to the roots of Arrow, as Oliver Queen faced his dark past in the form of the villain Prometheus! 20 min On Demand

4:30pm    Behind the Scenes of the Arrowverse Crossover - Panel

Quote

Multi-hyphenate Marc Guggenheim joins The Flash first assistant director Phil Chipera, Batwoman costume designer Maya Mani, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow property master Lynda Chapple, and Batwoman/The Flash/Supergirl senior visual effects supervisor Armen Kevorkian to discuss the detailed and meticulous behind-the-scenes efforts that went into making the mega-crossover event “Crisis on Infinite Earths” happen. The talented group will offer exclusive and insider stories for fans that only those on working on set have been privy to. 15 min

Saturday, Aug. 22 (Hall of Heroes)*

2:15pm    Multiverse 101 - Panel

Quote

Get schooled in this engaging refresher course on the creation of the Multiverse with DC Chief Creative Officer/Publisher Jim Lee, Warner Bros. Pictures President of DC-Based Film Production Walter Hamada, and Berlanti Productions founder/DCTV mega-producer Greg Berlanti. 30 min

(* All of these programs have encores later the same day/night/next day - see schedule.)

Edited August 16, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

I guess The CW is no longer calling it the Arrowverse - ugh...

The CWverse Superheroes | The CW
The CW Network   Premieres Aug 17, 2020

 

Edited August 15, 2020 by tv echo

[AveMaria30]

^ Good luck with that CW LOL - I can understand it but I think it's been known as the Arrowverse for too long now for a lot of people to change over.

[lemotomato]

I mean in show canon, it's still technically the Arrowverse since GA recreated the multiverse at the end of COIE. 

I'm not too surprised they're rebranding this way. No one with the shows still airing seem willing to take the lead in promoting the verse like SA and MG did. Better to make it a vague network association until they find a representative. It's kind of funny they decided to not call it the Flashverse.

Edited August 15, 2020 by lemotomato

[statsgirl]

Maybe GG is looking to end his show in a couple of years too. Doesn't make sense to spend effort to call it the Flashverse only to have that show drop off too.

CWverse is a stupid name. DCverse might have made sense since they originated with DC comics and it's an homage to that like Marvel's. But I certainly won't be calling it after a TV network.

[Primal Slayer]

Makes sense from a marketing standpoint. The whole point is to get TheCW out there so I dont mind. Not like itll be used all that often. 

[tv echo]

New Arrow virtual con panel...

GalaxyCon's Arrow Live Experience, August 30, 2020, at 2:00pm ET (Free, live-streaming Q&A)
Katie Cassidy, Caity Lotz, Brandon Routh, Katrina Law, Josh Segarra and Kelly Hu
https://galaxycon.com/august-30-arrow/ 

 

Edited August 16, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Posted yesterday - SA is back training in Vancouver...

Edited August 16, 2020 by tv echo

[Featherhat]

I get it from a marketing perspective but CWVerse just sounds horrible and I'm not sure it will catch on. Arrowverse rolled off the tongue really well. Flarrowverse or even Flashverse also worked. But GG has never been interested in being seen as the leader of the 'Verse in the way that SA has in terms of promotion or anything -which is completely fine and understandable. The reason it went back to Arrowverse rather than Flarrowverse was because SA among others pushed that Arrow was the progenitor of everything. And they are probably thinking about ending Flash and Legends and maybe Supergirl in the next 1-3 years so it makes sense to try and divorce it from any particular show. 

[tv echo]

CD at Wales Comic Con in 2021...

Edited August 16, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Arrowverse Panels At DC FanDome: Time & How To Watch
BY COOPER HOOD   AUGUST 15, 2020
https://screenrant.com/arrowverse-dc-fandome-panel-time-watch/ 

Quote

The Arrowverse will have a big presence at DC FanDome, and here's when all of the panels for the shows take place. The CW launched what has now become known as the Arrowverse in 2012 with the first season of Arrow. The flagship series is now over after eight seasons, but the Arrowverse has grown tremendously since 2012. The Flash was the first new addition, while more shows like Black Lightning and Supergirl became part of the Arrowverse.

