Arrow: Katie Cassidy On Season 3, That Death & A Black Canary Future

Last week, we visited the set of The CW’s Arrow and spoke with members of the cast, including Katie Cassidy, whose character Laurel has become more and more of a part of the action, especially in the wake of the death of Laurel’s sister, Sara.

We have video of the interview which you can find at the bottom of this article; if you’re a reader, though, we have highlights for you, beginning with some talk answering the question of “how did Laurel get Sara’s bodydown to the Foundry, anyway?”

Surprisingly, due to technical issues, the sequence had to be reshot, and it was originally staged in a different way. “Having to reshoot a scene like that is very, very difficult, and I was like ‘oh, great. Let’s go through this again’,” Katie told us, alluding to the emotional drain that comes with a character losing her sister and friend, in this case for a second time. “Originally, I had Caity in my arms, and I was crying, and walking with her, but obviously that wasn’t in the show, and that happens with timing and stuff, they have to cut stuff, but I actually could carry her, believe it or not. It was really awkward and hard, but it helped my performance. And Laurel’s been training, so she’s kind of buff,” she continued.

That training with a new character named Ted Grant, played by J.R. Ramirez, involves Laurel learning how to box. In the comics, Ted Grant, also known as Wildcat, trained Dinah Laurel Lance to become the Black Canary. Laurel’s quest to get her sister’s killer is not necessarily going to get Oliver’s support. Having said that, “Laurel is very strong, and I think that she stands for what she believes in, and she’s a warrior. She’s a survivor. And I think hopefully, she will be able to prove it to him, and I think hopefully, he will be on her side, and support her, but who knows,” Katie said. We also shouldn’t count out future appearances by Caity Lotz as Sara.  “I’m not sure exactly where or what, but I know that Caity – she is a very big part of this season, and their relationship, and Laurel’s journey, I’m not sure in what aspect they’re having her back, whether it’s a flashback or not, I haven’t seen anything. I’m sure that the writers have a lot planned for her, but they don’t necessarily always tell us,” Katie explained.

Could all of this lead to more interactions with Team Arrow? Katie, whose schedule has completely flipped to include night shoots, certainly hopes so. “It’s really cool and it’s really fun, and I’m really happy to get to be a part of more of the A story, and the action, and being in the Foundry. It was interesting, last season, when I first started shooting here [in the Foundry set], because I didn’t even know where the Foundry was on the stage, because I never shot here. It was always Laurel’s apartment, which was always torn apart and then put back together the following week!” she exclaimed. “I certainly hope that she will continue to be a part of Team Arrow, and more significant.”

“Honestly, I am so grateful, and so lucky, and so happy,” Katie said about Laurel’s journey in Season 3. “I’m having a blast, and it was really crazy one day and all of the sudden I had biceps! I was like ‘oh! Okay. I have shoulders and biceps! This is awesome’!” The next step after those biceps is to actually become the Black Canary, right? If so, how will Katie’s version of the heroine differ from the one played by Caity Lotz?

“The thing is, Caity was the Canary, and that was her take on it,” Katie said. “I think she very much possibly inspires Laurel to take over the role of the Black Canary. With Laurel, I think from Season 2 to Season 3, you can see physically a change in her, and then also, I mean, yes, [Laurel] is emotional, and cries a lot, but I do feel like she’s a very strong person, and I do feel like she has the drive, and the strength, and I think that she would have that strength that Caity was, but more internally.”

You can see our video interview with Katie Cassidy below. Come back soon for more interviews, check out the next new episode of Arrow on Wednesday, October 22 (it features the start of Laurel’s training!), and read more about Arrow at our Arrow portal, GreenArrowTV!

Disclaimer: Travel arrangements for our Vancouver trip were provided by Warner Bros. Television.