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Laurel is finally getting in on the action.
It’s been nearly two seasons on Arrow but Oliver’s former flame became the latest addition in the elite circle of people privy to his secret Green Arrow life. Armed with this knowledge, Laurel — clear-headed and no longer pill-popping — has inched her way in as an honorary Team Arrow member. “Being a part of the action and being a part of the A story has been great,” Katie Cassidy tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I can’t wait to be a part of it even more.”
In Wednesday’s penultimate episode, “Streets of Fire,” Oliver and his team attempt to put an end to Slade Wilson and his powerful Mirakuru-powered army. “It’s like a gigantic movie — action-packed, jaw-dropping. Things happen that are very unexpected and everybody’s in danger. Nobody’s safe,” Cassidy says of the final episodes. “It was overwhelming to shoot, but it’s going to be fantastic. Our audience is going to be very, very excited especially after seeing the finale. I was super excited after reading [it].”
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In a chat with THR, Cassidy on Laurel’s deepening love for Oliver, the likelihood of officially joining Team Arrow and how Laurel would react to news of Oliver’s fatherhood.
How freeing has it been for you to have Laurel be in on the Arrow secret?
It’s amazing. I’m so excited, so thrilled. When I read the script where Slade comes and tells Laurel that Oliver is the Arrow, I was definitely excited but at the same time it was like uh oh because when you find out who the Arrow is, sometimes you get killed off.
There’s a sense that every time a new person finds out about Oliver’s other identity, the likelihood that they’ll find themselves in peril increases exponentially. How much more danger is Laurel in now that she’s in the know?
There have been people where that has happened to and then there’s been people where they find out and they’re driven by that. For Laurel, in our last few episodes, she’s more involved in the sense that she knows what the Arrow is doing and she kind of wants in on it. She’s intrigued. Her reaction, her strength and where she’s been this season takes and her journey takes it to a whole other level. She definitely hit rock bottom and she is at a place where she’s gotten stronger and has a clear head. She’s — I don’t want to say she’s at her peak — but she’s on her way up.
Because she’s been equipped with this Arrow knowledge, will she be a bigger part of Team Arrow moving forward?
I don’t know, you’ll have to tune in. (Laughs.) There’s definitely a part of her where she’s gotten to a place where she can play a role in quote-unquote Team Arrow. But I can’t tell you much more than that.
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How has Laurel’s dynamic with Oliver changed?
It just reiterates for her that he is the person she thought he was. She loves him even more for that and she encourages it. She’s very much on board with who he is and what he’s doing because he’s doing good and he’s doing right and that’s what she is. Their goals and what they believe in are parallel. She’s a support system.
Slade made a point to say that there’s one more person who has to die for this to be all over, which Oliver understood to be him. But how likely is it that that person could be someone else?
At this point, anything can happen. When he said someone else must die, I think at the end of the season you’ll have an understanding of who that is.
What’s Laurel’s relationship like with Sara when she comes back into town?
At the end of the day she’s her sister. I have two sisters, I know what that’s like. As angry as she was at her, if anybody can forgive, it’s Laurel. She has a big heart and she’s compassionate. I think they’re at a good place definitely.
What are the chances of Laurel and Oliver rekindling their romance?
I think she’s open to it. At the end of the day, he’s the love of her life and anything can happen. You never know.
A few episodes ago, we found out that Oliver had fathered a child pre-Queens Gambit. How do you think Laurel would react if she discovered that piece of news?
I don’t know. Honestly she’s been through so much that if anyone can forgive, it’s her. She’s gone through what she’s gone through with her sister and Ollie showing back up and them being back together, it’s almost a bit expected with Oliver. Of course something like this would happen. I think it would be hard for her but I do think, again, if anyone could forgive, it would be Laurel.
As we look ahead to season three, are there characters you’d like Laurel to interact with more regularly?
I would love to be in the lair more and working with Felicity and Diggle. I don’t get to work with Emily [Bett Rickards] and David [Ramsey], and being more a part of the A story and the action. Obviously I love working with Stephen [Amell]. I love John Barrowman so if I got an opportunity to work with him would be great, and Laurel’s father, Paul Blackthorne is great.
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
Email: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @insidethetube
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