Even without Arrow, the future of the Arrowverse is still bright. The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and Black Lightning have all been renewed for new seasons. The CW is also developing a few other new shows, but only one is moving forward at this time, Superman & Lois. There's no shortage of Arrowverse content on the way, and that has led the small screen superhero universe to have a big presence at DC FanDome.
*  *  *
DC will hold its first completely virtual event on August 22nd that will give DC fans a wide variety of content. DC FanDome has panels for DCEU movies, video games, and much more - including the Arrowverse. All of the Arrowverse shows, except Supergirl, will have panels at DC FanDome in the virtual WatchVerse section of the event. The Flash will kick off the event with a panel at 1 pm EST, followed by Black Lightning at 1:45, Legends of Tomorrow at 3 pm, Superman & Lois at 5:35 pm, and Batwoman at 10:30 pm. Even Stargirl, which is loosely linked to the Arrowverse through the multiverse, will have a panel at 9:45 pm.

Edited August 16, 2020 by tv echo

[catrox14]

CWVerse makes no sense because there are more than DC shows on the CW. They still have Supernatural for 7 more episodes and I think the 100 is still going , plus Roswell and some other shows. The branding implies even non DC shows are somehow tied to the DC universe. The only other thought I have  is that maybe once SPN and The 100 finish, they give up on anything but DC shows.

Kind of curious they have Superman as the first character in the promo rather than The Flash or Sara Lance or Supergirl. Those all came long before Superman. I understand he's the most well known DC character of the bunch, yet it seems like a slap in the face to the other shows.

[tv echo]

A few Arrow comments during today's "Wizard World Virtual Experiences Presents: From the Cast of DC's Legends of Tomorrow" panel...

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW cast Q+A | SUN, AUG 16TH | 10AM PT, 1PM ET
Wizard World    Streamed live on Aug. 16, 2020

-- Caity Lotz once pitched an idea to the LoT writers (which she thinks they didn't like and won't use) that Sara Lance finds out she's adopted, because "there's so much stuff from Arrow about her family," and then they could bring back her parents (Paul Blackthorne, Alex Kingston) to appear on LoT. 

-- Brandon Routh: "Coming from Arrow, I was asked to come on and kind of bring some brightness and humor to that show and, uh, did that, with an awesome scene partner in Emily." 

-- Matt Ryan: "Arrow pulled the character [of John Constantine] in from the cold."  

ETA: Here's the Fandom Spotlite video recording of this same panel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_QjNix771E

Edited August 17, 2020 by tv echo

[scarynikki12]

2 hours ago, catrox14 said:

The only other thought I have  is that maybe once SPN and The 100 finish, they give up on anything but DC shows.

They can't since the network is Warner Bros + CBS. The DC shows are owned by Warner so they couldn't do an all DC network even if they wanted.

2 hours ago, catrox14 said:

Kind of curious they have Superman as the first character in the promo rather than The Flash or Sara Lance or Supergirl.

I think it's because they're looking to Superman and Batwoman as the new tentpole shows for the DC side of the network. The next crossover will be centered only on their shows and they're both new while Flash, Supergirl, and LOT have been around long enough that we're now having regular discussions on when they'll reach their end. Also if Tyler is comfortable being the new face of the Arrowverse they probably want him to get started as soon as possible and Fandome is the place for it.

[statsgirl]

36 minutes ago, tv echo said:

A few Arrow comments during today's "Wizard World Virtual Experiences Presents: From the Cast of DC's Legends of Tomorrow" -- Caity Lotz once pitched an idea to the LoT writers (which she thinks they didn't like and won't use) that Sara Lance finds out she's adopted, because "there's so much stuff from Arrow about her family," and then they could bring back her parents (Paul Blackthorne, Alex Kingston) to appear on LoT.

It could explain the antagonism between Laurel and Sara that was there in the flashbacks. But I don't think LoT cares enough about Sara at this point to dedicate that much time or storyline to her.

[scarynikki12]

17 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

It could explain the antagonism between Laurel and Sara that was there in the flashbacks. But I don't think LoT cares enough about Sara at this point to dedicate that much time or storyline to her.

I think it's more that LOT doesn't care about the other Lances to explore a story like this if Sara's complete lack of acknowledgement of Quentin's death or Dinah still being alive is any indication. Plus the appeal of the show is the found family and a big part of that angle is that the crew either has no bio family or are on poor terms with their bio family so I get why an adoption story wouldn't appeal.

[lemotomato]

1 hour ago, scarynikki12 said:

I think it's more that LOT doesn't care about the other Lances to explore a story like this if Sara's complete lack of acknowledgement of Quentin's death or Dinah still being alive is any indication. Plus the appeal of the show is the found family and a big part of that angle is that the crew either has no bio family or are on poor terms with their bio family so I get why an adoption story wouldn't appeal.

