Arrow is one of the most highly anticipated comic adaptations to hit the small screen in quite some time. Fans of Smallville expecting Justin Hartley to walk easily onto the new series were surprised to find a stranger in their midst. From co-starring roles as a prostitute on Hung to a firefighter on Private Practice, Stephen Amell takes on the role of the Green Arrow, Oliver Queen, and Katie Cassidy comes off a long line of less than savory characters to play the sweet girl that got away, Dinah “Laurel” Lance. Find out what they had to say about the show and their characters after the jump.

Laurel seems to be somebody who really wants to do good by people with the CNRI and things like that. Can you talk about that and why it’s so important to her?
arrow katie cassidyCASSIDY: I feel like at a really young age she sort of had to take care of her sister and her father. She seems to have lost her mother at a young age and became a caretaker. After taking on that role she wanted to become a lawyer and she tries to see the best in everyone. I think she’s very, very driven, has a good heart and really really strong morals and values and wants everyone to live up to them as she does. Oliver and her obviously had a pretty huge history and as angry in her heart as she has been at him, she does have it in her heart to forgive him, but has to go through the process to get there.

What attracts her to Tommy Merlyn?
CASSIDY: I think Tommy was there for her when Oliver disappeared. It affected both of them and it was a huge loss and they sort of leaned on each other as a shoulder to lean on. I think when they grew up together it was the three of them. He was the best friend. Once Tommy disappeared, she looked to him and he was there, he took advantage, but he was there. He’ll never be Oliver to her, nobody will ever be Oliver but Oliver. I think there were a few nights, maybe they were romantically involved, but for Laurel I don’t think it was ever anything too serious.

As we know, the comic book universe is very wide. Is there any chance that Laurel might end up being Black Canary or if not a super hero at least join the fight?
CASSIDY: Please take notes! Katie wants to fight. I think that she does get involved in the action story part of it. As Oliver is out there plotting and fighting crime, she will become a part of it, but as far as becoming a super hero, I don’t know.

If there was something that you wanted them to write something into the script for you what would it be?
CASSIDY: I don’t know. Probably that! Maybe if Oliver sort of took her under his wing and teaches her. That would be awesome.

So how is your character feeling about her sister now? It’s been five years since her supposed death. Is she coming to terms with that?
CASSIDY: You know, as much as one can. Having been betrayed by someone and then losing them. I have two sisters and thinking about that, if one of them betrayed me that way and then died, I think I would quickly forgive her. Whatever she did to me wouldn’t even matter. If I saw that dude again and one of my sisters was gone, yeah, it would not be good!

Was there anything you were really excited about doing in the pilot as an actor?
CASSIDY: Just someone real, and grounded and centered. For me, Laurel is almost angelic, if that makes sense. She is just so pure and honest, and I’ve played so many bad girls in the past it’s nice to get to be able to play a character like this.
Credit: collider.com/

Arrow stars Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy, along with executive producers Marc Guggenheim (Green Lantern) and Andrew Kreisberg (Fringe) and David Nutter (Smallville), who directed the pilot, took the stage at Comic-Con to talk about the show, after a packed crowd viewed the pilot episode.
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The show, based on the classic DC Comics hero Green Arrow, tells the story of billionaire playboy Oliver Queen, who returns to his home in Starling City after being marooned on a deserted island for five years.

Queen comes back with a lethal new skills with a bow and arrow and a mysterious agenda.

The team has high hopes for the series with Amell declaring, “If all goes well, we’ll be working for the next decade.”

The audience responded warmly to the pilot, whooping the first time Amell introduced himself as Oliver Queen.

The pop culture jokes referencing Queen’s five-year gap in knowledge got big laughs, especially wickedly good lines about Lost and Twilight;

The producers emphasized that their Arrow would be a grittier and darker take on the character than what fans saw in Smallville.

Director Nutter added, “Oliver’s not wearing a costume … he’s wearing an outfit that puts him back in the hunter’s mindset” he had as a castway.

Kreisberg said, the aim was to produce a show that felt “grounded and real” with “everything functional” in Arrow’s costume and with his bow.

Amell said the darker tone was needed for the vigilante-themed nature of Arrow. “He’s trying to clean up a city … there are necks snapped along the way.”

The EPs revealed that Amell was the first person to audition for the part and they heaped praise on Cassidy, who they said was “so good she doesn’t even know how good she is.”

Anticipating fan questions, the producers promised that other DC characters would make appearance on the show and quickly made good on that statement by announcing that Kelly Hu (X2) had been cast to play villainess China White–news that was greeted with cheers from the audience.

Much discussion focused on a particularly ab-revealing workout scene with Amell about halfway through the pilot. The star seemed a bit embarressed to admit that those were his real abs.

Katie Cassidy got a big laugh when she jumped in to say, “it was actually me” in the scene.
The best line came from Nutter though: “Batman can’t do that.”
Credit: hollywoodreporter.com

One more video has come up online this one from Extra with both Katie and Stephen talking about Arrow.

GALLERY LINKs:
– Screen Captures > Interviews > 2012 > Extra (Arrow Comic-Con Press Junket)