Stephen Amell on a bolder ‘Arrow’
After six seasons of saving Star City on the CW’s “Arrow,” Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) finds himself in a new place when Season 7 kicks off: in prison, with his double life as the Green Arrow exposed.
The series also went through a transition offscreen, as long-time showrunners Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle stepped down. Beth Schwartz, who has been with the drama as a writer since Season 1, was promoted to showrunner.
“I will say from a collaboration standpoint, it’s been really good,” Amell tells Variety of the show’s new leadership. “Beth has empowered producers and writers of specific episodes; they’ve been on set every day. They have the ability to be the producer and the decision maker — in conjunction with the director and actors — for that episode.”
Amell also shares that he has ideas both for Oliver and “the show at large” that the writers are implementing, which has been “really lovely and flattering.”
Here, Amell speaks with Variety about shaking things up this season. The following is an edited transcript.
Q: How is Oliver handling his time in prison?
A: He’s doing OK. Despite the fact that (his son) William and (his wife) Felicity are in witness protection, he can’t rest easy with the fact that it’s five months in and Diaz is still out there. He’s sacrificed everything to take him off the board, and he’s not off the board. He’s also having to go against a lot of his better instincts in order to survive. He’s in there with a lot of people he helped put in there. There’s a target on his back.
Q: The series has traditionally introduced a new foe every season. With Season 6’s Diaz still very much in play, how has that affected the way the new year is structured?
A: This season feels very different. It feels very bold. It feels like, in my mind, it’s taking one of the things we did in Season 4, where we introduced (a tease) someone was in the grave. It’s not doing anything like that, but that to me always felt like a bold choice.
... It feels like we’re making a lot of those choices, and that’s been very, very invigorating for me, because I never want to be safe. I’m of the mindset if you have a good idea, let’s do it. Season 8 is promised to no one. It’s been very refreshing, and it feels like we’re pushing the envelope this year.
“I’m of the mindset if you have a good idea, let’s do it.” — Stephen Amell
Q: With Ruby Rose about the join the larger DC television universe, what conversations have you had with her about taking on a role like this?
A: I haven’t spoken with Ruby yet. I know absolutely everything about the crossover, and there is literally nothing I can say about it. Ruby doesn’t need my help, at all . ... Even if she doesn’t feel it, I feel like there’s a great deal of pressure on Ruby. I would just hope that if she needs anything from me, she wouldn’t hesitate to ask.