IMO, the best thing to happen to Sara is her going to LoT and getting a fresh start. The last thing CL should want is to drag Arrow's Lance Family Drama over to LoT.

Edited August 16, 2020 by lemotomato

[tv echo]

The transcribed comment below (from this audio recording of a recent Batwoman virtual panel) could also apply to Arrow, which introduced the brand new characters of John Diggle, Thea Queen and Sara Lance, as well as new versions of Felicity Smoak and Moira Queen...

GalaxyCon Live! Batwoman Q&A w/ Camrus Johnson, Rachel Skarsten, Nicole Kang & Sam Littlefield
AUGUST 09, 2020  EPISODE 76
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1182989/4916990-batwoman-q-a-w-camrus-johnson-rachel-skarsten-nicole-kang-sam-littlefield?play=true

-- Moderator Patty Hawkins: "This has always been the strength of The CW, the Arrowverse, ... is that they take the comic book mythology and they use it as a starting point. They don't use it as a - a - a barrier of, we're only going to stay in here. They take it as a starting point, and they're really good at putting it outwards. They're really good at adding new characters to the mythology, and I think that's been the - that's been the secret, I think, to its strength."

ETA: Incidentally, that "The CWverse Superheroes" video appears to have disappeared from The CW's Youtube videos list. I wonder if it will reappear sometime today, as originally promised.

Edited August 17, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

In this podcast, Beth Schwartz talked about another character named Felicity (on Felicity, the JJ Abrams TV show, which aired from 1998-2002 on The WB) and also talked about her TV career (she started as a production staffer on a JJ Abrams TV show called What About Brian) - she also made some Arrow-related comments, which I've transcribed below...

Quote

This week on FELICITY FRIDAYS we welcome ARROW Showrunner Beth Schwartz on the podcast to talk about PORTRAITS, a dramatic approaching mid-season episode of FELICITY Season 2.

We, of course, get to talk about the Felicity(Keri Russell)/Noel(Scott Foley) dynamic following their dramatic kiss in the previous episode, Julie (Amy Smart) getting stuck in the middle of this potential rekindling, Julie maybe getting a record contract???, and we get to talk to Beth about her career in dramatic television and J.J. Abrams.

-- In comparing Felicity and Arrow, Beth Schwartz: "Arrow is like, you don't have a moment to breathe."

-- In the context of talking about the four-seasons-long love triangle on Felicity, Beth Schwartz: "Well, on Arrow, we had the ultimate - it wasn't - it started as a triangle, but then it really was the Felicity-Oliver - it was more of a 'will they-won't they,' you know, by - by mid - by mid-series."

-- When asked how she feels about tropes, Beth Schwartz: "I like tropes, but I like to try to put them on their head a bit... There are certain tropes for a reason. It's because we love them... As a writer, I'm trying to keep things fresh, especially in this, um, television, you know, extravaganza, where you're competing against a million shows for people to watch. You want to keep it more original. So I like to steer away from what would be considered, you know, a trope that's been used way too many times."

-- Beth Schwartz talked about now working in "the streaming space" (Netflix's Sweet Tooth), after having spent her entire career in network television. She said that she had to "retrain her brain a little bit... in terms of slowing things down and having breathable moments." She said that, especially on Arrow, they just "burnt through plot" and, "just coming off an eighth-season show, where everyone knew all the characters really well," it was like "starting all over again." She said that she had to realize that now they didn't have to "do the full arc for the character in one episode," but could now just do the beginning part of the arc in one episode and finish it in the next episode, adding that "that wasn't something I was used to," because in network television, they usually had a "three-beat arc in every episode, for every character in an episode. ... In the streaming space, you don't need to get there that fast. ... Season 7, Oliver has gone through everything... It's just hard to maintain. ... Also, I feel that the advantage of going slower is, it feels a little more real and it's not so tied up in a bow by the end of an episode, which I think is also nice."

-- Beth Schwartz: "Especially on broadcast television, I know we did it on Arrow a lot as well, we tried to have everyone touch in on the theme, even on our smaller stories."

