Interview: Michael Rowe (Deadshot) Previews Tonight’s Suicide Squad-Heavy Arrow

Have you been told when we might see more of the backstory of what happened with H.I.V.E. and the death of Andy Diggle?

This stuff has been popping up here and there for a couple of seasons now. It’s not going to go away; they’re going to still explore it, but these are little seeds that are being planted long-term and then it’ll gradually grow into something. Maybe the producers and the writers know when that’s going to happen; I have no idea. You do get to see more clues in this episode.

Is there anything specific you’d see Floyd have or do within the series?

This episode was really gratifying for me, because we got to really develop the character and see what makes him tick, and that was really important to me. The evolution of Deadshot was like – you kind of hate him in the beginning, because he’s like this killing machine; but then as you find out about his daughter and these other things, you go “wait, wait, wait. This is not all black and white. There’s a lot of grey area in here.” And so, I’m really glad I had the opportunity to do that, and in this episode, we really get to develop the character and find out a lot about him.

He’s got his moments, you know what I mean? He is this anti-hero, and he lives in this warped world in between good and evil, and I’m glad that we get to develop a lot of that in this episode. Where I see him going? I feel like this character has so much potential, so you’ll have to wait and see, man. I’ve got ideas of what I’d like to see… I don’t really want to say too much about it, but we’ll definitely wait and see.

Do you think he’ll ever wear a red costume and a silver mask?

I’d definitely like a new costume. Floyd’s going to need an upgrade at some point.

These characters… when the series started, it’s almost like they’re prequels to the characters in the comics. I view Floyd as making that gear that he had in Season 1, Episode 3 in his basement, you know what I mean? He was a one man show, trying things out. But eventually, he gets help from China White and her team, and getting some really high-tech stuff, and now he’s in the Suicide Squad which is related to ARGUS and has access to all this other high-tech stuff. You can really grow a character into that. Floyd could use an upgrade.

The full mask and stuff like that? That has its problems for filming a character. You can’t see what the guy’s saying; it’s really hard to act through a mask. I’d be up for the challenge, but we’ll see.

How has playing Deadshot changed your career?

Well, I’m walking down my new neighborhood in Hollywood, and I’m a Canadian. I was born on an island called Newfoundland, in the Atlantic Ocean off the East Coast of Canada. It’s one of the oldest places in North America; it has its own time zone. Not too many people I grew up with have had the opportunity to do what I’ve done.

I’m excited to see what’s next. I feel like I’m just getting started. [Arrow] gave me confidence as an actor, and I have all of these cool things that are helping me travel to see the world, like all these Comic-Con appearances, and stuff like that… this was my first job in the industry, and I couldn’t have got a better opportunity. I’m so grateful for it, and I’m excited to see what’s next.

Arrow is on at 8PM ET TONIGHT on The CW. See some photos from “Suicidal Tendencies” here!