J.R. Ramirez, whose other credits include Power, 24 and Emily Owens M.D., has been playing boxer Ted Grant in Arrow’s third season, training Katie Cassidy’s Laurel Lance toward what we assume will be her ultimate destiny as the “Black Canary.”
Fans of DC Comics, of course, know the name “Ted Grant” as the alter ego of the Golden Age character Wildcat. Wildcat is often associated with the legendary “Justice Society of America” and he’s also known from the comics as being the one who trained the Black Canary.
Convenient, right?
We spoke with J.R. Ramirez by phone to discuss his big role in tonight’s (November 12) episode of Arrow, which is called “Guilty.” Our questions to Mr. Ramirez are posted in bold; his answers are not. The episode airs at 8PM on The CW.
From the trailer and photos that have been released by The CW, it looks like there’s a dead body in Ted’s gym. What’s that about, and what kind of trouble does he get in?
Yeah, they start popping up, and just like Arrow’s trying to figure out where this is coming from… I can’t really give too much away, but we’re trying to figure out if it’s something that is coming from my past… they just start showing up at the gym, and he’s being accused of something that he did not do.
Is this just one body, or multiple bodies?
There are a few bodies that show up in this week’s episode, and he’s definitely being accused, because it’s happening in my gym, and in my storage locker and stuff… it’s something that is troubling, because Ted’s trying to get down to the gist of where it’s coming from and who’s doing this and who’s setting him up. Arrow believes it’s me.
Is Ted going to have to look to Laurel as his lawyer?
Yeah. He’s been training her, and he knows that’s her expertise, so hopefully he can give him a hand and get him out of this mess he’s in.
I believe it was one of the promo trailers that Ted used to be a vigilante. Are you allowed to say anything about that?
I know that I used to be a vigilante, and as for the future, I actually don’t know where they want to go with the whole ‘me suiting up and going out and crime fighting,’ but I definitely would be more than willing, and up for being able to do that kind of stuff. That’s one of the reasons I was excited, when I found out who this character was, and who I was going to be playing. So, I definitely had a past in that. That’s something everyone’s going to be able to see this week. But as for the future, and where it’s going to go? We are not really sure exactly where the writers are going to take it. But, again, I would be very willing to be able to suit up and go kick some butt.
Did you do any research into Wildcat upon getting the role?
Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. When I first got the role, they didn’t release exactly what the name was. It was released as another name. Then I got it, and they told me who it was, and the whole comic world just exploded. I didn’t really know much about Wildcat, to be honest with you. As any other small kid, I was obsessed with Batman and Superman, but I didn’t know much about Wildcat. I didn’t really read much comics when I was younger. But when I started researching and seeing who this guy was, I was super excited, because I love to box, and just to see this guy’s origin and where he came from, was something really exciting for me. I wished I would’ve had a little more time to put on a little more muscle. I only had about a week between getting the role and going to shoot it! So, I wish I had the time to pack on a couple more pounds, but we just did what we had to do.
You just mentioned that you loved to box. How much boxing had you done before playing Ted?
I used to box a lot as a kid, and it was something that I actually hadn’t done in a while, but I hit the gym as soon as I found out who this guy was. I had a great trainer out in L.A. that worked with a lot of friends of mine. It was so exciting getting back in the gym. It’s one of the most grueling workouts you can ever have, but it was definitely fun to get back in there and learn the ropes again. It’s nice to be able to train for something.
As a former vigilante himself, what is Ted’s impression when he meets the Arrow?
The Arrow comes across him with a lot of accusations. He thinks I’m the one behind all this. So I have a lot of hesitations. I don’t know how much I can give away, but in this week’s episode, you’ll see that it’s not so much that I dislike him; it’s more about trying to figure out where this guy is coming from and giving him the benefit of the doubt, and realizing that he might be a great asset to helping me find out what the heck is going on, once he realizes that it’s not me doing that stuff.
And it was amazing to work with Stephen. He was so easy to collaborate off, and he’s a great guy, overall.
Can you talk about the general interaction between Ted and Laurel so far, and what it’s like to work with Katie Cassidy?
So far it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a lot of fun to get in the gym with her. She’s such a workaholic, and takes her job so seriously, and she’s one of the most genuine, real people I’ve ever met. We just have a lot of chemistry. She makes it so easy to step in there and explore and have fun. She’s a sweetheart, and she’s really, really loving this whole boxing storyline, so it’s been a lot of fun to get in there.
I’ve gotta step my game up. She’s getting all ripped, and she’s quite quick with the hands, and, as well as myself, she’s always wanted to do as many stunts as she possibly can.
Is there anyone on Arrow that you haven’t gotten to work with yet that you’d like to work with?
Paul Blackthorne. I briefly got to work with him, which you’ll see this week, and I connected with him right away. He’s such a nice guy, and I respect his work quite a bit. I’ve seen a lot of his prior work, and he’s someone that I would love to collaborate with in the future. I’m looking forward to hopefully having a few more scenes with him, because what I had this week was very, very short and brief.
At this point, does Ted think that Laurel is getting herself on the right course now, as a fighter?
Yeah. I feel like, more than anything, I want her to just take it step by step, and not get too ahead of herself, and realize that this is something that takes a long time. This is something that you’ve got to really dedicate yourself to. I can tell that she loves it, but I just want to make sure her intentions are in the right place. I want to make sure she’s doing it for the right reasons. I love that she’s definitely enjoying it, but I want her to enjoy it for the right reasons, not just to seek out revenge, because that never ends well.
Why should people watch on Wednesday night?
They’re going to finally get to see what I realize a lot of people are asking for – they’re going to get to see a little bit of Ted Grant and Arrow kind of going head to head, and this power struggle that people are just going to love. It’s going to be a really, really good episode. There’s a lot of good action, and storylines. You’re going to get to see a little more backstory on where Ted Grant comes from, and what he’s all about, and hopefully the fans will really enjoy it. I can’t wait to see it myself.
Arrow is new tonight at 8PM on The CW. Take a look at preview images from tonight’s show “Guilty” HERE!