-- In the context of a discussion about Felicity cutting her hair short and also blowing up her relationships with both Ben and Noel on Felicity, Beth Schwartz: "We had something similar, and the only thing I can probably relate it to is Katie Cassidy's hair. And she really wanted to have a short haircut, and she - and, of course, it's Arrow - and she looked f**kin' awesome. Like, her hair was amazing. It was like, cut it really short, and it looked awe - ... And it's a huge, bold move with any - working with any studio and network. And back then, I can only imagine, um, it being super controlling on how your characters look, because you don't want to change - you don't want to change what's working, in general, and that's always sort of, you know, the fear. But when it relates to a storyline, I think it's so bold and I love that. And a woman's hair symbolizes so many things, and I hope that, you know, we've all had a short haircut for different reasons. And what does that mean? ... Like, it seems so crazy and drastic, and it shouldn't be. ... I loved that move [on Felicity]. I just think it was not styled properly."

-- On finding the balance between changing enough things to keep the show fresh and "placating" the studio & network by not changing what's been working too abruptly, Beth Schwartz: "So I got really lucky, because when I took over Arrow, that was the idea. Everyone was really supportive for change because, like I said, after - you know, when you get to Season 7 and there's been six seasons of 23 episodes, everyone wants that change. And even on the studio and network level, they invited that change... And the creator Marc Guggenheim, same thing. He wanted a new showrunner, so there could be a new voice, um, a new voice who also understood the show. So it wasn't just - you can't go from - you know, it's still Arrow, so you can't do something drastically different... And that was my goal, and that's why we did the flashforwards in Season 7... It opened up the world and it opened up new characters. And instead of doing flashbacks, which we had outgrown, we were able to create a future and Oliver & Felicity's future children, and all of our other characters' future children... And we were also able to do - you know, we had a prison arc, where our hero was imprisoned for the first chapter, which we were convinced we would only be able to have him be in prison for like one or two episodes. And the studio and network were so supportive of - of my vision, and that, you know, we wanted to change things up. And, um, Peter Roth especially was so open to, um, to making the show fresh... And I was surprised by that, actually. And every time I tried to do something different, they were like, 'yes.' ... And I thought... 'Are they paying attention?' ... I was very fortunate and had everyone's support, and that was really refreshing to me, as someone who's been there for a long time, and for a lot of our writers who've been there for a long time. We were able to tell stories that we wanted to be telling, um, that didn't seem as formulaic as, um, how the series began... There needs to be an evolution. There just can't be same, you know, paint-by-numbers over and over again, because your audience will get bored."

-- Beth Schwartz: "The sorta side stories were a little bit messy in this [Felicity] episode and, um, I'm not sure if it was because, you know, in the script phase, they were just like, we only care about Felicity & Noel, and in another world, this episode could've been just that storyline. And I feel like that is what happened... They didn't have enough space to service other stories, to make them richer, and I think, um, in network now, you do - you would have the freedom to sort of drop other stories... I know, um, we did on Arrow. We were able - Season 7, I guess, was different - but, like, we were able to drop stories, if we wanted to. We had the freedom to do that."

-- Podcaster: "The guy who has the crush on the girl and doesn't get the girl just has a weird vibe to me now, a little bit, that I can't really articulate." 
Beth Schwartz: "It's interesting because some similar things have come up, you know, in storylines where I'm very against writing towards the guy who has a crush from afar. It means something different to me now. I mean, I think it's always kinda meant something different and creepy to me. And that's used, I'm sure, so much... I'm sure in all the, um, '90s [unintelligible words], it's used a lot. But that kind of, you know, dorky guy who's like crushing on, like, this pretty girl from afar, always makes me feel uncomfortable. Um, and so I've sort of pushed back on those sort of storylines, because it doesn't come across well on the screen - and in real life. ... It's not a great message to send, um, about these unattainable women that just ignore these men. Because the truth is, it goes both ways - as you see in the Felicity storyline. She likes a guy who doesn't like her at the moment. Like, that's just what relationships are, and dating. Like, no matter how nerdy or not nerdy, it's - you're always going to be in either position. You know, so, I think the sort of male gaze at that woman, at that attractive woman, like, who doesn't give you the time of day, is - is pretty negative... And it's not a good message to send. So I - I try to fight against that."
Podcaster: "I couldn't agree with you more... I think it perpetuates a stereotype on both sides that isn't healthy... You should be confident in who you are... your strengths and your weaknesses... And I also think that, now in the online culture that we live in, we should not be perpetuating any sort of - that sort of insel, anonymous, bullsh*t behavior that happens online, towards women, uh, and is just unacceptable. We shouldn't be doing anything to help that along."

