Arrow's Katie Cassidy: Laurel Wants to Believe That Oliver Is Innocent

Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy | Photo Credits: Cate Cameron/The CW
Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy | Photo Credits: Cate Cameron/The CW

Oliver is in troooouble!

Arrow's titular superhero found himself on the wrong side of the law last week after being arrested by Detective Lance (Paul Blackthorne), who suspects that he is the vigilante who has been plaguing Starling City. Of course, Lance is totally right, but he'll have to prove it first.

This is where Laurel (Katie Cassidy) will step in to represent Oliver (Stephen Amell) — and she'll have her work cut out for her in the courtroom, going up against Kate Spencer (Chelah Horsdal). Yes, that Kate Spencer.

Arrow Scoop: Oliver's secret is out! What's next?

How will this case change the dynamic between the duo? TVGuide.com asked Cassidy what's in store for Laurel and Oliver and when we'll get to meet her Black Canary.

Oliver keeps pushing Laurel away, only to bring her back in. Do you think she could ever really forgive him?
Katie Cassidy:
If anyone could forgive, I feel like Laurel would be the one to be able to do it. It takes an enormously strong person to ever forgive someone for doing to her what has been done to her. She has a lot of love for him and she kind of can't help herself. You'll continue to see this dynamic between the two of them and this dance that they're in. I think that she's trying to forgive and trying to move forward, but it's not easy.

Oliver now knows about Tommy (Colin Donnell) and Laurel's relationship. How will that play out going forward?
Cassidy:
Laurel is not apologetic for it. She doesn't feel bad about the fact that she has been with Tommy because she feels like, "Hey, I was dealt pretty bad cards too!" We all deal with it. She's sort of like, "Just accept it. This is what happened and these are the repercussions from what you've done. I'm not going to feel bad about it. You did some bad stuff to me." Had he not done the stuff that he had done, I don't think that she would even be put in the position to maybe accept Tommy as a love interest.

And now Laurel will be forced to help Oliver after he's arrested.
Cassidy:
These few episodes, in my opinion, they're my favorite because you get to see a fun dynamic between Laurel and Oliver, and then you got to see a fun dynamic between Laurel and the Arrow and those parallels. You get to definitely see a bit more understanding of their history. You also get to see Laurel when she's in court and that day was crazy! All the legal jargon and being in court and fighting for her case, it was a huge scene and it was monstrous for me. It was so fun. I love scenes like that and I love a challenge.

What can you tell us about Laurel helping Oliver in court?
Cassidy:
Laurel is very passionate about what she does and she knows she's good at it. She's willing to do whatever it takes to prove that. She wants to prove what's right. I don't think that she feels that Oliver is capable of being this vigilante. She just doesn't believe it, so she just knows in her heart that if she doesn't believe it, she can prove to everybody else why they shouldn't believe it either. And she's good.

Arrow Scoop: Ollie's revenge list, big secrets and love interest(s)

These episodes seem to indicate there will be an increasing divide between Laurel and her father, Detective Lance.
Cassidy:
You definitely get to see some family drama and their relationship being tested at times, but Laurel and her father are extremely close. As Paul [Blackthorne] and I discussed, the family lives and dies between the two of them. It's been just the two of them since Sarah left because her mother left after, so they've had a close relationship. You'll definitely see that relationship get challenged.

Will Oliver and Laurel ever find some common ground since they're both trying to clean up Starling City?
Cassidy:
That's just it, with the parallel between the two of them, but she doesn't necessarily know that's Oliver. I think there's enough weight there, almost like a respect, because they both have gone through so much. I think Laurel starts to understand that he's actually been through a lot and she maybe shouldn't be so hard on him.

How sick are you of the Black Canary questions?
Cassidy:
[Laughs] I actually don't mind the Black Canary questions because maybe it will encourage the writers to head in that direction. I think it's something that certainly drew me to this project. I think it would be really fun. Being in a show that's so action-packed is certainly something that I wanted to do. Being a superhero? Or hero? It would be pretty cool.

Are we going to see more of Laurel kicking ass?
Cassidy:
We got a little taste of it, but certainly throughout there have been times where maybe she's in there somewhere.

Which DC Comics characters are coming to CW's Arrow?

What do you hope Laurel stands for between now and her turning into the Black Canary?
Cassidy:
It's not necessarily that she's going to stand for anything. In the pilot, she says, "If I don't save the world, who will?" Her intentions are always very good, she likes helping people and likes saving people. She's a very strong character, and if anything, you're going to be able to see, on her journey, that maybe going through the law isn't always what's morally where her integrity is. She's been raised that way that everything is by the book because her father is a cop, but I think you'll get to see her flirt with the idea of, "I'm still doing right, even though it's breaking the law." She'll have to go on this journey to experience that and open her eyes a little bit more. I think she'll be pretty badass.

Are there any DC Comics characters you're hoping to see on the series?
Cassidy:
Specifically, I'm excited about everyone. Selfishly, Black Canary. [Laughs]

Below, Cassidy and the Arrow cast discuss which comic characters they'd love to play. Plus: Which character is John Barrowman playing? Watch the video!

Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.



Related Articles on TVGuide.com