On October 12, the sixth season of “Arrow” returns to the CW. But don’t expect star Stephen Amell to give away any plot points. “You always hear me say that we’ve revealed too much about the show,” he says. “If it was up to me, personally, nobody would know anything. I have always believed that the best experience that a viewer can have of a show is when they are really surprised by the twists and turns in the story.”
We chatted with the 36-year-old Toronto native about the secrecy surrounding the show and what lessons he’s learned from playing the titular Arrow.
First things first. Can you tell us a little about the new season? What can we expect?
Oh! About the season that we can’t talk about? About all the complaints I’ve received on my Facebook page because we haven’t promoted the new season — because we are literally not allowed to talk about it?
How do you feel about that secrecy that surrounds series?
I like it. I love the way that the CW cares for the series — if it were up to me you wouldn’t even be here, because we would never have press visiting the set unless it was something that could be published until after the episode airs. I would prefer to talk about the series after it has been broadcast because I like to keep things private in terms of the plot.
Do you ever feel any kind of nervousness over the reaction that those passionate comic fans have?
When we created this character, we didn’t try to make it an exact copy of the Green Arrow comic, but we did seek inspiration from people passionate about the story, who had enough knowledge of it build a series. And many of the things that contributed to the series at the beginning is just due to the nature and the structure of a television show.
How has Oliver Queen changed your life?
This series has changed my life. One of the things that you expect as an actor is to enter a show where you can have a good character that influences the way you’re perceived and somehow, I am now pleased to be perceived as a figure in the world of comics. To fall into some stereotype — because you’ve done something that impresses an audience —I have never taken that as something negative. It has totally changed my life.
Also, one of the major dynamics of “Arrow” is family. That family that you’re born into, the family that you make on the way. I started the series single and now I’m married. My daughter is almost four! And that’s largely thanks to the stability that this show gives me. I felt able to take that step in my life.
What is the greatest lesson the hooded vigilante has given you?
Oliver always gets into trouble when he doesn’t listen to people. What’s the point of having people around you if you’re not going to listen to them? So now I make sure that whenever I have someone nearby with good advice, I pay attention.