-- Podcaster: "When an actor who's a recurring character gets another role, you're not always inclined to keep that person around, right?"
Beth Schwartz: "I would disagree with that, because that has happened, um, you know, on Arrow before... As long as it doesn't interfere with your show, there's no reason why I would be upset... Because they have their hiatus. They can do whatever they want in their hiatus. And I recognize that, as an actor, you want to play different roles. And it's not, you think you're better than the show, that's a whole different thing. Um, but - and if it doesn't interfere - and if it doesn't interfere with your scheduling, then I would - you know, we've always let people shoot things, um, on - on our hiatus, not during, you know, the actual -."
Podcaster: "Sure... I'm sorry, I was unclear... My question was more, whether or not they might've kept [Ruby] around [on Felicity] or the character might've stuck around, had she not gone off to do this movie."

-- Podcaster speculated that there could've been other reasons why this character, Ruby (played by Amy Smart), was written off the Felicity show. He said that he wished Ruby had stuck around because Noel then really didn't have a viable love option, so it just felt like you were waiting around for him to come back around to Felicity.
Beth Schwartz: "I feel like what you said about a viable love interest is right - is spot on. Because we had issues with that, in terms of later - you know, as soon as Oliver & Felicity were together, and then Felicity, like, um, had another boyfriend, but you were still like, oh, of course, it's Oliver. So that - that's super challenging, because when the - when the audience already loves that couple, but you know you can't keep them together because it's just, you know, it gets boring after awhile, um, in trying to complicate that - and same thing with Oliver, when he had [unintelligible words] couple random girlfriends later in the seasons. And it's just you know that they don't come close to, um, to - as a competition. You know that Oliver & Felicity are endgame, as they say."
Podcaster: "You always hope for the best when you write a recurring - when you write a new character who comes in. And more times than not, it's kind of a push, like... yeah, this was fine, this did what it needed to do. It bought us a handful of episodes. But every now and then, you do strike gold. And then you're in those situations where you're like, and now what do we do? ... Now is this person a regular? Do we bring this person back? You know, the audience is now - they like this person... You almost they rather not work than work... You know what I mean? Because then where the f**k are you?"
Beth Schwartz: "I think that's a good problem to have... That's what made Ben and Noel such a good love triangle... There has to be a divide in the audience. Otherwise, if everyone liked just one side of the triangle, it's - you're not a triangle."
Podcaster: "For sure. And then it becomes a 'will they-won't they,' and you can only milk that for so long."

Edited August 17, 2020 by tv echo

[Trisha]

10 hours ago, tv echo said:

So that - that's super challenging, because when the - when the audience already loves that couple, but you know you can't keep them together because it's just, you know, it gets boring after awhile

I hate that trope, which Hollywood seems to hold onto so tightly. As if the only way to create tension in a committed relationship is on again/off again bs. TV critic Alan Sepinwall talks about it a lot. 

 

 

[Featherhat]

Alan Sepinwall is right. Some producers are so paranoid about "the Moonlighting Curse" and the belief that couples who don't break up every five minutes or take 6 seasons to start dating (with a break up around the corner) are boring that they sabotage themselves the other way instead. It also often follows the same formula of growing closer, something happening, growing closer again, ex or "perfect on paper" love interest shows up, season of dating them, growing close with OTP, break up, awkwardness, growing closer with OTP, maybe dating, stupid break up, ship stalls, growing closer,.......... And by that point even the people that love romantic angst have abandoned the show in favour of different shows. And in some shows all of that can happen without the couple even ever getting together properly.  

There was something that Watchover mentions in their latest podcast that in S4 the producers said they can do this one of two ways with Olicity: Will they/won't they until the show ends or get together and break up which they chose and nearly destroyed any good will they had with the couple and Felicity as a character since so many people blamed HER instead of Oliver because they bought what the show was selling about Oliver "having no choice" 🤬.

It is more difficult to do something different and create drama without having a couple constantly on the verge of breaking up. And fans do complain if the couple is regulated to only 30 second book ends but surely there's middle ground? 

Interesting that Beth flat out says they created ship stalls that are never any real competition, because that was obvious but the show also tried to play it completely straight with Susan and gaslight the audience (and Thea) with the "good person" BS. 

[statsgirl]

The success of shows like Hart to Hart and MacMillan and Wife should have shown them that the audience will be there for a good relationship with the couple together. I've left more shows because the ship stalls were stupid than I ever did because I was bored with the main couple.

They may call it the Moonlighting Curse, but I think it's really a failure of the writers.

[RS3]

I watched 12 seasons of Bones and although the wait was ridiculously long before the main ship got together, I got as many seasons of build up as I got of them being a regular crime solving couple with marriage, kids and the whole shebang. I remember the moonlighting curse being mentioned a lot by the producers. In the end, they figured that the show kept getting renewed so might as well go for it.

As long as the payoff is worth it, I don't mind waiting. It's the incessant break-ups that bother me the most. I ship olicity hard but when they broke up that 1 time, It was enough to annoy me. I wasn't sad, just annoyed. Everyone figured out it was a classic CW stalling tactic the moment they pulled the baby mama ultimatum. Beth is openly saying that it was stalling now that the show is over but you could tell execs weren't even believing in their justification for the break up back when s4-5 aired. 

[Featherhat]

With Bones I'm not sure they would have got (and kept) them together right then if not for Emily Deschanel being pregnant. As it was it's now a little notorious for the "they had sex off screen and now they're suddenly pregnant and together". I remember some eye rolling quotes from the showrunners at the time. I will give them credit for generally keeping them together for the rest of the show, unlike it's "sister show" Castle who's showrunner also frequently invoked the "will they/won't they is fun together is boring" thing and who's leads didn't get on at all in later seasons. 

My worst one is JAG, I was pretty young when I first watched it and it stuck in my brain but if ever there was a pairing who had beaten the horse to death in every conceivable way it was Harm and Mac. Then they do the finale episode get together thing but nearly 20 years late on NCISLA you find out they broke up quickly afterwards and haven't seen each other since. 🙄

Everyone knew why they broke them up the way they did on Arrow by twisting every character in the story into incredibly OOC shapes, even MG admitted they were writing to plot and to get there by certain points although he has otherwise defended it. And I'll always think it was some left over hijinks from when this 5 year relationship arc was planned with Laurel because it would have made so much more sense. I guess Olicity in general shows that they were willing to take risks on a pairing and change the OTP but followed TV main couple convention in many other respects. 

I don't mind waiting but I have to think they have a decent plan or arc in mind and aren't just dragging it out until the finale episode or worse until they literally can't think of anything else and are bored and it shows. Depending on how big a part of the show and how long it goes on it is by that point I often don't want them anywhere near each other and have stopped watching. 

[tv echo]

On 8/3/2020 at 10:37 AM, tv echo said:

FYI: Arrowverse actors who auditioned for (but did not get) Arrow roles...

Amy Gumenick - auditioned for Laurel Lance
Courtney Ford - auditioned for Laurel Lance
Melissa Benoist - auditioned for Thea Queen
Grant Gustin - auditioned for Roy Harper
Jes Macallan - auditioned for Dinah Drake

One more...

Anna Hopkins - auditioned for Sara Lance
(Source: https://tvline.com/gallery/actors-almost-played-different-tv-roles/dark-waters-5/ )

Edited August 19, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Edited August 19, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

This apparently happened last night...

You can see KM at around the 29:10 mark...
INTO ACTION celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment's ratification
REVOLT TV   Streamed live on Aug 18, 2020

Quote

Tuesday (Aug. 18) marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Tune in as "INTO ACTION" explores the beautiful struggle of political, organizing and emotional work that women leaders carry.

“INTO ACTION” is a four-day celebration that previously took place on August 6, 7, 12; and that's final day of festivities is today, Aug. 18. On Aug. 6 and Aug. 7, which marked the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, the organization broadcasted from the Lincoln Memorial, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Miami, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and other locations. On Aug. 12, it celebrated World Youth Day.

Edited August 19, 2020 by tv echo

[RS3]

20 hours ago, Featherhat said:

I will give them credit for generally keeping them together for the rest of the show, unlike it's "sister show" Castle who's showrunner also frequently invoked the "will they/won't they is fun together is boring" thing and who's leads didn't get on at all in later seasons. 

The Bones/Castle feud was hilarious and SO TAME compared to fandom wars today. Even the actors and producers chimed in. This is irrelevant to the discussion but your comment brought me back.   😄 

20 hours ago, Featherhat said:

And I'll always think it was some left over hijinks from when this 5 year relationship arc was planned with Laurel because it would have made so much more sense.

This is such a great take that I'm mad I didn't think of this myself. Yeah, I could've seen it happening. Laurel breaking up with Oliver cause she can't handle the fact that William's existence will always be a reminder of Oliver's betrayal... *shudders* This storyline would have been more cut and dried than whatever they did with Oliver and Felicity's (and Thea's!!!) characterizations. Not better, but more on par with their writing. If they had dwelled more into Oliver's PTSD and Felicity's abandonment issues, and made it less about the plot, the break up could have held some emotional weight.